this is al jazeera america live from new york city. i i'm tony harris. lawmakers show no signs of making a budget deal. syria's foreign minister says there is no civil war in his country, and the un security council discusses humanitarian efforts there. >> [ inaudible ]. >> that is the message from benjamin netenyahu during his visit with president obama at the white house. ♪ eight hours and counting to

what could become the first federal government shutdown in nearly two decades and right now there are no signs are deal will be reached before the midnight deadline. less than two hours ago, the senate killed the bill designed to delay the health care act implementation for one year. today president obama once again urged congress to avoid a shutdown. >> the senate has passed a bill that keeps the government open, does not have a lot of extraneous issues to it, and allows us to negotiate a longer-term budget and address a restaurant j of issues, but ensures that we're not shutting down the budget and an economy at a time when a lot of families out there are just getting traction and digging themselves out of the hole we have had as a consequence of the financial crisis.

>> we have every angle covered for you, we'll look at how a shutteddown could effect the economy, paul is look at how a shutdown could effect the victims of the recent flooding in colorado, but we begin with mike viqueira. and mike you know it's not official until i come to you. any signs anywhere of a possible compromise here? >> on the outside, no. john boehner and house republican leaders came up with their plan. i don't know what we're up to now, l or m perhaps. and they will put on it on the floor of the house of representatives. the senate send back the clean-spending bill with no cuts to the president's health care initiative known as obamacare. the house is going to implement a one-year delay, or this is the plan, a one-year delay in the

individual mandate that requires everyone to have insurance. they are also going to do something very controversial within this zip code, and that is they are going to take away their health care and make their and their staffs join the exchanges. once again we heard john boehner harping on the theme. >> the american people are worried about their job, they are worried about their incomes rising, because they are all under pressure, the economy is not growing, why? one of the issues is obamacare. >> we have devolved into the name calling portion of the

meeting today. harry reid called them banana republicans. here is what he had to say. >> and every step of the way, boehner knew what was going on. mcconnell knew what was going on pelosi knows what is going on, but it doesn't matter. we are not going to mess around with obamacare. they have got to get a life. >> so the question is when the senate rejects yet again what the house of representatives wants to do will .john boehner put on the floor a clean spending bill, with the help of house democrats. a huge problem for john boehner, but it would work for just about everybody else. >> mike viqueira where will we be at this time tomorrow?

>> i think we may be sleeping one off. there is a chance for a deal here, which would require house republicans to cave. we have certainly seen in the past last-minute deals and we have certainly seen john boehner go back on his core conservatives. this is a question of mathematics and tradition. there are the votes right now to pass what the president and senate democrats want to do. but they have to get to 217. traditionally the way this has worked they will not do it for members of the opposite party, and so 15 republicans can get together and block anything that john boehner wants to do. that's what we're seeing here, so john boehner is going to have to choose between those hard core conservatives and passing what the house could do if you

factor in democrats. >> mike appreciate it. thank you. if the government shuts down. who stays home and who shows up to work? >> the entire federal government would not close but a huge chunk would. first social security payments will still go out on time. doctors and hospitals will still get paid by medicare and medicaid. soldiers remain on duty, although their paychecks may be delayed. and the post office will keep delivering the mail. but national parks, monuments will close, places like the national zoo and the smithsonian, almost all of the irs shuts down. tax returns are still due, but no more ah dids, and getting a home loan approved that is

expected to take a lot longer. also thousands of inspectors will stay home, those range from food inspectors to those who work on car recalls. and the centers for disease control and prevention would be severely hampered. and most of the department of education would actually close. now if this lasts longer than a week, that would severe delay funding to local school districts and colleges across the country. most agencies can handle a brief interruption, but the longest it drags on the more damaging. >> victims of the massive flooding in colorado might also be affected. paul joins live from lions colorado. and what challenges are people placing there in colorado, paul? >> john, as you can see, they are still facing enormous

