WASHINGTON – From the South to the heartland, cracks are appearing in the once-solid wall of Republican resistance to President Barack Obama’s health care law.

Ahead of a federal deadline today for states to declare their intentions, Associated Press reporters interviewed governors and state officials around the country, finding surprising openness to the changes in some cases. Opposition persists in others, and there is a widespread, urgent desire for answers on key unresolved details.

Thursday evening, the Obama administration granted states a month’s extension, until Dec. 14. A check by the AP found that 16 states remain in the undecided column.