what happened inside the republican party is they really handed this over to the french. it means anybody who is operating under anything we can learn from a previous political playbook is wrong. there's no way to make predictions about what happens now without understanding where all this started. day 12 of the government shutdown. word that a deal may be closer, but when and how? across america from main street to the smoky mountains. the government shutdown misery index is growing. but some iconic sites may be open for business soon. reports of black berry's death greatly exaggerated? whether the hand-held devices could find new life. chris matthews tangles with bests on real-time with bill maher. good morning, everyone. welcome to "weekends with alex

witt". here's what's happening right now. new this morning, house and senate members are set to meet in just hours as the government enters shutdown day 12. the president issued this new message of urgency this morning. >> i want you to remember this is not normal. our government is closed for the first time in 17 years. a political party is risking default for the first time since the 1700s. this is not normal. and that's why we have to put a stop to it. not only because it's dangerous, but because it zaps everyone's faith in our extraordinary system of self-government. >> it comes after a whirlwind of activity on friday. president obama met with senators. and he spoke by phone with john boehner. he held conference calls with business leaders and met with a group of small business owners. during the president's meeting, susan collins proposed to raise the debt limit until the end of

january and reopen the government. millions of individuals eligible for subsidies to purchase health insurance under the program would be subject to stronger income verification. >> at least he's talking to members of congress on both sides of the aisle. he may not want to call it a negotiation. that's what i would call it. and i do view that as progress. mitch mcconnell told his hometown paper, kentucky, it's time for a come-together moment. a few national treasures will reopen, including the statue of liberty, grand canyon, rocky mountain. states will pay to pay furloughed workers by private donations or state funds. for a preview, let's go to luke russert on capitol hill. good morning to you, luke. >> reporter: hey, good morning, alex. a pivotal day here on capitol

hill. in order to see what's going to happen regarding the nation's debt limit and whether or not the government can be funded by early next week. at 9:00 a.m. house republicans have their conference meeting. they hope to figure out a way forward at that meeting, possibly have legislation on the floor as early as today or perhaps it could lead into sunday or early next week. our discussions about how they would spend the debt limit, all we can say right now is all ideas are fluid. and we don't know how the conference will receive them. this conserve house gop conference, which is killed deals the leadership has brought before them in the past. in terms of the floor of the house, they're doing more of this fun government by piecemeal approach. they have a bill pertain to go indian health. and an aspect of the farm bill. they will be forward out of the house. the senate will undoubtedly kill that. so, another saturday work session is the third weekend in

a row they have been in on saturday. whether or not this day elicit its any new movement remains to be seen it is not thursday for the debt limit. so they are really going to try to figure out a way forward today. alex? >> luke, thank you very much from capitol hill. well, the shutdown is putting party loyalties to the test in towns that are republican strongholds and a big part of the population works for the deposit. frustration is a big topic of conversation. >> to put people out of work in this economy to solve their own problems. >> i voted republican all my life. but this time i'm voting for somebody who didn't have the job. >> as government shutdown affect your pocketbook? are you seeing fewer customers right now? >> yes.

this is a friday right now and i've never seen a friday like this in my business. >> we'll talk about whether a deal is close and the impact of the shutdown on his constituents. record-setting rainfall in central pennsylvania. harrisburg received four inches of rain breaking a record set in 1894. dylan dreyer is here with the forecast. good morning, dylan. >> good morning, alex. we are finally going to see an end to the heavy rain in the mid atlantic region. a bigger system moving through missouri and arkansas right now. you can see we do still have some moisture streaming in off the the water, southern new jersey, delaware and maryland as well. we could see pockets of heavier rain. it's not going to be nearly as intense as it has been with this pushing farther to the south. a closer look showing you areas of southwestern missouri, north western arkansas.

there is a pretty powerful cold front moving through this region. not a huge threat today of severe weather. but we are still going to see heavy rain. look at the temperature difference. out ahead, 70s and 80s across texas. northern texas is back down in the 40s and 50s. it's that temperature clash, the warm and cold, that is creating the potential for thunderstorms today. hot in dallas. high of 90 degrees today. 71 in chicago. isolated thunderstorms. any of the showers up and down the east coast will be pretty light in nature. it looks more like a cloudy day than anything else. on sunday, we will see some of that cooler air spread into the chicago area. 66 for a high. still warm across the gulf coast states with temperatures above average. any showers would be light. it is going to cool downdown. from dylan to the white house with kristen welker.

