AP Top News at 7:17 p.m. EST

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AP Top News at 7:17 p.m. EST

Obama, Dems look beyond health summitWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats, holding out little hope for Thursday’s televised bipartisan summit on health care, are prepared to try for a far-reaching bill in the coming weeks without a single Republican vote. Barring an unexpected two-party breakthrough at the summit, Democratic leaders feel they can’t afford to fail, leaving them empty-handed on a huge priority in an already difficult election year. It’s far from clear they can gather the votes, however, and it will take a major effort to unite fractious Democrats.