challenges. there are bridges ands washed out all over this town. and the big question is you have been talk about is which federal employees will be deemed essential versus nonessential, near what that question comes down to is fema workers and national ward workers who are involved in all of these repair and cleanup operations. we spoke to the town manager who is making calls to her senator trying to find out what is going to happen if and when the government shuts down. >> paul what about national parks in the state? >> well, of course that's a huge economic impact. parks across colorado and the west in general, those will shutdown. fortunately i guess on the upside is the peak of tourist season have passed, but all of

the local employees and businesses will be sent home, again, another impact that this shutdown would have on this region, which is already still digging out from these floods. >> all right. pall thank you. wall street is paying attention to what is happening on capitol hill and investors don't like what they are seeing. we look at the reaction to the last government shutdown and what we could expect if there is another one. >> the last time the federal government went dark was between 1995 and 1996. it shaved half a percent of quarterly growth from the economy. >> a government shutdown of three to four weeks we project could reduce economic growth by

as much as 1.4%. that's a major stumbling block in the recovery. >> reporter: it's a worst-case scenario for moody's analysts. and analysts worry the stack market isn't nearly as resilient and it was previously. >> we have worried about bernanke, about obamacare, i think the market is more skittish than it has been. so i think the reaction has the potential to be more violent. >> almost more than 1 million federal workers are on the hook. additionally tens of thousands of private sector workers could be adversely impacted if uncle sam didn't spend money. ajoining me now is peter, a economist at the university of maryland.

good to talk to you again. based on your comments, you don't think a government shutdown is that big of a deal? >> absolutely. and the last time we had a long government shutdown in '96 was for 20 days, and the economy basically made up all of its grounds within two quarters. a lot of the things that he government gets done, will still get done only at later date. there will be some impact if they don't give them back pay, but the services the government provides, clearing those fannie mae and freddy mac loans, they will get cleared but just not for a couple of weeks. >> what about the government not being able to do one of its

primary functions which is to keep the government open and operating. >> it is a long american tradition going back to colonial days. we have always separately selected our exsec fors from our legislators, and when the people's house sets upset with the president, and they are upset with him now, this is the sort of thing that happens. and what mr. boehner is doing is the sort of thing that party leaders have done at times like these and that is sort of enforced party discipline. he is doing it by not permitting a vote of the full house unless he can get a majority of republicans to go along. >> what does this portend for what i think you would agree is the more significant debate on raising the debt ceiling? >> if the republicans blink and sent over what the republicans call a clean bill, and basically

boehner caves in, then i think they will likely put up a fight with the debt ceiling, but they'll cave in then, i think it's quite reasonable to say if you are relaying the health care mandate for companies, you should delay it for individuals, and so i think that's fair. if they did that -- >> peter how is that fair? it is the law of the land -- i understand there have been delays. it is the law of the land passed by the house and senate, up held by the supreme court, why is a discussion about law a part of the budget debate or the debt ceiling debate? >> i think you are conflating the supreme court case with what happened with employers. >> employers said they weren't ready. mr. obama asked the senate and the house to pass an amendment to the law that delayed their

compliance for a year. so now boehner is saying let's pass a similar delay in the law for individuals -- >> so you can ask for it, but you don't have the votes for it, so it doesn't move forward. the question is do you shut down the government on this? >> i think they should. >> you do? >> yes, i do. because of the way obamacare was ma passed through the house of representatives. there was no participation by democrats. this was the first mayor place -- excuse me participation by republicans -- this was the first major piece of social legislation that was not passed on somewhat of a bipartisan basis. >> you don't think that this was litigated. this was discussed -- >> that was a different issue. >> okay. >> they were litigating whether the tax or the fee -- >> yes. >> for not participating would