good saturday morning to you. lots of talking going on yesterday. does the administration have plans for more gop members today? >> absolutely. they tell me they will be talking to lawmakers throughout the weekend. the house will be back in session at 9:00 a.m., alex. the senate will also be at work. they are inching towards a deal in part, alex, because there is so much pressure, so much public frustration and calls to get something done. if you look at the polls, the vast majority say the blame is carely on republicans. the gop trying to get something done here. they put forward an offer to extend the limit. the debt ceiling expires in just five days. he wanted to link that to budget negotiations to reopen the government. it would have been a six-week deal. president obama said, look, he is glad there is a willingness to work on something. he said six weeks just not long enough. listen to what jay carney had to

say on this part. >> tying the debt ceiling for six weeks creates a dynamic very similar to the one we are experiencing now and similar to the one the country experienced back in 2011. it is the one he holds to this day. it is not the appropriate way to go. >> so here's where we stand today, alex. it appears as though a deal is coming together that would extend the nation's borrowing limit, reopen the government possibly for six months. but it would be tied to some concessions like scaling back the medical device tax. this is one of the taxes associated with president obama's health care law. it seems republicans are abandoning their initial cause to delay the president's health care law. that was a nonstarter with the president and the democrats. that is how the whole standoff began in the first place.

we have good news on this columbus day weekend is. the statue of liberty will reopen as well as the grand canyon. that will get some help from private partnerships as well. so small bright things while the standoff continues. >> and so great for families who want to spend this weekend going to national treasures. you mentioned nbc news/wall street journal poll. super is low numbers in terms of republicans and the tea party. how much do you think that these numbers played in the president rejecting the six-week a offer? >> well with, i think those numbers, alex, factored heavily in a lot of the developments we have seen over the past 48 hours. i can tell you when the poll came out i was told by one lawmakers on capitol hill that literally that poll was being distributed all around the hill. republicans looked at it.

obviously very discouraged by what they saw. you're absolutely right. it allowed the white house to dig in and say this is what we want out of a deal. and also to say, look, we don't want to go through this again in another six weeks based on what we are seeing from the american people. this is not what americans want. so i think you're right. it emboldened the white house. still, i think there is a lot of pressure, alex, on both parties to get something done. it shows republicans bearing the brunt right now. the longer this lasts the worse it becomes for both sides of pennsylvania avenue. >> this government by crisis has just got to stop. okay. thank you so much, kristen welker from the white house. one of the deals that could be made to raise the debt ceiling could steal thanksgiving or christmas. lyrics: 'take on me...' ♪ ♪ 'take me home...'

♪ 'i'll be gone...' ♪ 'in a day or...' man: twooooooooooooooooo! is that me, was i singing? vo: not paying for scheduled maintenance feels pretty good. no-charge scheduled maintenance now on every new volkswagen. that's the power of german engineering you want a way to help minimize blood sugar spikes. support heart health. and your immune system. now there's new glucerna advance with three benefits in one. [ male announcer ] new glucerna advance. from the brand doctors recommend most. start using olay fresh effects. a fresh collection of skin care. cleanse with s'wipe out wetcloths... and perfect with bb cream.

with skin this fresh, you'll need no filter. get fresh effects by olay. we've always been on the forefront of innovation. when the world called for speed... ♪ ...when the world called for stealth... ♪ ...intelligence... endurance... affordability... adaptability... and when the world asked for the future. staying ahead in a constantly evolving world. that's the value of performance. northrop grumman.

i think you'll see something come out of the house in the next 24 hours to reopen the entire government that will have changes to obama care that will not destroy the program but make it better. i think you'll see an effort by the house to raise the debt ceiling not for a year but for a period of time. i hope the president will accept these gestures from the house and get these behind us in the next 48 hours. >> it is day 12 of the government shutdown. the senate and the house scheduled to meet in a few hours. they are working to reach a deal to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling. joining me now is emily hyle and kevin sorilli. hello to both of you. thanks for joining me. kevin, you just heard lindsey graham. is he right? do you think by this time tomorrow we could have a deal? >> if it doesn't happen tomorrow it will happen early next week.

