welcome back. great to be with you on this monday. i'm brooke baldwin. it is now a race against the clock. we're watching the seconds ticking down. in just over two days some time after the clock strikes midnight, the u.s. will run short of money to pay its bills. huge news here because in an hour, the president will be meeting with congressional leadership at the white house. so here are the big guns who will be in attendance at the meeting. house speaker john boehner will be there as well as house minority leader nancy pelosi.

also harry reid and minority leader mitch mcconnell. right now, the senate convenes, and these two huge players, mcconnell and reid, are expected to speak. we're watching very closely. we've been reporting this meeting, reid and mcconnell's office, the talking that's taking place, and what these two say could indicate the face of the country, really, at this point in time. fast-moving story. dana bash has been all over it. she's our chief congressional correspondent. i understand reid has been back in mcconnell's office. tell me, is this a good sign heading into this white house meeting in 60 minutes? >> it sure seems like a good sign. i just came to talk to you from standing outside of mcconnell's office which is kind of on the other side of the capitol, we expect both of them to leave there soon to speak publicly on the senate floor. but as reid was walking into

mcconnell's office, ted barrett saw he was holding a piece of paper, which is a good sign, and he said we're going over the deal. the question is, are you there yet? he said, not yet. we were talking a lot about harry reid, but we should also tell you a spokesman for mitch mcconnell also says the two leaders are negotiating in good faith. good-faith negotiations and talks will continue. so the sort of parameters of the discussions going into these talks and we think this is the second round of negotiations. they might have had more face-to-face rr talks they got by those of us following them in the hallway, but the basis, we think, harry reid came to mitch mcconnell this morning -- >> let me interrupt you because as you mentioned, here is harry reid on the floor of senate. >> a bill to insure the complete and timely payment of the obligations of the united states government until december 31st, 20 2014. >> mr. president, at 5:00 today, the senate will proceed to the

executive nomination of andrea wood, the united states district judge in illinois and the nomination of madeleine hacala to be a judge in alabama. 5:30, there will be a call on the hacala nomination. the wood nomination expected to be confirmed in another way. mr. president, conskruktive good faith negotiations continue between the republican leader and me. i'm very optimistic that we will reach an agreement. it's reasonable in nature this week. to reopen the government, pay the nation's bills and begin long-term negotiations to put our country on sound fiscal footing. i deeply appreciate my friend, the minority leader, for his diligent efforts to come to an agreement. the republican leader and i will keep members informed as negotiations continue. >> mr. president, republican leader? >> let me just echo the remarks of my good friend the majority

leader. we' we've had an opportunity over the last couple days to have very constructive exchanges of views about how to move forward. those discussions continue, and i share his optimism that we're going to get a result that will be acceptable to both sides. >> under the previous order, the leadership time is reserved. >> so first you heard from the majority leader, and then you heard from, as you heard it, his friend, harry reid and mitch mcconnell. dana bash, let me bring you in. language i heard going back to the potential reading of the tee leafs and good news that both of these men are confident there could be results. the optimism seems pervasive on the floor a deal will be reached this week. >> absolutely. and to hear it from harry reid is one thing. to hear it from mitch mcconnell, the republican leader, is another. very, very critical moment here for several reasons. one is because it is the republicans that are -- they're

the ones who are probably going to have to give, particularly when it comes ultimately to the house of representatives led by republicans who, of course, have been trying to force at the beginning of this, the defunding of obama care, delay of obama care. they're the ones who want to feel comfortable that their brethren in the senate led by mitch mcconnell are carrying their water at least as much as they can. the fact that mitch mcconnell sounded so positive is indicative they feel good they can get what everybody hopes in the senate will be a big bipartisan vote in order to maybe -- maybe the senate would say force john boehner's hand or even more generally, make it impossible for the conservatives who are probably going to be opposed to anything that's worked out in the senate, make it impossible for them to prevent john boehner was bringing whatever the senate passes to the house floor as we have seen over the past two

weeks. so that really was key. the other thing is you heard harry reid say he's optimistic. i once interviewed harry reid when he was just becoming the senate majority leader, and brooke, he told me back in his hometown he's the world's biggest pessimist. he's always pessimistic. always sees the glass half empty. for him to say he's optimistic -- >> is a big deal. >> pretty important, also keep in miengd, everybody here is mindful of the market. the bonds market is closed because of columbus day. the stock market is raddttled a nienchd wants to ratdal the market. >> we'll take it. we know you're watching closely. in just an hour from this meeting of president obama and reid and mcconnell and boehner and pelosi here, this meeti ing maybe could change everything. the president said there's a good chance the u.s. will default on its debts unless there's a compromise. >> this is fairly simple, and this whole shutdown has been completely unnecessary. keep in mind that the problem is

not that the u.s. government has run out of money. the problem is not that our deficits are going up. our deficits have actually been cut in half since i came into office and are continuing to go down. the problem is not that there's not the opportunity for us to work intelligently to come up with a budget that creates long-term fiscal stability while still investing in growth. the problem is that we have seen this brinksmanship as a strategy time and time again to try to extract extreme or partisan concessions. >> to the white house we go. to our senior correspondent there, brianna keilar. you just heard from your colleague, dana bash, who just heard from harry reid, mitch mcconnell. you could hear this rare optimism there. is that at all perhaps how the white house is feeling going into this meeting in 50 minutes from now? >> reporter: brooke, i think sometimes you see these meetings and a couple years ago during

those bruising debt ceiling negotiations, we saw a lot of meetings where congressional leaders were summons to the white house and it felt like there's another one of those meetings. i guess there's all together in a room and nothing is accomplished. that's not the case today. those are the indications we're getting from white house officials we're talking to. we're told during the meeting we should expect the parties there will be discussing what is going on in the senate negotiations in detail. they will be looking for some sort of convergence to get everyone on the same page. of course, a lot of this, brooke, as well is about ratcheting up the pressure on house republicans. you heard dana talk about that. that is no doubt the case. we saw president obama really doing that in the comments that he made there at martha's table at the food pantry he went to just a short time ago. really trying to stress that if there isn't a compromise, there could be a default. really putting the ramifications of a possible default out there as well. and i will say, brooke, it's not necessarily an indication that

the white house is prepared to really bend in any major way here. but i think it's more of an exertion on house republicans that we're on the same page. >> you will be in the oval office so we'll check in with you and get some of the color and facts and figures from that meeting here coming up next hour. brianna, thank you very much. at the white house, and coming up, we have amy stoddard and ron brownstein standing by. we're going to talk to them specifically about what they think as the congressional leaders head to the white house. we have also asked them to make a list to rank who or what has the most influence right now as the negotiations are under way. their answers surprised us. we're going to run through them coming up next. plus, where is vice president joe biden here? he's been on the sidelines, but in just about 45 minutes from now, does that all change at this white house meeting? you're watching cnn's special live coverage. people don't have to think about where their electricity comes from.

they flip the switch-- and the light comes on. it's our job to make sure that it does. using natural gas this power plant can produce enough energy for about 600,000 homes. generating electricity that's cleaner and reliable, with fewer emissions-- it matters. ♪ i put in the hourswhere i am today by luck. and built a strong reputation in the industry. i set goals and worked hard to meet them. i've made my success happen. so when it comes to my investments, i'm supposed to just hand it over to a broker and back away?

that's not gonna happen. avo: when you work with a schwab financial consultant, you'll get the guidance you need with the control you want. talk to us today. make my mark i wawith pride.ork. create moments of value. build character through quality. and earn the right to be called a classic. the lands' end no iron dress shirt. starting at 49 dollars.

the democrat and republican leaders of the senate sharing some optimism on the floor of the u.s. senate moments ago which could be a good sign as we enter into -- we being the leaders of both chambers of congress here on both sides of the aisle meet with both the vice president and the president at the white house in just about 45 minutes from now. so let's have a discussion on what really you should anticipate here in terms of when the government will be back up and running again and what about the potential for default.