be constitutional or not. it is a whole different issue of hot it was passed. the president basically had 60 votes in the senate for a brief period of time, and the majority of the house, and he and speaker pelosi decided to put the republicans out of the discussion completely. and now that is coming back to bite him. >> all right. and you think debate over obamacare having that debate anew is enough of a reason to shut down the government at midnight or whatever the time -- >> i'm hearing over and over again this week that mr. obama was reelected in 2008, well so were the people in the house of representatives, and this was the lever they have available to them. this is the way washington works. this is the lever they have, so this is the lever they will be using. i think the president would be wise to sit down and negotiate a

one-year delay, so mr. boehner can do this honorably. >> all right. peters as always it's great to talk to you. stay with al jazeera for continuing coverage of the looming government shutdown and get the latest online at aljazeera.com. ♪ >> well, high-pressure is in control across the east coast so it's a beautiful day from new york city all the way down into our nation's capitol. only a couple of clouds across the skies in western pa, and western new york. you may see a spotty shower later on in the day, but we're looking at a great deal of sunshine all the way down. in d.c. it is going to stay comfortable not just today but tuesday into wednesday. we're 5 degrees shy of 90.

but seattle has been inundated with heavy rain. if you are traveling aloss i-5 it will be a tough couple of days. highs only in the upper 50s. heavy rain coming down outside of seattle currently. we'll continue to deal with that all the way through wednesday. winter storm warning is in effect until early tomorrow morning. folks on the roads above 4,000 feet highly advised to use precaution. tony, back to you? >> appreciate see you later in the program. they roll out everywhere tomorrow, new health care exchanges that will apeople to see if they qualify for discounted coverage. syria says there's no civil

war in their country. and what eh forths were used to cap the bp oil leak that dumped billions of gallons of oil on the gulf coast.

hi, my name is jonathan betz, and i'm from dallas, texas, and i'm an anchor for al jazeera america. i started in a small television station in rural arkansas. it's a part of the country that often gets overlooked. but there are a lot of fascinating people there, a lot of fascinating stories there. i like that al jazeera will pay attention to those kinds of places. what drew me to journalism is i like the idea that we are documenting history. al jazeera documents it like none other. and to be a journalist, and to be part of a team like that? that's an incredible blessing.

welcome back to al jazeera, everyone. james holmes returned to a colorado courtroom today. it was his first appearance since undergoing psychiatric treatment. they wanted a subpoena from medical personnel who evaluated holmes. he is scheduled to go on trial next year or the shooting rampage in a colorado movie theater. the second phase of the bp oil spill trial is underway. bp faces as much as $18 billion

in fines from the deep water explosion. the company says it complied with all government regulation. attorneys for the plaintiffs say the company delayed response and underestimates how much oil leaked out of the well. >> reporter: this stage of the trial will help the judge determine who things, did bp do enough to stop the flow of oil, and how many gallons of oil actually spilled. dr. john harris is a professor at the new mexico institute of mining and technology. he testified that bp routinely unestimated the amount of oil that spilled into the gulf of mexico. he said it but a daily flow rate of 5,000 barrels a day when it

knew the worse-case scenario could be 100,000 a day. parts have said that top kill is unlikely to work in oil flow is higher than 15,000 barrels a day. bp got the doctor to admit he has never been hired to assess the number of gallons of oiling flows from a well. this is an attempt to judge what kind of job bp did. now week they move into to how many barrels spilled. why that is important? it will determine how much they have to pay in fines.

>> syria's civil war crisis is at the center of controversy today. un inspectors left syria today after completing their six-day mission. the foreign minister addressed the un general assembly and made a strong allegation. >> reporter: he said the war in his country was not a civil war, but a war against al-qaeda. those labeled terrorists were the ones who used chemical weapons, and made this extrordanaire allegation. >> translator: terrorists who used poisonous gases in my country have used agents that are well-known to all of us. >> reporter: by the end of the speech one diplomat was in the