you're starting to see the question to be raised is how long will this deal take us. will it take six weeks or a couple of months. i think all the senators i have spoken with, democrats and republicans, would like to see something a little bit longer than winding us back to right where we are now just in time for the holidays. >> emily, look at how much is going on behind the scenes now. a very fluid situation. four sitdowns with rank and file of each house, each party. so right now what are you hearing about where things stand? >> fluid is right. i mean, the situation couldn't be any more fluid. things are moving very quickly on the hill. folks will be shuttling back and forth between the house and senate all day today. i think the thing that's really interesting is you heard senator graham talking about something the house would pass. it is not clear the house will take quite as long as extension as senator graham would like. senator graham was actually in

house speaker boehner's office urging the house to take us past thanksgiving, past christmas. it's unclear whether the republican conference is going to get behind that plan. the meeting of the conference is happening at 9:00 today. it's not clear even if they are going to discuss that senate plan. but senate republicans would very much like house republicans to get on board with this plan. >> okay. so you both have mentioned thanksgiving and christmas seasons here. kevin, is the concern that consumer confidence will be killed, is that what it's about. if we only do the four or six-week deal. >> it's not only consumer confidence it's market confidence. and this idea of global uncertainty. i cover finance. in speaking with all these wall street and main street analysts, they are scratching their head. they can't understand why lawmakers would continue this washington game of on brinkmanship. it's like you're driving the car

and the gaslight is on. how much more gas are you going to put in the tank to prolong this thing. moody's had an estimate that the longer the shutdown goes on, it could shave fourth quarter growth of gdp by 1.4%. i think everybody wants a longer term deal. >> yeah. look at the latest numbers with you. emily, "the wall street journal" nbc news. it is largely pointing fingers at the gop shutdown. knowing that, seeing these numbers, does it make it easier to reject republican offers and stand on what he wants? >> absolutely. that poll was devastating this week. it really had a big effect on how the negotiations have taken shape in the last 24 hours or so. it really puts steel in the spine of the white house if they didn't have enough already to harden their position. what it did i think is really forced republicans, you know, to recognize exact my what the

showdown is doing not just, you know, in the immediate term but long term. these are numbers you don't bounce back from right away. republicans around town are very glad that the next election is over a year away. because these numbers take a long time to bounce back from. and they are definitely shaping the way this is going to go in the next couple days too. >> i'm curious, kevin. how big of a gop faction in the house who remains rigid on all the conditions of raising the debt ceiling. regarding to sticking points, what are they still? obama car, that's off the table, right? >> you know, that's an excellent point. actually yesterday when senator ted cruz was speaking to reporters, following that white house meeting, he didn't even use the word defund when talking about obama care. he said that he would just like to soften the blow a little bit for americans. so i think that there is now just sort of an overwhelming consensus among house republicans that defunding the

affordable care law is not on the table. so, yeah, we're talking a little bit about the medical device tax. but actually defunding it has -- as senator mccain, as all of these other republican senators said initially, it's just not something that's ever going to happen. >> can you share what you wrote about the white house staffer who got furloughed? look where he has gone to work now. >> this white house staffer, top white house staffer who works on telecom issues is now tending bar this week. a buddy of his just opened a bar. he had some time because he was furloughed. so he decided to pick up shifts as bartender. this is interesting. he cleared it with the white house ethics office. the deal is he can work as bartender but he can't take tips from anyone who might have business before the white house. >> wow. >> so any telecom companies. this is actually happening all over town.

several agencies have issued guidance on what kind of work that furloughed workers can accept outside their government paychecks. we're talking about people going to work at coffee shops, doing retail work because they don't know when their next paycheck is coming and they don't see a clear end to this. so you have folks who are really picking up these shifts and looking for work because they've got the time and they need the money. >> yeah. absolutely. bartenders are the ones that doing the listening to the stories. something tells me if i go into his bar, tom, sit down. i have a few questions for you. >> he will sling you a beer and maybe listen to what you've got to say. >> it will be fun. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> so what truss traits you about the government shutdown? what frustrates you most? i'll be reading some of your tweets throughout the day. if you're happy and you know it at your job, are you in the

majority? and what's in the cards for blackberry. ♪ [ male announcer ] may your lights always be green. [ tires screech ] ♪ [ beeping ] ♪ may you never be stuck behind a stinky truck. [ beeping ] ♪ may things always go your way. but it's good to be prepared... just in case they don't. toyota. let's go places, safely. hey! glad y'all made it. sorry we're late. did you run into traffic? no, just had to stop by the house to grab a few things. you stopped by the house? uh-huh. yeah. alright, whenever you get your stuff, run upstairs, get cleaned up for dinner. you leave the house in good shape? yeah. yeah, of course. ♪ [ sportscaster talking on tv ] last-second field go-- yeah, sure ya did. [ male announcer ] introducing at&t digital life. personalized home security and automation. with limited availability in select markets.