amy stoddard is the associate editor of the hill.com, and ron brownstein is cnn's senior political analyst for the national journal. welcome to both of you all. you're with me at the top of the hour. i'm sure you were watching, and especially i think to dana bash's point, the fact, ron brownstein, that we heard mitch mckhan al emcconnell echoing wh harry reid said, this optimism, this deal by the end of the week. is that a good sign? >> absolutely. the t when the alternative is unthinkable, they try to find the other route. it will still come up to the question whether anything acceptable to the president will get through the house, and that will be the difficult question, but there's no doubt this is a more optimistic turn of event. >> amy stoddard, you cover capitol hill, you cover congress. when we talk about the nuts and bowls of a deal, we don't know,

dana bash was talking about the deal would fund the government until december and raise the debt ceiling is that one end of the bargaining table? >> republicans are going to ask in return for what? they're going to want to see a continuation of the sequester cut. they were looking for a concession that has anything to do with obama care. they'll look for a repeal of the medical device tax or reduction, something. and something to increase the debt ceiling for six to nine months. they insisted all along, and apart from the shutdown argument, that every time in a $17 trillion debt, you come back to the table to increase the debt ceiling, you have to make adjustments to your fiscal policy. that's actually not unreasonable. defunding obama care was never going to happen. i think in the house, you could see pushback unless there's some kind of give on something else besides just opening the government. keeping sequester in place until december 15th and then having a debt ceiling increase that lasts

up to nine months. >> on the point of the medical device tax delay, ron, would that -- we have heard from the president. we heard also from harry reid. no negotiating when it comes to obama care. would that be seen as a concession from democrats? >> it's difficult because the medical device tax is not central to the obama health care law and there are democrats who are critical of it largely because they have interested in their own states that are affected by it, but it provides the concession for this behavior and for using these tools. in men aways the white house's highest goal and the senate democrats' highest goal is to delegitimize the use of a shutdown, much less a threat of default as a means of exacting policy concession. they will have kicked open the door for what is after all a relatively short extension. you look down the road, you could be doing something like this again in december or the middle of next year, which is probably a frightening concept to most americans. >> that's the thing, my next

question. i'll go to amy for that. if this gets kicked down the road, forgive the cliche, i'm sick of it myself, if this gets kicked down the road, what is the negotiation, how does that work? >> that's what's so tough because we can see why with the clock ticking on default, we know mitch mcconnell and john boehner have no interest in defaulting. they would work with democrats in the final hour to push this off, but it is another punt, and the super committee failed when we last were at this point in august of 2011. that was the band-aid, the solution to get through that deadline. this brings everything to a boil very quickly before the holidays. and you are going to see a push graham the grassroots to continue the fight to keep up the attack on obama care. they're not going to give up. it's not like john boehner can avert default and then lance the boil. he'll be under the exact same pressure he's been under all along. it's really going to take serious negotiation from the

democrats, i think, on some kind of debt -- either debt reduction or debt control. some kind of entitlement reform to get republicans off a drive to defund obama care. otherwise, this is just going to continue as we have seen. >> do me a favor, stand by. i want to continue the conversation, because this is fascinating. we asked you to rank or what has the most influence right now as we're watching the negotiations pan out here on the hill. your answers surprised us. we'll walk through them and we'll explain some of them next. [ male announcer ] this is pam. her busy saturday begins with back pain, when... hey pam, you should take advil. why? you can take four advil for all day relief. so i should give up my two aleve for more pills with advil? you're joking right? for my back pain, i want my aleve. you're joking right? i save time, money,st, and i avoid frustration. you'll find reviews on home repair to healthcare, written by people just like you. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list.

angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

store and essentially they just get sold something. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. before you invest in a mattress, discover the bed clinically proven to improve sleep quality. once you experience it, there's no going back. oh, yeah! at our columbus day event, save $500 to $700 dollars on the final closeout of our performance series mattress sets. but hurry-ends soon! only at a sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699.99.

sleep number. comfort individualized nthat's why they deserve... aer anbrake dance. get 50% off new brake pads and shoes. all right, welcome back. 40 minutes away from this big meeting add the white house. a.b. stoddard, associate editor of thehill.com. and rob brownsteen, director for the national journal. we asked both of you to list your five key players in the talks as they stand right now. ron, we'll get to your list in a moment, but a.b., let me get to yours. at the top, you say the most important player is the president. you know unlike the others, he doesn't have the burden of having to run for re-election. number two, house speaker john

boehner. you say harry reid refused to negotiator early and now needs to work with your number four player, the top senate republican, mitch mcconnell. and how is this for your wild card? your number five is the vice president. is joe biden, who has been conspicuous by his absence. so a.b., do you see -- i want to hone in on the joe biden factor. do you see the vice president swooping in at the last minute here to see that a deal gets done? >> yeah, this is the first appearance by joe biden since this began. everyone has been wondering on the republican side, and i like to note, they often criticize and make fun of him, but in a crisis, they want to know where he is. one of the things harry reid worked out with the president months ago, when they got down to the debt ceiling negotiation, he didn't want vice president biden to be part of the talks because vice president biden has long-standing relationships with republicans and has in the last critical fiscal fights worked out a deal with senator mitch

mcconnell over and over again. so the belief was he would give in too soon. now we're at the 11th hour. joe biden, as we know, will be at that meeting today. i think it's up to the president, as i noted, who doesn't have any re-election, to start saying yes. he knows what can get the votes. he knows what deal will end up getting enough heads counted to a deal on his desk. it's time for him to say yes and time for him to work with john boehner if he wants the rest of his presidency to be relevant because it's unlikely democrats take the house back in the campaign for the midterm election next year and it's time for him to give boehner something he can call a win so they can move on the other things. >> now ron brownstein, to you, these are your top five. you start with senators reid and mcconnell, followed by the speaker of the house, john boehner. after boehner, the vanishing species known as the moderate house republicans. you toss in president obama. here he is. and then you have the american public. what role, ron?

how do you see the american public playing in all of this? >> i think it was -- it is the enormous backlash against the tactics that has encouraged the senate republicans to increase their efforts to find a solution. rita mckhet reid and mcconnell is where it starts. they seem like an old married couple who can't get along but they can't afford to break up. nothing will happen unless they move forward and all indications are that they will. and john boehner to me has been throughout the critical factor here because, you know, any deal that is going to pass the senate that would be acceptable to the president, it's very unlikely that deal could get a majority of house republicans. so he really faces the choice, is he willing to bring a bill to the floor that the majity house republicans oppose and potentially risk his speakership or does he want to risk going into history as the speaker who triggered an economic kind of potential catastrophe, not only in the u.s. but around the globe? that's ultimately his chose. he's going to have to make that

decision, and the house moderates, i think, are going to republicans, there aren't that many, but they have to decide how far down the road they're willing to go toward potentially risking default with the conservatives who have pushed this position. like i said, public opinion, the republicans are caught between a base that genuinely wants them to resist be any means necessary the obama health care plan and overwhelming indications in public opinion that the country simply rejects this level of confrontation as the price of mediating our differences as a society. >> okay, but your september generians are watching this. a lot of people writing a lot about this relationship between reid and mcconnell. that white house meeting happening half an hour from now. coming up next, the country we owe more to than any other is now blasting the united states over this whole mess in washington. why china says the world needs to become -- this is their

world, de-americanized. this is cnn's special coverage of the deadline in washington. first, shutdown or no shutdown, one of the busiest tourist sites in america is open for business today. take a look. tourists are lined up to see lady liberty. new york state is putting up more than $60,000 a day to keep it open. the site brings in about $200 million a year. also other states including arizona, colorado, south dakota, and utah are also paying to reopen our national parks. [ male announcer ] campbell's angus beef & dumplings. hearty cheeseburger. creamy thai style chicken with rice. mexican-style chicken tortilla. if you think campbell's 26 new soups sound good, imagine how they taste. m'm! m'm! good!