seats. >> translator: ballot boxes for free and fair elections remain the only solution to decide on the options of the syrian people in determining their own future. >> reporter: after friday's unanimous vote, there's hope of another unified effort by the international community. for months senior officials have called for better access to syria for humanitarian agencies. diplomats are working on a strongly worded statement out in. a statement on humanitarian access would be important because it would show the joint position of all 15 members of the security council. it would carry their moral authority, but is not legally binding in international law. >> reporter: aide workers say it takes months to enter the

country. a statement from the security council might provide pressure that would lead to better access. james bays, al jazeera, the united nations. new pictures have emerged that show the depth of devastation of last week's small attack in nairobi. at least 67 people were killed in a raid by the armed group al-shabab. there are reports that the government had been warned about such an attack an attack on a college in nigeria leaves up to 50 students dead. gunmen are suspected of killing the students while they slept in their dormitory. northeastern nigeria is in a state of emergency because of an insurgent by the vocal haram group. they have launched a number of

attacks on schools. warren buffet is cashing in big time. he invested $5 billion in goldman sachs to help boost the if i recall. now buffet's $5 billion investigate has risen to $7 billion. reports say twitter will file papers this week to sell stock to the public. trading could begin by the end of the november. shares will be priced at 28 to $30 each. ♪ ross is here now with the headlines in sports and the cubs making a pretty big move today ross. >> that's right. the cubs decided to fire their

manager. in two seasons under him they finished in last place in two years. they are expected to pursue joe girardi. the patriots are improved to 4-0 but their defensive captain could be done for the season. he tore his right al-keeleys in this play. he has been a rock on the defensive line and it's going to be a huge blow for new england. and blake locker had to be carted off of the feel. he injured his hip on this nasty hit right here. the team leave believes locker will be out for at least a

month. also tonight you have the undefeated saints and dolphins. and in baseball the rays and rangers will play a tiebreaker. >> i can't wait for that. and for ross a later in the program with more sports. ross thank you. the shutdown showdown nearing the strike of midnight with no deal on capitol hill, president obama is expected to addressing the funding fight from the white house briefing room, that is scheduled for 4:45 eastern time. for one midwest state it is forbidden to promote the new health care exchange. we'll tell you why. closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you. that's all i have an

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♪ congress has until midnight to come up with a plan to stop a government shutdown. the house passed a plan without funding for the affordable care act, but that measure was rejected by the senate today. president obama is expected to address the funding fight in

just about 15 minutes ago. >> syria's foreign minister claims there is no civil war in syria, only a war against terrorists. benjamin netenyahu says iran is committed to the destruction of israel. these comments were made while visiting president obama in washington. the clock as you know is ticking towards a government shutdown, congress has until midnight to reach a compromise. right now there are no signs of a deal that would avert the first government shutdown in 17 years. the president will say more about the crisis in just a couple of minutes. earlier he said he hoped democrats and republicans could find a way to avoid the pain of a shutdown.

>> the senate has passed a bill that keeps the government open, that allows us to negotiate a longer-term budget, and addresses a range of other issues, but ensure we're not shutting down the government and the economy at a time when a lot of families out there are just digging themselves out of the holes we were in. >> the senate went back into session this afternoon. senator killed the house-funding bill designed to delay the implementation of the affordable care act. shut down or not health care insurance exchanges roll out tomorrow. it is the most crucial part of the affordable care act also known as obamacare. if there is one thing that everybody knows, it's that it is complicat complicated. so we have david shuster here to

break it down. >> tony the basic most important part are the exchanges that roll out tomorrow. but these exchanges really don't effect most of the health care system. the vast majority of this country, the health care exchanges don't apply to you. if you get your health through your employer, or you are on medicare or medicaid, they don't apply to you. but if you are one of the uninsured, there is a new system in place. imagine booking a flight or trip op line through the t top -- popular websites? the obamacare market places will look the same. each state will have a website that will offer different coverage options. your family's household income is less than $94,000 a year, the