♪ with limited availability in select markets. "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. with the vidal sassoon smooth collection, now sleek meets chic. extreme smooth combing crème defies frizz and flyaways for up to 24 hours. vidal sassoon smooth. salon genius. affordable for all.

vidal sassoon smooth. exciting and would always come max and pto my rescue. bookstore but as time passed, i started to notice max just wasn't himself. and i knew he'd feel better if he lost a little weight. so i switched to purina cat chow healthy weight formula. i just fed the recommended amount... and they both loved the taste. after a few months max's "special powers" returned... and i got my hero back. purina cat chow healthy weight.

let's go to our 3 big money headlines. joining me is regina lewis. good saturday morning to you. >> thanks, alex. >> the market reaction to the shutdown, what's it like? >> very much a roller coaster ride this week. very headline driven, which makes it hard to make transition al bets. described the as treacherous because you have monetary uncertainty on top of fiscal uncertainty. that's before you get to the standard fair of not knowing what corporate earnings are looking like. if you look at a weekly chart, thursday and friday the market went up. and that reflects light at the end of the tunnel sentiment. we'll see if that holds true. >> okay. what about blackberry and the fallout there.

but now maybe it's a bailout. >> here come the co founders. blackber blackberry, way, way down, down to $8 a share. where is the value? certainly in patents. they were a technology leader way back when. some of it has value, to the tune of $2 billion. you're sitting on a real collectible if you still have a blackberry. >> you had to bring it up. >> you have seen antiques road show. they may get out of the hardware business and more into the software business. similar to u.p.s. saying they are in the logistics business.

these numbers, unhappy on the job. what's that about? >> to say the least. gallup did a worldwide survey. they have been looking at happiness in the workforce in 89 countries. unhappy employees outnumber happy ones by 2-1 worldwide. not great. they really wanted to look at engagement where people are the least happy. perhaps not surprisingly, syria, 0% of people said they were happy on the job. which is quite sad. china, 6%. qatar, 28% happy. when you combine that with most people at worst are mildly unhappy. that country being very wealthy. in the u.s. we did pretty well. 30% of people are happy. 50% say take it or leave it. only 18% hate their jobs. and probably, alex, are grateful

to have them. >> i love my job. i get to talk to people like you all day. so it's very cool. >> so you are in the 30%. >> good numbers there. thanks, regina lewis. >> sure. chris matthews spurring with bill maher. just how many shutdowns happened during the reagan era. >> don't go there. don't go there. let me explain to you. these questions -- it will save you a lot of of time. >> so what's the answer? >> are you ready? remember something called an appropriations bill. back in the reagan era they passed the appropriations bill, almost all of them. the only was the c.r. wasn't down. there weren't government-wide shutdowns. nobody can find them in the newspaper they are such small issues. you have blogger feeding you this crap. there was nothing like today and everybody knows it. nothing like this. ssive insuran.

you know, from our 4,000 television commercials. yep, there i am with flo. hoo-hoo! watch it! [chuckles] anyhoo, 3 million people switched to me last year, saving an average of $475. [sigh] it feels good to help people save... with great discounts like safe driver, multicar, and multipolicy. so call me today. you'll be glad you did. cannonbox! [splash!] so i can't afford to have germy surfaces. but after one day's use, dishcloths can redeposit millions of germs. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel. look! a fresh sheet of bounty duratowel leaves this surface cleaner than a germy dishcloth, as this black light reveals. it's durable, cloth-like and it's 3 times cleaner. so ditch your dishcloth and switch to bounty duratowel. the durable, cloth-like picker-upper.

diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'.