...amelia... neil and buzz: for teaching us that you can't create the future... by clinging to the past. and with that: you're history. instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond. 80 thousand of us investing billions... in everything from the best experiences below... to the finest comforts above. we're not simply saluting history... we're making it. it's been that way since the day you met. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph like needing to go frequently or urgently.

tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial.

ah, yes, the world is watching the political drama in washington very, very closely. china today let loose with some pretty tough comments about the current crisis. let me read you a key line in this commentary published by china's state-run news agency.

quote, it is perhaps a good time for the befuddled world to start building a deamericanized world. cnn's richard quest is the best man to talk to about this. dare i ask, de-americanized? first, what does that mean, and why are we hearing from china right now? >> before they start using some language, maybe they should have gotten a dictionary to see if there was even such a word. they're using such language because they're taking advantage of putting the boot in while america is obviously in some difficult conditions. finance ministers and central bankers are not backward in telling you the u.s. needs to do something about the immediate crisis and the longer term fiscal problems, but they don't go as far -- that article also talked about the united states as being a hypocritical nation, it talked about self-serving washington. and it said that the debt crisis was a pernicious event on the rest of the world.

nothing new, by the way, from the news agency. i looked back at 2011, at the last time we had this problem, and on that occasion, they said the united states had kidnapped the global economy. >> okay. we know that china owns a lot of the u.s. debt. how would, heaven forbid this happ happens, we are hoping for the compromise to be worked out, but if a default were to happen, how would it affect china? >> that's the interesting and rather sardonic part about this. yes, they have $1.2 trillion worth of u.s. government securities, so they are to some extent in the same leaky boat as everybody else. to mix my metaphors beautifully, i'm not sure why if you're in a leaky boat, it behooves you to start throwing bricks if you're in a glass house. since they are affected. they are principal people who will be affected by any doubt in

this. on a more serious point, the chinese have decided quietly and privately, they will tell you, they want it sorted out. the russians will tell you they are sick and tired of these sort of shenanigans coming out of the united states. and the europeans will privately tell you, well, at least it's not them getting the difficult side of being lectured, but real really, this is no way to run a country. >> i think some americans are sick of the shenanigans as well. richard quest, thank you very much. speaking of congressering want to show you a fascinating moment, just moments ago on the senate floor. we saw the two leaders of each party with a history of bad blood, showing optimism. roll it. >> constructive good-faith negotiations continue between the republican leader and me. i'm very optimistic that we will reach an agreement that's reasonable in nature this week. to reopen the government, pay the nation's bills and begin long-term negotiations to put

our country on sound fiscal footing. i deeply appreciate my friend from the minority leader for his diligent efforts to come to an agreement. the republican leader and i will keep members informed as negotiations continue. >> republican leader? >> let me just echo the remarks of my good friend, the majority leader. we've had an opportunity over the last couple days to have some very constructive exchanges and views on how to move forward. those discussions continue, and i share his optimism that we're going to get a result that will be acceptable to both sides. >> so this was big news moments ago, hearing the optimism from both sides. both political parties, but dana bash, our chief congressional correspondent, has pretty incredible sources on capitol hill. dana bash, you now have some actual nuggets when it comes to a deal. tell me. >> well, i can tell you what republicans appear to be asking

for in these negotiations. when i say republicans, i mean senator mitch mcconnell, the republican leader. this is according to a republican source who is familiar with these discussions. what he is asking, first of all, with regard to opening up the government, a bill to fund the government through the holidays so that everybody isn't here on christmas and new years, but doing so at current levels so it would apparently and effectively keep the sequester in place, which would be a get for republicans. but not through next year, which is something that democrats are saying, uh-uh, we're not going to do that because when you start in the middle of january, the sequester -- or the forced spending cuts go deeper. that's the first on reopening the government. second, on the debt ceiling, what republicans are really pushing democrats on is to increase the debt ceiling for a shorter period of time. you know, democrats would like to do it all the way through next year, through the next election. republicans have said, no. we want to do an even shorter timeframe, so this republican

source i was talking to is saying they're pushing democrats to do maybe even about the same length of time as this bill to fund the government. democrats, of course, are going to push for more time. that's a big part of the discussions i'm told going on right now, the date for the debt ceiling increase, and then lastly, what republicans are still not giving up on is some kind of change to obama care. even if it's very, very minor, this republican source said that what they're pushing for is income verification for people getting federal subsidies for obama care in order to get their health insurance. that is something that republicans have been pushing for. it's pretty much a bipartisan idea, but of course, the whole question is whether or not the president and harry reid, the democratic leader, will allow that to happen as part of this deal. whether or not they will as a democratic source said to me, allow this to be held as ransom for opening the government and making sure the u.s. doesn't default. that's what the democrats sou e sources i'm talking to, saying that's what republicans want,

but we're not necessarily going to give it to them, and lastly, the republican source told me the republicans are still pushing for some kind of repeal of some kind of tax that has to do with obama care. maybe it's not the medical device tax that has been so widely discussed that has bipartisan support to repeal. maybe it's something else, but again, that's another thing you see on the screen, another thing that democratic sources, senior sources who are involved in these talks say they're really pushing hard on not giving in. republicans may want this, but democrats are saying, uh-uh. so we'll see how thisgoes. >> this is what you're getting from a republican source with regard to potential, you know, perspective from republicans as we know, there are two sides to every story, and democrats want a little something different. we'll see where they meet in between. thank you very much. we know they'll be meeting, congressional leadership with the president and vice president at the top of the hour. meantime, what about this relationship? much ado has been made about this bad blood between the two

leaders of the senate. here they are, on the left, harry reid. on the right, mitch mcconnell. is it true? they're the ones helping broker the deal. we'll delve deep into the relationship between these two senate leaders on the other side of the break. you're watching cnn's special live coverage from washington. what's your function? ♪ ♪n ♪ hooking up the country helping business run ♪ ♪ build! we're investing big to keep our country in the lead. ♪ load! we keep moving to deliver what you need. and that means growth, lots of cargo going all around the globe. cars and parts, fuel and steel, peas and rice, hey that's nice! ♪ norfolk southern what's your function? ♪ ♪ helping this big country move ahead as one ♪ ♪ norfolk southern how's that function? ♪ woman: everyone in the nicu -- all the nurses wanted to watch him when he was there 118 days.

everything that you thought was important to you changes in light of having a child that needs you every moment. i wouldn't trade him for the world. who matters most to you says the most about you. at massmutual we're owned by our policyowners, and they matter most to us. if you're caring for a child with special needs, our innovative special care program offers strategies that can help. store and essentially they just get sold something. we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. before you invest in a mattress, discover the bed clinically proven to improve sleep quality. once you experience it, there's no going back. oh, yeah! at our columbus day event, save $500 to $700 dollars

on the final closeout of our performance series mattress sets. but hurry-ends soon! only at a sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699.99. sleep number. comfort individualized even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual today. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy? back to washington. i really want to hone in on these two men front and center this hour. these are two of washington's true deal makers. you have senators harry reid and

mitch mcconnell. they have known each other for decades, but here's the but. they don't exactly get along. at least they haven't always. this past summer, in fact, mcconnell said reid could be the worst senate leader ever. that's an actual quote. when asked today about friction between these two men, reid said, quote, that is greatly exaggerated. senator mcconnell and i have worked together for more than 30 years very closely since we have been whips so no problem. no problem, he says. c nrx nrnn political director m preston is in washington. you have covered these two men for a long, long time. what's the story? do they get along? and whether they do or not, will that affect them brokering a deal? >> well, brooke, in many ways it doesn't really matter how they feel about each other personally when we have reached this point in the negotiations. it's been put into their court. they're the ones who have to craft a deal. obviously, we have seen the white house and house republican leadership unable to do so, so as we often see, the united

states senate is the one who has to kind of fix things in the very end. you have two leaders who had similar career tracks and they have a relationship based on mistrust, but despite that, there is hope. we also heard it from one of their colleagues yesterday on the senate floor. let's hear what senator barbara boxer had to say. >> mitch mcconnell and harry reid have been around here a long time. they their ups and downs and sideways and everything else like everybody in their relationships here, but i think they know the moment of history is calling them, and i put my faith in that. and i hope i'm right. >> and there you have barbara boxer just yesterday talking about the relationship that isn't always been very strong between harry reid and mitch mcconnell, but this comes down to prag matism over ideology. i know our viewers hate that word, but that's what it takes to gel the deal s done in

washington, d.c. >> so as they're hopefully working together, we saw them on the senate floor, both expressing optimism, both agreeing with one another, let me just ask you, where does the personal -- i don't know if animosity is too strong a word, but this dislike, where does that come from? >> you know, oftentimes and we certainly have seen it in the senate between these two gentlemen is it comes down to re-elections. we saw back in 2010, mitch mcconnell had the national republican senatorial committee, the campaign arm of senate republicans, try to help defeat harry reid. harry reid did not like that, he took that as an afront. now we're seeing that again as harry reid is trying to help defeat mitch mcconnell. oftentimes you don't see leaders do that to one another, but we have seen that with these two men. it becomes personal when you put it all on the table. >> thank you very much. as the president gets ready to meet with those two men and leader pelosi and speaker

boehner, we're asking you, asking americans, what do you think of this bitter fight? stephanie elam live in los angeles, what are you hearing? >> the national parks are closed, so some people are taking their fall vacations and ended up here in hollywood. i'll tell you what they have to say about the government shutdown. i could quit smoking but chantix helped me do it. i told my doctor i think i'm... i'm ready. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. i knew that i could smoke for the first 7 days. i knew that i wasn't putting nicotine back into my body to try to quit. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems,

or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. if i could describe being a nonsmoker, i would say "awesome." [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. even when we cross our t's and dot our i's, we still run into problems. that's why liberty mutual insurance offers accident forgiveness if you qualify, and new car replacement standard with our auto policies. so call liberty mutual today. and if you switch, you could save up to $423. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

