Vote set Thursday in House on trade bill once left for dead

President Barack Obama's trade agenda appears to be back on track after an extraordinary bipartisan rescue operation mounted in the week since it was derailed in the House by rebellious Democrats backed by organized labor.

Working in tandem with the White House, Republican officials arranged for a Thursday vote in the House on a measure to give Obama authority to negotiate global trade deals that Congress can approve or reject, but not change.

House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said a separate bill to renew an expiring program of aid for workers who lose their jobs because of imports is expected to pass soon.

At the White House, Obama met separately with pro-trade Democrats whose support will be necessary to put the bills on his desk.