government will give you financial help through tax breaks so you can afore the insurance. if you are an individual subsidies will kick in if your annual income is less than $46,000. supporters say the overall system will preserve the opportunity for doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies to make money. in the past insurance companies have covered their costs by raising prices or refusing to cover those who are the hardest to insure. obamacare is intended to make coverage more affordable in part by limiting how much insurance companies can charm, and will bring the percentage of americans who's applications are denied from 18% to zero. so the sick, elderly, and those with preexisting conditions will be added to the pool. older americans could be charged

up to three times more than younger americans. uninsured younger people may join the new exchanges if they are not on their parent's plan. the whole system is dependent on getting eligible young and healthy people into the marketplaces. their participation will help everybody, including the insurance companies trying to compete, and consumers trying to cut their health care costs. the crucial website, if you want to check it out for yourself is healthcare.gov. >> the website is so easy all you have to do is put in your state and it will guide you. but all americans now have six months starting from tomorrow to enroll. if you don't have insurance either through one of the obamacare exchanges or any other way, you will face an irs penalty of up to 1% the first

year, and 2% the second year. >> got a question. so i'm getting health insurance through my employer, but i want to check out one of the exchanges? is thatting is -- that something i can do? >> yes. however, in most cases what you get from your employer is going to be better than what you get on the exchanges, and the reason is, some of your health care premiums are subsidized by this company, whereas this company, and no company is under any obligation to subsidize what you pay on the exchanges. however, everyone is welcome to compare and shop around. >> david well done. states can opt out of taking an racktive roll in exchanges. that's the case in missouri. shopping for health care

exchanges is not as easy as in other states. >> keep stirring buddy. >> reporter: for steve and his wife jean caring for their 21-year-old son aaron is a near full-time job. he is legally blind and profoundly deaf, but otherwise healthy. as self-employed professionals health care has been a necessariy. but they're optimistic that obamacare will give them more cost-effective options. >> what we currently have is so very, very expensive. >> reporter: but getting information about how to navigate the marketplace could be tricky for people like them who need to bring their premiums down. last november the republican-controlled state legislature passed proposition

e, the law approved by voters prohibits the governor or any state agency from authorizing any of the exchanges. the exchange will still be there, but administrated federally instead of by state agencies. >> they banned talking about helping the feds in any way with the marketplace. >> we can give away all of our money tomorrow and it is just a drop in the bucket. >> organizations are attempting to fill the vacuum. al jazeera was referred to an op-ed by the lieutenant governor. in his he wrote . . .

>> and while the state has no legal requirement to educate its constituents, some here feel it certainly could help. >> we need information, because we need some options here, and we would also like to have a navigator, to help us understand what these options are. >> reporter: for now missourians will have to navigate the new territory without any help from their state. u.s. iranian nuclear diplomacy is center stage at the white house today. president obama met with benjamin netenyahu today. >> i hope we can resolve this

diplomatically, but we take no options off of the table, including military options, in making sure that we do not have a nuclear weapons in iran that would destabilize the region and potentially threaten the united states of america. >> john we heard some strong warnings from the israel prime minister -- i think that sound that i'm hearing indicates that we may have lost john is that correct? >> okay. we have lost john and we'll try to get back to him later in the program. each year israel declares its right to exist and denounces those who question the state's legitimacy, but these say israel is confronting a changing landscape where some old foes have disappeared. >> mr. president thank you for welcoming me --

>> benjamin netenyahu met with president obama as they prepare to meet with the united nations. there was a unanimous security council vote to take control of syria's chemical weapons. and iranian president's promise not to develop nuclear weapons. president obama expressed cautious optimism. >> this could serve as a major step forward in a new relationship between the united states and the it islamic republic of iran. >> what we see is a charm offensive, an attempt to appease

the west. >> reporter: israeli negotiator says there is reason for the skepticism. >> iran has threatened us so many times over the year. so they want to be very, very careful that the united states will not be mislead. >> reporter: netenyahu's speech to the general assembly is expected to underscore his country's distrust as he navigates the reverberations of a long and tul -- tumultuous arab spring. but ben urges israel to be patient with iran. >> it's a mistake not to give this overture by iran some time to see if it's going to