( wind blowing )

all right, we have now gotten news here at cnn. as we have been reporting this meeting to happen at 3:00 at the white house in the oval office with the president, with the vice president, with congressional leadership, we have now learned, let me be precise, this is from the white house press office, that this 3:00 p.m. meeting has been postponed. this is what we're hearing from the white house. the meeting with the bipartisan leadership has been postponed but this is the key, the why. to allow leaders in the senate time to continue making important progress toward a solution that raises the debt limit and reopening the government. so postponed. not canceled, postponed, so the senate can continue negotiating and hopefully coming to some sort of resolution. something that the president could like and sign off on. americans, meantime, are getting fed up with this back and forth

over this government shutdown. many of them are just tired of the toll it's taking on their lives each and every day. cnn correspondent stephanie elam is live in los angeles with real talk that these americans have for our leaders in washington. stephanie, what are you hearing? >> reporter: well, brooke, i have to say, we are here in the middle of hollywood, and we were talking to some people here today who are frustrated, who think that this has gone on way too long, and we found one couple who was planning to go visit the smithsonian, but they decided that would probably be a bad idea, so instead, they made their way down here to los angeles from the san francisco bay area. and take a listen to what they told me about how they feel about this entire government shutdown situation. >> i think it's an attempt by the right to run the course of the country when they weren't elected to do so this time around. >> it seems really stupid to be playing with the value of the

money. our money is the reserve currency in the world, and if we shake the world's confidence in the dollar, we're doing ourself a huge disservice. >> and that's a sentiment i have heard a lot of, that the government, the world i should say, is becoming so much smaller here that what our government does plays bigger around the globe. so because of that, we need to be more concerned about how we look and how this affects our money. i have heard that from several people here, but brooke, a lot of people just very frustrated this has gone on so long and not feeling like their voices are being heard or they're being respected as americans. >> there could be some hope here, stephanie. let me take you from california back to washington. even though we have now learned from the white house that this meeting that would have taken place 15 minutes ago, here he is, jim acosta. you were reporting it would have taken place. it's now postponed. maybe this is a good thing because the white house realizes

there's something getting done in the senate today. >> it's a good thing and i think the white house has said that in its note warning of the postponement. they want to allow the senate leaders to continue working. they feel like there is progress going on. you heard the president say that earlier today when he made the stop at the d.c. food pantry. i want to tell you bouncing off what dana and folks on capitol hill have been reporting in the last hour or so, the white house appears to be reacting positively, brooke, to what is coming out of the hill right now. talked to a white house official who said that at this point, what they're seeking is essentially the deal that is coming out of harry reid and mitch mcconnell's meetings, to some extent. i don't want to say, yes, they're going to take it lock, stock, and barrel, but what they're saying at this point is they want to get the longest debt ceiling increase they possibly can at this point and the shortest term continuing resolution to reopen the government. why is that important? they want to go back, as you probably heard from dana bash

over the last couple hours, and work on that sequester, the second round of the sequester's forced budget cuts kicked in january of 2014. a short-term resolution, while it would put the government basically on the precipice of another potential shutdown in a couple months, would also give them a chance to start working, negotiating back and forth between democrats and republicans on some kind of deal that might, to the satisfaction of both parties, soften the effects of the sequester. not only are democrats complaining about it and what it does to programs at the department of health and human services and so forth, there are a lot of republican who don't like the affects on the defense department programs. as for obama care, some of the obama care provisions that may be coming out of the reid/mcconnell deal, the white house at this point is taking a wait and see posture. they said we want to see what comes out of the senate. i did talk to a white house official who said, no, no, we're still not doing concessions for a debt ceiling increase, but

when it comes to the continuing resolution, we can look at some of the other measures as part of the process, and if not part of the cr that reopens the government, then the process that comes afterwards, once the budget gets announced and once they apoint lawmakers to start to work on a larger deal, then they can get started. >> since this meeting has been postponed? do we have a date and time because that deadline hasn't moved? >> not at this time. i believe somebody from our capitol hill unit may be reporting right now john boehner's office is saying not yet, but i think the reason we have want heard a whole lot coming out of the white house over the weekend and the reason why you haven't heard so much out of harry reid and mitch mcconnell over the last 24 to 48 hours besides the brief statements is loose lips sink ships. you don't want to start launching broadsideses because the temptation is always there

with both of the warring parties right now, but the absence of all that means there's progress. >> good, we'll take the silence because work is happening. jim acosta, thank you, at the white house. >> so when both sides meet, whenever that happens, one of the questions we wanted to ask is what role will the vice president play here after weeks of being conspicuous, being silent? stay right here. you're watching cnn's special live coverage. ville and wilbur.. ...amelia... neil and buzz: for teaching us that you can't create the future... by clinging to the past. and with that: you're history. instead of looking behind... delta is looking beyond. 80 thousand of us investing billions... in everything from the best experiences below... to the finest comforts above. we're not simply saluting history... we're making it. "stubborn love" by the lumineers did you i did. email? so what did you think of the house? did you see the school ratings? oh, you're right. hey babe, i got to go. bye daddy!

have a good day at school, ok? ...but what about when my parents visit? ok. i just love this one... and it's next to a park. i love it. i love it too. here's our new house... daddy! you're not just looking for a house. you're looking for a place for your life to happen.

and we would be counting down to that white house meeting that was to take place in five minutes from now, but we have now learned from the white house specifically that that meeting

has been postponed so the senate leaders can continue work, hopefully on a deal, and we have also learned, our congressional teams have gotten some new details, some new nuggets here, specifically from what the republicans want as it pertains to a possible deal. we will get that for you. but all of this, keep in mind the deadline, that debt ceiling deadline that remains the same, midnight, wednesday, as we go into early, early thursday morning. that hasn't moved. we'll get you back to that, but nascar driver brian vickers raced into charlotte over the weekend. he's lucky to be behind the wheel at all because it wasn't too long ago that he nearly died from blood clots. this experience inspired him to talk up a new cause. joe carter explains in impact your world. >> at the start of the 2010 nascar season, brian vickers was a driver to watch. and then his world stopped.

>> i just couldn't breathe. every single breath became so painful, i couldn't stand it. i said, i have to do something. >> he had blood clots in his left leg, lung, and fingers. and they also found a hole in his heart, prompting surgery. >> at first, your reaction is sorting through, am i going to be okay? then what about what you love to do? and that's racing. you know, as the doctor put it, you take the risk of dying from another clot or potentially an internal injury and bleeding to death, being on blood thinners. >> vickers was eventually cleared by doctors and did come back. >> i wasn't sure if i would ever race again, period, much less to get back to this level in a winning car. >> vickers sees his second chance as a chance to help others. he supports clot connect. a foundation started by one of his doctors. >> i have helped and tried to support as often as i can along the way, putting them on the race car and donating money and

time. i will say through the ups and downs i kept my eyes open and said, okay, this sucks, but what can i learn from it? the truth is i probably grew more as a person through the negative experiences than through the positive. a lot of . after reading all the reviews i know i'm making the right choice. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time. with honest reviews on over 720 local services. keeping up with these two is more than a full time job, and i don't have time for unreliable companies. angie's list definitely saves me time and money. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today.

welcome back. hour two. i'm brooke baldwin.