welcome back to "weekends with alex witt". time for your fast five headlines. an amber alerted is out for nine missing from a ranch for troubled youth. they went to investigate claims of abuse and they found nobody there. the director is missing and considered a person of interest. in houston, 13 people are under arrest and charged in connection with an alleged sex trafficking ring. they are accused of bringing girls and women from mexico and forcing them into prostitution. one would ban the sale of semiautomatic rifles. the 9-year-old stowaway is expected to return home today. since he has run away several

times, children services has filed a petition to intervene in this case. and st. louis cardinals beating the dodgers 3-2. 13 innings. cards up 1-0 in the best of seven national league champions series. they play again this afternoon. those are the fast five headlines. a flurry of activity on day 12 of the government shutdown. house members set to meet in an hour and a half. republican and democratic leaders say they are keeping the lines of communication open as both sides try to craft a deal to reopen the government and raise the debt ceiling ahead of the october 17th deadline. in his weekly address, president obama is reiterating to end the shutdown and increase the debt ceiling s. on friday, he met with senate republicans and spoke with john boehner by phone. today a handful of national parks forced to close will reopen. they include the grand canyon

and statue of liberty. under the deal with federal officials, the states will foot the bill. joining me is adam schiff. welcome to you. i just want to say fellow los angeles, we are rooting for dodger blue. it was a tough game last night. wow. anyway, let's talk about other tough things, which is the deal. how close are we to one right now? >> well, we still have some distance to go. i think all is pointing in the direction of a final conclusion, which is good news. house democrats are rolling out a discharge petition. if we get enough signatures the government reopens. senate democrats for their part will bring forward a clean debt ceiling bill. house and senate are floating different proposals to the president. i think the gop members, particularly in the house, are coming around to the view now they can't allow a default.

it would be disastrous. the question is whether they are willing to reopen the government. i think increasingly signs are they are feeling the pressure. they recognize what damage they are doing to the country. i'm hopeful this will come to an end within a matter of a few days. >> the republicans are offering a six-week extension here. would you approve that to avoid the default? >> well, my concern about this, and i raised this at the white house earlier in the week. i don't want to see us right back where we are two months from now having is the same fight all over again. that continuing economic cloud over our recovery is what's killing us. so i don't want to see a replay. there has to be a mechanism in place if there's going to be a short-term deal that won't buy us another cliff two months from now. i would much rather see a long-term deal. do we have enough time to get there, well, in the next six days. >> are you and your fellow democrats at all emboldened by the numbers with nbc news, the

poll which show the majority blame the the republicans for the shutdown? did that come up in negotiations? >> well, it hasn't come up in negotiations. i certainly think it's a background that we're all aware of. democrats don't take any solace. if that means we're going to have fault on our credit, that doesn't do anyone any good. so right now i think a lot of action is trying to find a dig filed way for the house gop to walk back from the abyss. and i think it's in the democrats's interest to help them find that dig filed way. as long as it is not going to be something that encouraging this kind of destructive blinksmanship. again, a couple months or weeks from now. this really has to cut into an end. >> i'm reading here in the "new york times" there are privately a growing number of rank and file republicans that are

saying, look, we have to come to a deal. are you getting word from people on the other side of the aisle? do they come up and express the same sentiment? >> obviously. they will often tell you in private. they don't feel comfortable saying publicly. most have recognized from the beginning that there was no end game. that the tea party members that were forcing this on them really hadn't thought it through. didn't know where this was going to lead. were asking for repeal of obama care they were never going to get. now they feel vindicated but nonetheless they feel burned. they see what this has done to their brand is examine to their country. increasingly i think members have said or are about to say enough is enough. this is why we hope if the leadership doesn't get that message, we will get enough to sign the discharge petition so we can reopen the government. >> how about from the white house, representative schiff?

any guidance what they should accept with negotiating tactics or ultimately overall? >> well with, you know, i think the president is trying to keep an open mind and wants us to keep an open mind to find a way out. on these side of showdowns, neither side gets completely what they want. but here we have something at stake not only for this president but for the next president. we can establish a president where you can hold the debt ceiling like a gun to the head of the economy. we have a united democratic party behind the idea that struck schurly we can't allow this to go o. but the president does want to reserve some moving room so we can find that dig filed way for the republicans to step is back from the cliff. >> not letting the blinksmanship go on, ie, not continue to go govern by crisis constantly, what do you see needing to

happen to stop this trend? >> well, ultimately, the tea party folks will continue it. it pays well to their base. ultimately it will be the voters who reject this. we'll have an opportunity a year from now to say if you're part of the problem we don't want you in office. and i think nothing short of that strong message from the lectorate is going to change this. i think it will be a long time before i hope we go through another shutdown exercise like this. it took about 20 members for some members of congress to forget how painful it was from the last shutdown. hopefully it will be at least another couple decades before anyone gets the thought that this is somehow a good idea. >> by buzz about a democratic house takeover in 2014 as a result of this and other malfeasance that's going on? >> this is the background of the entire debate. the republicans see their numbers going into the basement.