materialize. israel should not be jumping the gun and draw too many conclusions too fast. >> iranian journal list says iran's leaders are motivated to make a deal because punishing economic sanctions are taking a toll. >> reporter: rouhani's major promise that he made to the iranian people. >> reporter: and he says the solution includes israel. >> i think many people within the new administration understand that we not only have to have a plan regarding the nuclear program, but also they should have a plan in how to deal with israel. >> reporter: only actions not words are likely to convince netenyahu that a new day for the

middle east is indeed possible. >> let's take you to the white house briefing room right now, and the shutdown showdown continues. nearing the strike of midnight, no deal, at least now for sure on capitol hill. we expect president obama to be taking to the white house briefing room to make a statement on the shutdown and the progress or lack of progress that is being made. that is scheduled to begin any minute now. of course we will bring that event live to you when it happens. eric holder announced the justice department is suing the state of north carolina. it accuses the state of racial discrimination. it requires voters to show id at

polling places. at least 48 people suffered injuries today in a train collision near chicago. take a look at these pictures. an empty eastbound train stopped the other train. two of pope francis's predecess predecessors, pope's john paul the 2nd, and the 23rd are on their way to st. hood. the announcement had been accepted since july when pope francis approved a second miracle attributed to pope john paul. >> vatican rules require two

miracles before cattization. talk about that. >> well, you know, you are right in that it is generally vatican law, but the pope can bend those laws. he is after all infallible. he took the papal prerogative and decided that just one miracle was enough. why did he do it? there is a lot of talk as to why he may have done it. not least of which the possibility that what francis has done here is to try to draw a line between these two popes. pope francis, who is a fan of both of these pontiffs,

apparently put them together to draw a line in the vatican. >> and so y did the -- the pope francis decide to cannonize these two -- i know he is infailable and infallible, but to cannonize the two popes together? why that decision? >> well that's an historic event in it's a. why did he choose to draw these two popes together? well, again, i think it goes back to that idea of modernization. pope john the 23rd was the one who convened the very important vatican two conference in the 60s, and then pope john paul the second taking that modern church

and affecting the world in such a way as he did, but helping the fall of communism and some of the other special efforts that he did globally. it is seen here that this is a way to draw a line from john the 23rd to john paul the second, now whether or not we see pope francis also taking the church in a radical different new direction, that's yet to be seen, but there's a moment here where the vatican and pope francis wants to recognize a linear growth. >> okay. phil, for us in rome. appreciate it. thank you. now you see the white house correspondents there getting ready to do stand-ups for their respective networks. i am assuming we're waiting for

the two-minute warning on this. mike viqueira is standing by as well. mike this was a bit of a surprise. this was added to the president's schedule rather lay is my understanding. >> right. we learned about it less than an hour ago, so it was a bit of a surprise. chiefly because we are going to hear from the president twice today. we heard from him with benjamin netenyahu, where he if the draw the line once more saying he would not be held hostage by house republicans. we were also expecting to hear from him at a photo opportunity with his cabinet. i think they sense they have the upper hand. when it comes to dealing with house republicans, democrats are unified in the senate with the

white house, it is republicans who are in disarray, putting the speaker of the house, john boehner in a really difficult position. and i think you'll see president obama really press that advantage when he appears. tony? >> there's -- there's very little expectation that -- that i can surmise -- now you are certainly closer to it -- that suggests that the president is in any mood, willing at all to -- to delay a rollout of his signature -- let's understood line that with an exclamation point -- his signature piece of legislation i'm sure he would point to as his signature accomplishment of his time in the presidency. >> most folks around the country recognize that, and that includes many republicans, and many republicans in the senate and even some in the house,