14 days now into this government shutdown and in two days, the u.s. is expected to run short of money to pay its bills. but, big news this hour. we're now reporting this postponement, this delay in that meeting that would have been taking place right now at the white house between some major players here. so of course, the president, the house speaker, john boehner. house minority leader nancy pelosi. and as we have been discussing the last hour, the two men emerging as chief negotiators here because this is up to the senate right now, senate majority leader harry reid and republican leader mitch mcconnell. the meeting was supposed to be happening right now. why was it postponed? well, according to the white house, more time is needed to, quote, allow leaders in the senate time to continue making important progress toward a solution that raises the debt limit and reopens the government. and one of the issues that was supposed to be discussed at this meeting, this deal being hammered out by harry reid and

mitch mcconnell. >> constructive good-faith negotiations continue between the republican leader and me. i'm very optimistic that we will reach an agreement that's reasonable in nature this week. to reopen the government, pay the nation's bills and begin long-term negotiations to put our country on sound fiscal footing. >> we had the opportunity over the last couple days to have very constructive exchanges of views about how to move forward. those discussions continue, and i share his optimism that we're going to get a result that will be acceptable to both sides. >> there you heard it, a tone of optimism from first the democrat leader and then the republican leader. it's a bit of optimism we haven't heard on the senate floor for weeks. once again, the meeting in the bhous has been postponed. let's go to the white house, to

our senior correspondent there, jim acosta, with an explainer as to why, and also, dana bash, our chief congressional correspondent, reporting there on the hill. jim, first to you. >> sure. >> why the postponement? what's happening behind the scene snz. >> well, the postponement is basically the white house saying, listen, you guys are working on a deal. keep working. keep making progress. you heard the president say earlier today when he visited a d.c. food pantry, he believed the senate was making progress. he said the proof will come later on in the afternoon when he gets to see some of the outlines of that agreement. basically, the fact that there is no meeting, i think, is a sign of progress. as dana has been reporting all afternoon, harry reid and mitch mcconnell have worked out some sort of agreement. i'll let dana talk about it in a few moments, but to give you the white house response to what she's been reporting on this afternoon, the white house is basically saying they sort of like what they're hearing out of the senate. basically what they're saying right now is if they can get a long-term debt ceiling bill that

extends the debt ceiling for a good period of time, not really clear as to how long this would go, but they like the sound of six months to a year. they really like the sound of that. that, to the white house, is an indication that the threat of default is really now off the table in terms of a negotiating ploy. as for the continuing resolution that would reopen the government, they would prefer something shorter-term. and you'll hear from the republicans. they want the reverse of all this, but the white house would like something in the shorter term variety because it brings this discussion over the sequester, the forced budget cuts, the second round of those kick in early next year. they would like to start talking about that in a budget conferee process. and that is essentially when lawmakers from both sides of capitol hill appoint folks to start working on all this. the white house likes the sound of that all as well. they would like to soften the edges of some of the sequester cuts. the forced budget cuts in a lot of the spending programs they don't like, and there are some republicans who don't like the

defense department sequester cuts. they feel like there's a lot of room for compromise if everybody can come together. >> dana, to you, i know a lot of this just gets downright wonky, but a lot of it, the crux of this, i know you're about to give the news, what you're hearing from a republican source, but it comes down to length of time, right? some of the sticking points, length of time in terms of funding the government and raising the debt ceiling. what are you hearing? >> it comes down to length of time for both of those, which has always been the issue, and again, the other issue, which is appearing to come down to once again is obama care. whether or not democrats will give even an inch, even smaller than an inch on anything that has to do with delaying or changing the fundamentals of obama care. let me show you what a republican source tells me that they think is going on here, maybe they hope is going on here, the outlines of a deal. first of all, with regard to funding the government, they want to fund the government through the end of the year. at least through the holiday

season. that would keep the spending levels where they are right now, which would be kind of a plus for republicans because they're at forced spending cut levels which democrats don't like, and it would also give democrats a leg up because they don't want this funding bill to go into the next year, into the next round of forced spending cuts in 2014. then a debt ceiling increase is the other thing i'm told they're doing a give and take on, the length of that. harry reid, i'm told, proposed six to nine months to extend the level of the debt ceiling. republicans, i'm told, are trying to make that a shorter amount of time because they still think that that is a very important point of leverage for republicans with regard to broader term budget negotiations, entitlement reform, things like that. then the last two point. verifying income on some obama care recipients and delaying any kind of obama care tax. those are on the republican wish list, according to a source.

they think this is something they're going to get. three democratic sources have told me, uh-uh, this is newt something that the president, the democratic leaders are willing to do. we have heard them say it so many times. they're willing to discuss the idea of necessary changes to obama care, but not as ransom for either reopening the government or not defaulting. so that certainly appears to be a sticking point still in these negotiations. but as you heard from all sides, they're optimistic that they have narrowed the differences enough that they can work this out. it is in everybody's interest, particularly republicans who admit it very openly now in these hallways, they want to reopen the government. they want to make sure that the u.s. government does not default and they want to do it soon. >> it's so important for all of this in the senate to get overwhelming bipartisan support so john boehner can take it to the republicans and hopefully get the votes they need on that side. thank you both very much. once again, we're watching. whenever the white house meeting may happen, again, it's not

happening, as jim was reporting, postponed so the senate can get down to brass tacks and broaden things out. i want to bring in my next two guests. errol louis, a cnn political commentator. ben ferguson is also a political commentator. welcome to you, errol on the left, ben on the right. errol, we talked a lot about republicans, but i want to hone in on democrats because on the budget negotiations specifically, it appears as though the democrats are seeking a way to skirt around another round of these forced spending cuts. is that a late add for them? are the democrats guilty here of moving the goalpost? >> i don't know if it's moving the goalpost. i don't think any of the democratic leadership made a secret that they didn't want the sequest eer cut, they thought w a horror show, a blind cutting out of what the nation's needs were, and we could have anticipated come had next round

of sequester cuts in january they were going to put up a fight. if this is all turning into one big ball of conflict, it's hard to see why that particular issue would have been exclouded. so no, no surprise at all. >> errol says no. ben, what do you think? democrats here? >> it's devinafinitesly moving goalposts. the good news, though, is you have what the government is supposed to do, negotiation. i almost had a heart attack when harry reid said we are negotiating. i would say to harry reid, congratulations. i meanwhile, you're moving forward. you're actually getting something done now. you've decided to negotiate, which is exactly how our government works, and something else that's amazing is joe biden now, and who would have thought that joe biden would be some sort of quarterback, but joe biden is a guy who is now going to be in the room. democrats and obama didn't want limin the room because he actually is good at negotiating. so finally, we get down to everyone being stressed out,

americans being hurt. joe biden is going to come in now and negotiate, which is exactly what should have happen day one of the government shutdown. >> joe biden, former senator, has a great relationship with mitch mcconnell. let me stay with you, ben, because there was something john mccain, republican, said, thought got our attention. i want your comment. take a listen. >> the democrats better understand something. what goes around comes around. if they try to humiliate republicans, things change in american politics and i know what it's like to be in the majority and in the minority, and it won't be forgotten. now is the time to be m magnanimous and sit down and keep working. >> the word humiliate, do you sense the republicans face humiliation over all of this? >> well, i mean, look from the very beginning. when the president of the united states of america walks out and refers to republicans as being like terrorists with bombs strapped to their body and said i refuse to negotiate, i will

not negotiate. i don't owe them anything. you owe the voters who put them in office something, to listen to them. >> republicans also saying, king calling them a fraud, his own party. >> well, but the difference was if you're the president of the united states of america, your job is to lead. and not walk away and be absent for almost 12 days, and then when you go out in front of a microphone, you throw huge bombs at the other side. i think john mccain's point was, look, i was on your side almost more than my own team at the beginning of this, but the way you have been acting, this can come back to haunt you because you have showed no goodwill to us. you have not led on this issue. and you purposely are trying to do -- >> wait a minute, wait a minute. >> let me finish this. >> go ahead, errol. >> the president has not stepped in to stop the republicans from humiliating themselves. this is a day when ted cruz, one of the leaders of this failed strategy was on the mall standing next to somebody

telling the president to put down his koran. that kind of inflammatory crazy language, there was this demand that the government had to be shut down unless we defunded obama care. everyone knew that wasn't going to happen. there is dissension in the republican ranks. they haven't been able to fix it. they have in some ways tried to rely on biden and the president to help them out, and the white house has said no, we're not going to help you. figure it out for yourself. having takeb the country to the brink, now you have to snatch it back. >> gentlemen, we have to stop there. errol louis and ben ferguson, thank you very much. we know you'll be watching closely. >> i have to move on, breaking news on cnn. we're just now getting word that the al qaeda leader, the one suspected in the 1998 bombing in kenya who was nabbed by the u.s. in libya, is now inside america. we're getting instant reaction to that. that breaking news is next.

life could be hectic. as a working mom of two young boys angie's list saves me a lot of time. after reading all the reviews i know i'm making the right choice. online or on the phone, we help you hire right the first time. with honest reviews on over 720 local services. keeping up with these two is more than a full time job, and i don't have time for unreliable companies. angie's list definitely saves me time and money. for over 18 years we've helped people take care of the things that matter most. join today.