they realize it puts their majority of the house in jeopardy and any hope they have in the senate in jeopardy. certainly both parties recognize this has been an unmitigated disaster for the country but also for the gop. but, you know, again, none of us feel good about what it has taken to get here. democrats would much rather win back the house by virtue of the positive things we're doing rather than the destructive things the republicans are doing. but certainly members are aware of what the polling is saying. >> okay. representative adam schiff, always a pleasure. >> for many federal workers the furlough is hitting home because they received their last paychecks yesterday compensating them from september 22nd until the shutdown began 12 days ago. it's a smaller check. it is now raising greater worries. >> health insurance has to come out, taxes has to come out. when all that comes out, you're lived with nothing. who can live off $56.40. i carry the life insurance, the

health insurance. so if those things lapse, we're in a bind. >> and here's a little complication. while many may eventually receive unemployment, they would have to refund that if they receive retroactive pay. it is also having an economic impact. jay gray reports from the nation's most popular national park. >> alex, beautiful day here in the great smoky mountains, gatlinburg, tennessee just over my shoulder as the bickering and the shutdown continues in washington. it's towns like this one that are suffering right now, struggling to survive. the beauty of the great smoky mountains national park attracts more than 10 million visitors a year. that's more than double the number that travel to the grand canyon, the nation's second most popular park. but right now the smoes are mostly empty. trails, camp grounds blocked and

barricaded by the government shutdown. trips planned for months reduced through a drive and a few snapshots. >> every corner you see something nice but you can't get out and enjoy it. >> in gatlinburg and other edges of the park, the shutdown is ruining much more. red, orange and yellow leaves begin to dot the hillside, the color businesses count on the most here during what is normally the busiest season of the year is green. there are still tourists along the main drag but not as many. for those who make their living inside the park. >> i feel helpless watching this disappear. >> she owns a walk in the woods, leading guided nature walks, hiking and backpacking trips through the park. >> this is like somebody took my bank account and set it on fire. >> it's a nervous laugh that

gives way to tears as she thinks about what's happening to her dream. >> it's what we all love. my guides do this. we could do any number of things. we do this because we love the park. we love this area. it's really devastating. >> and getting worse. every day the deposit and great smoky mountains national park is shut down. you can understand the emotion when you realize that the park provides more than $800 million a year in revenue to this area. 11,000 jobs to the region. many of those jobs on hold right now until there is some type of deal in washington. inside the great smoky mountains national park, i'm jay gray. >> thank you for that gorgeous shot there too. office politics 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.

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.

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. [ crashing ] [ male announcer ] when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast with tums. heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact and goes to work in seconds. ♪ tum, tum tum tum tums! this this week's office poll eubgs, intelligence and for the

associated press. i asked about the recent capture of the alleged terrorist and what they hope to get from the interrogations under way right now. but i questioned the government shutdown on intelligence operations. >> we're losing sight of some of the targets that we've been keeping an eye on purchase now, what he did is he beginning of the shutdown is say everyone but essential employees goes home. and they kept counter terrorist analysts, anyone who was part of that intelligence structure for counterterrrorism or serving the the war zone at work. he warned with each day as this goes on, we have people staying home -- each day you're not at your desk watching a feed or reading the latest intelligence reports coming in, you're taking your eye off the ball. and so that's what he was saying. i can't tell you where the problem is going to crop up, but

this has a cumulative effect with each day it goes on. >> let's talk about recent news events in libya. >> at this point we know they are interrogating him aboard a ship. and it's not clear how long this interrogation will go. i'm sure the people who are doing the interrogation don't know. what they have is a balance they have to strike. they can interrogate someone for weeks to months before reading them their miranda rights. but they can't use what they got in that interrogation if they haven't read them their rights. >> i'm curious about interrogating on board a ship. is that something that the obama administration has moved towards in getting away from guantanamo? what's the advantage? >> well, this isn't the first time they have done this. they did it with a somali pirate a couple years ago.