let's say 50% of republicans in the house. >> unfortunately for john boehner he has a problem of tradition and mathematics. we has 233 republican in the house. the rule in the house -- and this is not something that denn dennis hastard made up. the mine nor -- majority runs rough shot over the minority. so the speaker of the house, any significant piece of legislation has got to have -- in this case republicans behind it, republicans doing the bulk of the work. you do not rely on the minority party to get you ever the top. it is strange, but has been pretty much ever thus in the house of representatives. so when you have a vote of 15

people, any 15 people can gum it up within your caucus, and that's what we're seeing it. it's significantly more than 15. let's see there are 60 conservative house republicans who refuse to vote for anything that funds explicitly, implicitly, however through the side door or front door, the affordable health care act. the latest it ration that john boehner announced, i was watching john boehner, he emerged from a closed door meeting. now they are going to take from the senate did, which is put the funding of obamacare back in the spending bill, sends it back to the house. john boehner is going to add another delay, this time with the one-year delay of the

mandate that requires everyone to get insurance, and that is a subsidy to cover a portion of your monthly health care premium. they are going to take that away. so they are sending that back to the senate, tony. >> we have to take a quick break, but when we come back, we'll have more time, i'm sure to discuss this, but we can talk about -- kill the music for just a second, please -- we can talk about how districts are -- are being carved up in the country in such a way -- >> sure. >> -- as to make -- provide a disincentive in many cases for the kind of negotiation that will resolve the kind of log jam

that we are at right now, how differents are being divided up. let's talk about that a bit when we come back. now we can start the music, and we're back in a moment. this is al jazeera america. ♪ together unexpected voices closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you. ]

okay. once again, you are looking at the white house briefing room. we're standing by waiting for the president to give remarks on where we are right now in the stalemate over the budget, and mike viqueira is standing by with us, and mike before the break we were talking about the way politics has been broken out on the state by state, city by city, district by district level, in that you were mentioning it takes as few as 15 members of congress to settle things -- >> right. >> -- and part of that is because of gerrymandering, and you can break that out for us, but in many cases there is not really an incentive for some of these representatives in guaranteed districts to make a

deal. >> right. and we're talking about a political profit phototive here that incentivizes partisan war fair. let's just get people caught up on where we are. it is a game of ping-pong between the house and senate. the house defunds obamacare, seconds it to the senate, the senate takes that out and seconds it back to the house. right now they are trying to delay parts of the law even further. and tony i don't want to go foo far out on a limb here, but informed speculation is everybody here recognizes that sooner or later whether it's tonight in the early morn hours, or tomorrow afternoon, the house is going to have to cave. and that is going to be a problem for john boehner

politically as speaker of the house, that really an ungovernable house, and it is a huge problem, and really, it beggars the question, who would want the job if john boehner were to step down. but you are talking about some systemic issues that have brought us to the edge so many times in the past few years. the physical cliff, the deal ceiling limit, time and time again, and even prior to the obama administration this was happening. you talked a little bit about the gerrymander, how those tortured districts are drawn so that virtually every member of congress is in a safe district, and tony, i'm sure most people don't realize only about 10% of

members of the house of venntives, only about 10% are even vulnerable to challenge in any given election -- >> your only challenge in many cases is your primary. >> yes, so you are challenged from the right so that makes you become more combative because you have to demonstrate your conservative bone to the constituents back home. and the rules that took the lid off of the pac money, the reporting requirements are very vague, so to a certain extent what you have seen is the house and senate floors become audition stages for a lot of this money.

>> but that audition means the halls of where you are now are inundated with lobbyists, correct? >> it's not just lobbyists -- two minutes i'm given until we see the president here. it's people who really believe in a cause but are very inflexible. and they are pouring millions of dollars to challenge these. and the filibuster, a 60-vote margin every envisioned by the founders of the constitution, ironically it was put in place to speed things up, and it has been used many, many times to slow things down over the last ten years or so, so that brings us to the verge of a government shutdown, a potential default own the national debt,