ido more with less with buless energy.

hp is helping ups do just that. soon, the world's most intelligent servers, designed by hp, will give ups over twice the performance, using forty percent less energy. multiply that across over a thousand locations, and they'll provide the same benefit to the environment as over 60,000 trees. that's a trend we can all get behind. nthat's why they deserve... aer anbrake dance. get 50% off new brake pads and shoes. sgr . breaking news just into cn nrk. abu anosal libi is right here on u.s. soil. he was snatched from his home two week s ago and taken to a

u.s. naval ship for interrogations. he was indicted for bombings in kenya and tanzania. joining me now, susan, let me begin with you. how did all this happen? >> well, we're going to find out very soon, no doubt, but he is not only in the united states. he arrived over the weekend. he is in new york. he is in this area, and he is expected to make his very first court appearance tomorrow here in manhattan. as you indicated, this was someone who was picked up in a dramatic raid a couple weeks ago. and he will have to appear in court on this indictment that actually has been on the books for many, many years. he was indicted back for the 1998 bombing, as you said, of the u.s. embassies in kenya and tans taps tanzania. he was brought here from the u.s. navy ship where he had been questioned and attempted to be

questioned by a high-value interrogation who goes after high-value detainees to see what information he might know about any current al qaeda plans that might be in effect for the united states to carry out any future attacks. that would be the first thing they would want to know. of course, when he's in court tomorrow, he'll have to answer for the dierment mpt of the 199 bombings. >> nic robertson, to you, just give us more context, the significance here, and to susan's point, the fact that the u.s. may get some key information out of him. >> well, i have just returned from libya. i have met with his family, neighbors, been to his house, the sense they have is this is a man who had given up on al qaeda a long time ago. he was living pretty much in the open in libya. of course, it's been a very divisive issue in libya because it's seen as -- it has had a very negative impact on the government there. the prime minister himself kidnapped during the week by armed militia in the city,

essentially over the fact that he was suspected of helping the united states in picking up al libi. for him, a very dangerous development. but the fact that his friends and that his family say that he was living in the open, that he had nothing anymore to do with al qaeda, and two government officials i talked to, including the justice minister, told me that al libi had reached out to the libyan authorities to try to clear his name. so the fact that he has only spent about seven days in u.s. custody and was picked up nine days ago, saturday, the weekend before last, in tripoli, the fact he's only spent seven days in custody outside of the united states being questioned about other potential al qaeda activity or his knowledge about that is perhaps an indication that he didn't actually have much to offer up or he was deemed to be noncompliant in that regard, but it does seem to indicate at first flush, at least, that he didn't have a lot to say. libyan government has said that

it respects the u.s. legal system, that it expects him to get a fair trial here. but they have said that they do want him to have a libyan legal representation here, brooke. >> nick ra robertson and susan candiotti, my thanks to both of you. we'll take you back to breaking news out of washington. the vice president was scheduled to be at the white house meeting that would have happened at 3:00 had the white house decided to postpone it we have learned so the senate can continue to make inroads in the negotiations to hopefully broker some kind of deal they can take to the white house before that deadline midnight on wednesday, but we're going to hone in on the vice president's role here in previous negotiations and the current one coming up next.

at university of phoenix we know the value of your education is where it can take you. now arriving city hospital. which is why we're proud to help connect our students with leading employers across the nation. next stop financial center. let's get to work. afghanistan in 2009. on the u.s.s. saratoga in 1982. [ male announcer ] once it's earned, usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation

because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. begin your legacy. get an auto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve. nthat's why they deserve... aer anbrake dance. get 50% off new brake pads and shoes.

you know, many politicians in washington, they love this

spotlight, but there is one who has been laying low. joe biden, the vice president has not been front and center during the government shutdown, and people have noticed. >> so i'm hopeful that we will get negotiations. i hope the president will become engaged. maybe we get to get joe biden out of the witness protection program. >> out of the witness protection program. that was senator john mccain on cbs' "face the nation." lawmakers don't just miss the vice president. they remember the pivotal role he played in getting a deal done in the fiscal cliff crisis. here to talk about the role he could be playing in this one, john decker, and our chief political analyst, gloria borger is here. gloria, let me begin with you. you know the news, the white house has postponed the meeting so the senate can continue hammering out a dial. >> good news. >> which is great. whenever that meeting does happen, what is the role for the vice president? >> the vice president is there.

this doesn't mean that his phone lines have been cut to people in the senate. they haven't. he's engaged. i think what this really means is that harry reid, though, has decided as the leader of the democrats in the senate that he's calling the shots. he did not much like the deal that he got on the fiscal cliff, all of it, and also on the debt ceiling negotiations in 2011, which joe biden headed up. and i think on no uncertain terms he told the white house, i'm in charge. i'm going to do this. and the white house said, okay, go ahead. and so far, even though he has not a great relationship with mitch mcconnell, it looks like they're going to work it out. the big question, of course, is will it work out in the house? but that's a whole other story. >> we'll get there when we get there, gloria. john, to you, you know, as we talk about when we remember 2011 and to use a baseball term, biden was kind of the closer. do you think he could play that kind of role here? or no?

>> i think the situation is so different from the past three years when the vice president has been involved in these budgetary issues. now, you see the president over the past three weeks really saying, i'm not negotiating on major budgetary issues until the government is reopened, number one, and the debt limit is increased. he also has, as gloria mentioned, buyer's remorse among senate democrats among deals the vice president has negotiated on their behalf in the past. and lastly, you have the situation where you have democrats who are very upset that this has gone on so long. and they blame it, they put the blame at the feet of house republicans. and the vice president, quite frankly, does not have the kind of influence among house republicans that he does in the senate, having served in the senate for over three decades. >> so again, gloria, to your point, i guess with the harry reid saying no, what was the fear? because we know that before being vice president, biden was

a senator. he gets along with the republican leader of the senate. what was the fear there? >> i think the fear was that the white house and joe biden would give in to more spending cuts than the democrats really want. so their rr kind of a little nervous about that, and also, quite frankly, harry reid thought, look, this is my job, it's not your job. if i need you, joe, i'll call you. if we can't get it done, i'll let you know. again, as john was saying, there were no negotiations going on, and joe biden doesn't have a lot of friends among house republicans, so i think that's kind of an issue, too. and john boehner, while he may get along with joe biden, he can't necessarily deliver his caucus, as we have discovered. so that's kind of fruitless. >> i'm curious, of all the players in the negotiation, and maybe even the intangible players, ie the markets and public opinion, who or what do

you think that the biggest influence? >> initially right now all eyes are on harry reid and mitch mcconnell to see what kind of deal they can reach in the senate. then you go beyond that. john boehner and his caucus really hold the key. we've seen these, about 50 or so house republicans who identify themselves with the tea party. they are conservatives. they very much want to see some concessions from the white house. they don't want to see -- seem like they're giving into the white house as we approach this deadline on thursday. so i think all eyes after perhaps a deal is reached between mitch mcconnell and harry reid, all eyes will be on john boehner in terms of whether he can get his caucus to go along with such a deal. >> i have to say, i think it's public opinion. >> you do? >> i think public opinion, this has been a disaster for the republican party, unmitigated. everybody admits it. the question is whether this is going to be shortterm damage or longterm damage, allah a katrinr

george w. bush. we don't know the answer yet, but right now, republicans are looking for a fig leaf, a way to get out of this still intact with the voters. we'll see if they come up with it. >> thank you both very much this afternoon here. you know, political experts say it's the debt ceiling that's a no-win for both parties. but which party is losing the most ground as this back and forth and finger pointing in washington continues? just in, a new poll. wait until you see the results here as gloria was talking public opinion. we'll break it down with wolf blitzer live next. vo: two years of grad school. 20 years with the company. thousands of presentations. and one hard earned partnership. it took a lot of work to get this far. so now i'm supposed to take a back seat when it comes to my investments? there's zero chance of that happening.

avo: when you work with a schwab financial consultant, you'll get the guidance you need with the control you want. talk to us today.

just by talking to a helmet. it grabbed the patient's record before we even picked him up. it found out the doctor we needed was at st. anne's. wiggle your toes. [ driver ] and it got his okay on treatment from miles away. it even pulled strings with the stoplights. my ambulance talks with smoke alarms and pilots and stadiums. but, of course, it's a good listener too. [ female announcer ] today cisco is connecting the internet of everything. so everything works like never before. [ female announcer ] today cisco is connecting the internet of everything. make my mark i wawith pride.ork. create moments of value. build character through quality.