the advantage is you don't take them to gitmo which would create a political firestorm. but you keep them in a space that's u.s. territory but it's not taking them to a cia black site in another country. it gives them -- it buys them time to gather information from this suspect that can lead to the wider al qaeda networks, to other suspects. >> you just said al qaeda branches. what does that physically look like? some people think it's an office. some people think people are sitting in a cave. what does that look like? >> it's a pretty messy, not very organized system. in which, say, there is a movement in libya, for instance. loosely organized. almost as much like a gang as any militia force.

some of its members have friends in al qaeda or who have friends in other militant groups related to al qaeda. some are card-carrying members of three or four different organizations. it is a hodgepodge. >> when you think about that, that's almost impossible to find. >> impossible to find and also how do you gauge how dangerous they are? five guys with with very little training but they share the same ideology and the same aspirations? but one of those guys gets in touch with the right armed supplier who is part of the larger al qaeda movement and then gets a hold of those shoulder-fired missiles. okay. now those five guys could potentially take down a commercial aircraft. >> more of our information today at 12:00 noon. kim will talk about memorial day 2006, the day she was almost killed by a car bomb while covering the war in iraq for cbs news. when is a default not a

default? my guest unraffles that mystery. people like to pretend a flood e could never happen to them. and that their homeowners insurance protects them. [ thunder crashes ]

it doesn't. stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk. [ ding! ] losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the boring-potato chip decoy bag. then no one will want to steal the deliciousness. [ male announcer ] with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting.

>> for a young man in nevada, each passing minute of the government shutdown is particularly fightin'. the 17-year-old needs a bone marrow transplant to treat a rare condition. it is an experimental treatment. it cannot be done until the government reopens. >> it was really upsetting to hear because it's just a lot less risky to have the procedure done earlier rather than done later. right now with the zheez i have hasn't progressed too far yes. it's still early in its stage. >> that said, his mother is concerned from the stage, considering his older brother died from the zez five years ago. meanwhile, another day for congress today, live pictures from capitol hill.

just about an hour from now, they are set to convene. joining me now, policy reporter for the washington post. good morning, zachary. >> good morning. >> so we are seeing some promise to resolving this debt ceiling crisis. give us a sign washington is close to a deal. >> well, there are basically two tracks right now, one in the house and one in the senate and both have promise. although the white house seems to prefer the track on the senate, which would essentially kick this battle into early 2014, extending the government funding bill through march and raising the debt limit through january. >> that would be contingent on a few fig leaves, a delay in the medical device tax as well as changes to make sure low income people getting subsidies are reporting their income correctly. there is hope that can be the best effort. there are still a lot of barriers left. not enough time to raise the debt limit.

>> i think that said, doesn't it seem crazy that even with that one, the preferred option from the white house coming out of the senate, we'd be back doing this all over again in january? >> that's right. as long as the debt limit exists and the tea party has the presence that it has in the house, it's hard to see how we get quite out of that. maybe the 2014 elections will change. that but there is some hope in this collins deal if it works out that, will will be a budget deal put together. if na happens, that could alleviate that. i think the hope is very optimistic right now. it may not be ground in reality. it is hard to know if that will yield a positive result. >> vacry, explain what you titled 21 of your recent articles, you explore what happens if congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling. it is called when is a default a default. what does that mean? >> sure this thursday, if we don't raise the debt ceiling this thursday the obama

administration has ominous language to say we're going to be in eminent risk of default, certainly within a week or two. republicans, several republicans say, no, no, no, you are overblowing. that we have hundreds of millions, billions of dollars coming in every day from taxes. we are not going to default. what this is is a debate about semantics. a default technically defined is if the government fails to make bond holders in debt. china, foreigners, pensions, people who own treasury bonds. it is true technically we are not defaulting if we continue to make those payments. however, we would stop making payments to social security recipients, veterans, military personnel. the administration says, look, if are you are not so technical about it, we failed to make obligations that default by any other name t. administration says that would be unacceptable.

how can you justify paying china and not paying veteran social security recipients. >> that's a retorical question. zachary goldfarb, thank you very much. be sure to join me for a two-hour edition of this show. more talk with steve kornacki. but with advair, i'm breathing better. so now i can help make this a great block party. ♪ [ male announcer ] advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair may have a higher chance of pneumonia. advair may increase your risk of osteoporosis and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair.

ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. [ male announcer ] advair diskus fluticasone propionate and salmeterol inhalation powder. get your first prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. 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.

♪ 'take me home...' ♪ 'i'll be gone...'