and earn the right to be called a classic. the lands' end no iron dress shirt. starting at 49 dollars. got some optimistic, uplifting news for you out of washington, out of capitol hill today, as we know work is being done. negotiations are happening as we have learned. this is actually the reason why the white house explains they have postponed this meeting that would have been happening right now between the congressional leadership, these four members on both sides of the aisle, the president, and the vice president, because theirs there's work happening, talk happening on the senate side. we witnessed this fascinating moment about an hour and a half ago on the floor of the senate because we know specifically the talk has been happening between these two leaders, your democrat, harry reid, and your republican, mitch mcconnell.

a lot of bad blood between these time-out guys but they agree a deal could be done this week. >> constructive good-faith negotiations s continue betwee the republican leader and me. i'm very optimistic we will reach an agreement that's reasonable in nature this week to reopen the government, pay our nation's bills and have a long-term agreement to put the country on sound fiscal footing. >> we had the opportunity to have very constructive exchanges of views on how to move forward. those discussions continue, and i share his optimism that we're going to get a result that will be acceptable to both sides. >> wolf blitzer, let me bring you in. host of "the situation room," you have covered, were a white house correspondent for years and years. i'm curious because you covered washington for so long and we'll get to this new abc/washington news poll in a hot second, but

first, what do you make of that moment between the two men on the senate floor? >> it's encouraging when you have harry reid and mitch mcconnell saying they're not only optimistic but in harry reid's words, very optimistic. if something is acceptable to harry reid and mitch mcconnell, it would pass overwhelmingly in the senate. that will put enormous pressure to send that to the house and force the speaker, john boehner, to put it up for a yea or nay vote on the floor of the house of representatives where i assume it would get support, maybe not a majority of all republicans would support it, but a large number of them would support it. way more than enough needed if you get all 200 democrats on board, and presumably, you'll get 195 of them. that would be encouraging. i assume the president would go along with what harry reid is going to sign off on. i don't think harry reid is

necessarily going to sign off on something the president would veto, so maybe it could be resolved in the coming days. >> maybe, and as it comes, and we talk about potential influence and negotiations happening in washington, and one intangible influencer is public opinion. and we have been looking at a heck of a lot of polls, and wolf, you looked at this, the washington post/abc news poll, and it sort of re-enforces what other polls indicated, but even more so when it comes to republicans specifically taking a beating on this. >> they are. everyone, first of all, is taking a beating, but republicans are taking a greater beating than the democrats, certainly greater than the president. they're all looking bad and americans are frustrated with the way the government is acting. they're frustrated about everything here in washington right now. that's reversible. it can change assuming they get a deal and assuming that out of this deal they can use this crisis to create some goodwill and maybe take a look at some of the long-term problems the country faces, entitlement

reform or tax reform. major issues they really couldn't achieve in the grand bargain a few years ago when john boehner and the president were pretty close to a deal but it collapsed in the end. maybe they can work out some sort of deal or out of this current crisis right now, take advantage of the current crisis in effect to go forward and to score some major points for the american public. if they were to do that, as you know, brooke, public opinion, attitudes would change across, and maybe the right track-wrong track, approval/disapproval, those numbers would become more positive for elected officials in washington. >> just specifically looking at the poll, barely 1 in 5 americans. 21%, approve of the way republicans in congress are handling negotiations over the budget while nearly three quarters disapprove, and it goes on, republicans suffering from a continued weakness among fellow partisans with 49%, and self-identd republicans approving and 47% disapproving of the job their elected parties are doing in congress.

we could be having this conversation depending on the timeline of the deal and the debt ceiling and the federal government being up and running again. i mean, a lot of these numbers could go right back to where they are if this is sort of ground hog day in three months, right? >> right. i mean, it depends on how long they agree to reopen the government for, and it depends on how long they agree to raise the debt ceiling for, whether a few months or more than a few months or whatever the agreement, the eventual agreement turns out to be. we could have this fight all over again. if, on the other hand, during the next few months, let's say they agree to three to six months or even nine months, some sort of deal for the debt ceiling for the reopening of the federal government. if during this time the house and senate budget committee coniferees as they're called in washington, they can get together and start discussing some major issues, i think things might look a little better. i'm by nature an optimistic person, so i always look at the bright side, but you know what, i have been disappointed many

times over my career. hopefully i won't be disappointed this time. i think they'll reach an agreement by thursday. then again, i didn't think the government would have a partial shutdown either, so who knows. >> the optimist working for decades in washington. i love it. wolf blitzer, thank you so much. we'll watch you as also. "the situation room" aired at 5:00 eastern on cnn. >> it was once a centerpiece of the republicans raising the fight on debt ceiling, that being obama care. it rolled out about two week s ago, and our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen has been having problems trying to get in, log in, sign up. she even -- god bless her husband -- set the alarm at 3:00 a.m. on saturday to get up, see if she could get in. we'll tell you if it worked, next. i'm angela, and i didn't think i could quit smoking

but chantix helped me do it. i told my doctor i think i'm... i'm ready. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. i knew that i could smoke for the first 7 days. i knew that i wasn't putting nicotine back into my body to try to quit. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history

of heart or blood vessel problems, or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. if i could describe being a nonsmoker, i would say "awesome." [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

a scathing review of the new website that allows people to sign up for obama care, but this wadsant from a republican, this was from a fork former staffer,

robert gibbs. the has been two weeks since this website was unveiled and there are still problems. senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen, you have been trying to get in. you tried to get in at 3:00 in the morning over the weekend. but first, robert gibbs, what did he say? >> he said the episode has been excruciatingly embarrassing, and he said, quote, i hope they fire some people that were in charge. i guess in some ways not surprising given how many people including me have had trying to log in. let's take a listen. >> i put in my user name and password and it didn't recognize it. >> error messages, page not found. system down. it's been a tough, nearly two weeks for obama care. there were error messages or that little annoying kind of twirly thing. >> i hate the twirly thing. >> hate it, right? i have been trying since day one to get an account and log in on health care.gov.

i failed again. >> couldn't make this page work -- >> and again. and again. not working. when i called the 1-800 number for help, the reps tell me volume is high and to try again during off-peak hours. so i tried at 10:30 at night, 7:00 in the morning, and still it didn't work. so finally, i set my alarm clock for 3:00 a.m. sunday morning. but guess what? the system was down for maintenance. i'm not the only one having trouble. on facebook, people took to the health care.gov page to vent by the thousands. and on cnn's ireport -- >> i have tried it literally hundreds of times since october 1st. >> independent analysts tell cnn the problems go way beyond high volume and minor glitches. they say the site fails to follow even basic protocols in its coding. there is always the old fashion option of enrolling over the phone and using snail mail, and

you do have time. to be insured by january 1st, you just have to complete the process by december 15th. >> but, let's have a happy, lighter note, i guess. there is some light at the end of the ton funnel for some folk right? >> including me. i got in this morning. tried to log in, i failed, tried to log in, i failed. i said, okay, i'm going to try again to create a brand new account. >> i admire your determination. >> i tried and failed, tried and failed. the third time i created a new account with a new username and i was able to get in. that is terrific. i was talking to a federal official, and he said over the weekend, they were able to do three sessions of scheduled maintenance where you couldn't log in. that part of the website was shut down, and they were able to do a lot of work. he said they have been hearing more positive things today and that they hope to announce some new metrics, is the word he used, tomorrow, that will show some of the progress they have

made. maybe we'll be getting some interesting numbers tomorrow. >> in the meantime, you really set your alarm for 3:00 a.m.? >> i really did set that for 3:00 a.m., you set it to vibbrate, put it under your pillow and your spouse never knows. coming up here next, amid all the shutdown news, two men in charge of america's nuclear arsenal have just been fired. we'll tell you why and the impact on our national security. jake tapper, host of "the lead," joins me live next. y amazing da. without angie's list, i don't know if we could have found all the services we needed for our riley. from contractors and doctors to dog sitters and landscapers. you can find it all on angie's list. join today. thnot at the rings.looking. i can feel them looking at my thick, flaky red skin. do i tell them it's psoriasis? do i speak up and say it's not contagious? or do i just say... have a nice day!" when your psoriasis has gone from uncomfortable to unacceptable,

visit psoriasis.com to connect with a psoriasis patient advocate from abbvie for free one-to one education and support. sign up at psoriasis.com, and talk to your dermatologist. it's been that way since the day you met. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than 4 hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives,

swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. i've got a big date, but my sinuses are acting up. it's time for advil cold and sinus. [ male announcer ] truth is that won't relieve all your symptoms. new alka seltzer plus-d relieves more sinus symptoms than any other behind the counter liquid gel. oh what a relief it is. to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ] oh, that's helpful! well, our company does that, too. actually, we invented that. it's like a sauna in here. helping you save, even if it's not with us -- now, that's progressive! call or click today. no mas pantalones! store and essentially they just get sold something.

we provide the exact individualization that your body needs. before you invest in a mattress, discover the bed clinically proven to improve sleep quality. once you experience it, there's no going back. oh, yeah! at our columbus day event, save $500 to $700 dollars on the final closeout of our performance series mattress sets. but hurry-ends soon! only at a sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just $699.99. sleep number. comfort individualized nearly seven years after her disappearance, a new face is being put forth in the case of madeleine mccann. here he is, a man resembling these two computer sketches was seen carrying a blond child 3 to 4 years old, right around the time madeleine went missing from her hotel room in portugal. that's what we're hearing from scotland yard that is now re-examining the case that critics say portuguese

authorities botched. madeleine was 3 years old when she vanished as her parents were dining at a restaurant about a two-minute walk away. they were initially the target of accusations but were later cleared. >> we wouldn't accept madeleine as dead until we see evidence, clear evidence that that is the case. >> british police say the man they're looking for may have a valid reason for having the child, but they need to find out who exactly he is. and they plan to release sketches of others wanted for questioning. these new details are part of the special bbc crime watch airing tonight in the uk that reconstructs events the night little madeleine went missing. here's something alarming. two men in charge of america's nuclear arsenal have been fired or removed, relieved of duty for misbehavior. the air force booting a general in charge of land based nuclear missiles. this just days after the navy fired a three-star admiral who

ov oversees all nuclear armed missiles, bombers, and submarines. want to bring in jake tapper, anchor of "the lead." jake, you're all over this on your show. i know both men remain under investigation, but what are the accusations here? >> well, they're separate and distinct. a major general michael carey, and he has been accused of inappropriate behavior, misbehavior on a business trip, and one source tells us that it involved alcohol. the other gentleman, vice admiral tim giardina has been relouvr relieved of his duties due to allegations dealing with counterfeit gambling chips. this is not with any security breach, not with any misbehavior involving their duties in charge of the nuclear arsenal, but involved in the behavior in their personal lives or on business trips and they're being investigated right now. >> jake tapper, we'll look for

you on "the lead" at the top of the hour. thank you, sir. before i let you go, a real life drama caught on tape. look at this in the middle of your screen. this is a woman hanging on for dear life after somehow becoming trapped on this bridge. stick around and we'll tell you exactly how her story ends. plus, the rain stopped the show at one of the country's largest music festivals. now authorities are warning more flooding is on the way. (vo) you are a business pro. maestro of project management. baron of the build-out. you need a permit... to be this awesome. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. (aaron) purrrfect. (vo) meee-ow, business pro. meee-ow. go national. go like a pro. trust your instincts to make the call.

to treat my low testosterone, my doctor and i went with axiron, the only underarm low t treatment. axiron can restore t levels to normal in about 2 weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet or body swelling; enlarged or painful breasts; problems breathing while sleeping; and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. ask your doctor about the only underarm low t treatment, axiron.

all right. i want to take you to washington in just a minute but in case you're just tuning in, some movement today when it comes to a possible deal. so there is actual talking and actual negotiating happening here on capitol hill today between two men that -- really two men that much has been reported on in terms of bad blood between these two guys, but it appears both leaders of the senate on both political sides, you have harry reid, you have mitch mcconnell, they have been talking multiple times here, so it sounds like they're trying to hammer out some sort of a deal. in fact, we've learned there was supposed to be a meeting at the white house about 50 minutes ago. that was postponed per white house press office because simply that work is happening on capitol hill and they want it to continue, because the issue is the senate. it's in the hands of the senate right now. they have to come forth with some sort of deal and then the hope, in order for this thing, remember, it still has to go to the house, it has to be

hopefully getting some serious bipartisan support so speaker boehner can take it to the house and it passes the house as well. so to dana bash we go, our chief congressional correspondent, who has been reporting on bits and pieces of this deal. as we have been talking about these talks that have been taking place, you're getting new information. what are you hearing? >> reporter: well, this is from several democratic sources that these are the outlines of the deal that mitch mcconnell and harry reid are talking about. first of all, it would be to fund the government until january 15th but budget negotiators would be required to come up with a deal for funding the government through the rest of the fiscal year by december 13th. so the government would be reopened immediately, but it go through january 15th. that would give them almost a month wiggle room to finalize the details of the plan so we're not in the crisis that we are now. on the debt ceiling, i'm told that it would go until february 15th so the debt ceiling would be raised until february 15th so

that the u.s. would not default. then it gets a little murky on the issue of obama care, which of course is what started this whole conflict. i'm told by democratic sources now, not republican, but democratic sources that the issue of income verification for those who are receiving federal subsidies to get obama care is still on the table. democrats are still talking about that or actually are now talking about that with republicans. so that would be new. if that would be part of a deal, it would be democrats giving in to republicans on something that they can go back to their constituencies and say they have a win on. the last thing we talked about earlier in the hour is some kind of repeal of any kind of tax that is put in place to help pay for obama care. i'm told by democratic sources that that is now off the table but they're not completely shutting the door on it because negotiations are still going on. the last thing i want to tell you is that senate republicans are going to meet at 5:45 so

about an hour and 45 minutes from now, to discuss the latest on this. so it sounds like they are very close to a deal, if they're gathering all of the republican senators in order to discuss it. that is a very good sign that this is almost locked in place. >> talk about a fast-moving story. dana bash, thank you very much. i know jake will have everything starting at the top of the hour. my thanks to you on capitol hill. meantime, coming up next, i want to show you this incredible video and tell the story of this woman hanging on to this bridge after somehow becoming trapped. we'll explain how she got up there and what happened next. [ male announcer ] every inch, every minute, every second -- we chip away. at advancing safety with technology, like seeing every curve, even when you don't, being a second set of eyes, or having stopping power when you need it most. it's not intuition, it's intelligence. this is the new 2014 jeep grand cherokee. it is the best of what we're made of. well-qualified lessees can lease the 2014 grand cherokee laredo 4x4

for $359 a month. to find you a great deal, even if it's not with us. [ ding ] oh, that's helpful! well, our company does that, too. actually, we invented that. it's like a sauna in here. helping you save, even if it's not with us -- now, that's progressive! call or click today. no mas pantalones!

some of the hottest stories in a flash. roll it. all right. this south florida woman, she is lucky to be alive after becoming trapped in this drawbridge more than 20 feet in the air. firefighters in fort lauderdale say the woman was just walking across when the bridge started to open. yikes. she had to grip the railroad tracks until crews were able to hoist a ladder to help her down. authorities are thankful the woman is safe but they're none too thrilled about her decision to trespass on a bridge where pedestrians are now allowed. texas, you are getting more rain today, one day after the downpour that led to the cancellation of the last day of austin city limits. huge music festival there. some areas got a foot of rain

and several people had to be rescued from their cars, including one pregnant woman. >> i tried to get out of my car, my door wouldn't open so my window rolled down and he came over to help me, and i just crawled out my window and walked out. >> sadly, the worst isn't over. authorities say the colorado river could be at or above flood stage tomorrow night. and an incredible finish for one marathon runner. early this morning in chicago. >> go for it! >> 37-year-old runner michael ma malamed crossed the finish line more than 16 hours after starting the race. he has muscular dystrophy and was met by an enthusiastic crowd. this was his third race. nothing like a little mozart to soothe the soul and relax the mind. prize-winning musician from

arizona state university and retired pianist from london decided to bring classical music to the masses. the performance took place inside maricopa county sheriff joe arpaio's infamous tent city jail. that will do it for me. "the lead" with jake tapper starts now. so it's a three-day weekend for some people and an unwanted and as of now unpaid 14-day weekend for many furloughed federal workers. happy columbus day. i'm jake tapper. this is "the lead." the national lead. the white house meeting with top members of congress has been postponed. are they making progress in negotiations or are they stocking up on water and foodstuffs and heading to their bunkers? the money lead. just three days until uncle sam bangs his head on the debt ceiling. are lewders in washington gambling with your life savings and retirement? president obama's former economic boy wonder is here to weigh in.