martin bashir, it's all yours. >> thank you so much. it's tuesday, october the 15th. and as america stands on the brink of default, will the house gop push the global economy into full-blown meltdown? >> hit it. ♪ >> if we don't start making some real progress, we stand a good chance of defaulting. >> our leaders met with our members today trying to find a way forward in a bipartisan way. >> bipartisan way. i don't know who he's talking to. >> there are a lot of opinions about what direction to go. >> what you saw here was a speaker who did not have the votes. >> speaker boehner decides to light a match and throw it on the gasoline. >> there have been no decisions about what exactly we will do. >> extremist republicans are attempting to torpedo bipartisan progress. >> it's been very clear what we as republicans have wanted. >> why are they wasting the public's time? >> we are cognizant of the

calendar. >> the house tea party caucus. >> after we talked to ted cruz -- >> decided to sabotage it and said no, it's not good enough. >> republicans in the house have been leading with solutions. >> we are talking with our members on both sides to try to find a way to move forward. >> they can solve this problem today. ♪ it takes two to make a thing go right ♪ ♪ it takes two to make it out of sight ♪ >> good afternoon. 15 days into this epic shutdown. just two days to default. lawmakers are now engaged in a race against time to craft a deal that will open the government, lift the debt ceiling, and prevent financial catastrophe. right now, all eyes are on the house of representatives, where initial moves are expected at any moment to bring a bill to the floor. that would reopen the government, only until december the 15th, and raise the debt ceiling until february the 7th. it would also take away health

care subsidies under the affordable care act for white house officials, members of congress and their staff. and at this moment, house democratic leaders are at the white house, meeting with the president and vice president, even as house republicans appear ever-more adrift, tossed from pillar to post, by the fatal belidgerance of tea party extremists. and nancy pelosi put it very bluntly. >> why are they doing this to the american people? sa sabotaging a bipartisan effort? they have their own internal combustion going on and con flagration from that is very harmful. >> indeed it is. all day, house republicans have been tweaking their own proposal to try and boost support among republican members ahead of a planned vote tonight. house speaker john boehner

emerged from an unusually long two-hour conference meeting earlier today, to say that, in effect, he has no idea what he's doing. >> there are a lot of opinions about what direction to go. there have been no decisions about what exactly we will do. but we're going to continue to work with our members on both sides of the aisle to try to make sure that there's no issue of default, and to get our government reopened. >> he's working with members on both sides of the aisle. or so he says. as for senate majority leader, harry reid, he's not buying it. >> it's nothing more than a blatant attack on bipartisanship. let's be clear. the house legislation will not pass a senate. i'm very disappointed with john boehner. who would once again try to preserve his role at the expense of the country. >> as of this hour, senate talks between reid and mcconnell have

stalled, while they leave speaker boehner to figure out the gop plan. and while we would love nothing more than to i am bu your tuesday with a thimble of optimism, the white house is not letting us don our rose-colored glasses just yet. >> we're -- encouraged by the progress we've seen in the senate. but we're far from a deal at this point. and so we hope that -- we hope that progress continues. >> did we mention we're two days to default? oh, and by the way, politico reports that republican leaders are discussing a plan to vote on their bill, if they can get a bill, and then if it passes, split down. i'm sure that will definitely help their poll numbers. let's get right to it. our panel with us from washington is msnbc contributor, joy reid who, of course, is the managing editor of "theagree owe.com. >> david corn, washington bureau choef and msnbc political

analyst, professor michael eric dyson. david, here we are, two days to default. and house republicans are itching to pass their own plan, and then run out of town. really, is that eric cantor's idea of a prehalloween prank? leaving a flaming bag of you know what on the doorstep and then running away? >> and sing amazing grace on the way out. >> oh, wonderful. >> you know, who knows what's going on. you know, people use the phrase circular firing squad to describe the republicans. i actually see more of as a figure eight firing squad. you have a firing squad inside the house gop itself. listen, john boehner, the leader of the republican party in the house, could not put a deal together. he spent nearly two hours there. he walked out, and he couldn't say we have a plan, because his own people don't have a plan. and largely because they want to deny health care benefits to their own staff. it's completely nuts. and at the same time, you have

republicans outside the house who are putting their -- throwing their hands in the air, and saying, come on, guys, you're going to drag us all down because you bothered to listen to ted cruz? i mean, it's really getting quite despicable. and i just put up a post a couple minutes ago, mark zani, the examiconomist -- >> you can tell us about that, because i'm going to come to that. >> good. >> professor dyson, nancy pelosi asked the question this morning, why are the republicans doing this to the american people? what for? what can they point to that they have won? is a delay on the medical device tax worth plunging the nation into default for? they were reportedly singing amazing grace at the house republican caucus this morning. wouldn't they be better served singing that famous hymn, facing a task unfinished that drives us to our knees? >> no doubt about that. or they need to get to the further part of amazing grace,

"for a wretch like me." they are indeed wretched. and they want to extract some kind of concession from the democrats and from president obama. they are so desperate for a symbolic victory over president obama that they will settle for an arcane, obscure, esoteric, if you will, qualification that, again, only undermines the very people who they are supposed to be taking care of, and the very people they say they're fighting for, which is the american public. they are fighting for a smaller and smaller subsection of america, and it includes them and their families and their fellows. this is one of the most ridiculous, i think, attempts to try to hold not only american people hostage, but to undermine the economic and fiscal integrity of this nation for a narrow, ideological point, and i think the democrats have to hold steady. i'm glad to see nancy pelosi and harry reid and president obama standing strong. they've got to do that. >> joy, on a day when the president presented the medal of

honor to a brave soldier, william swenson, we have reports of troops in the pentagon collecting grocery money for furloughed civilians. going their third week with no pay, and yet the smallest hit to the affordable care act is more important to this republican party. joy, 30 children every week are denied experimental treatment. these are children who are terminally ill, and boehner, the bluntering idiot, prefers to careen the nation into this desperate situation? >> it's incredible. i've been watching today, martin, and have talked to a couple people who were furloughed. there are literally people who are idle, ready and able at any moment to go to work. and all republicans are doing, as you said, while people are literally suffering, literally people's last paycheck has already gone into the bank. they're not getting another one. and we're talking about a payday that's coming up. and while people are facing potentially not being able to pay their mortgages and rent and

car notes, et cetera. their proposal is to only open the government until ten days before christmas? and then trigger yet another potential shutdown? ten days before santa claus is supposed to come? does that even make political sense? i'm not a politician, but even i can figure out you're not going to want to shut the government down again right before christmas. and then this idea that, you know, what we'll go from taking hostages to throwing hostages out a 14-story window to shooting the get-away driver by making their own staff lose subsidies under the affordable care act. none of it makes political sense. if this was grand political strategy, i would give it to them. i would give them credit. but this is just stupid. >> yeah, it is. david, of course, many in the gop have an entirely erroneous concept of the debt ceiling, thanks to people like the great and creditous, sarah palin, who said, and i'm quoting her, to suggest that raising the debt limit wouldn't incur more debt is laughably absurd. now i believe that you put this

idea to the economist, the great mark zandi. what was his response? >> he decided not to take on what sarah palin said directly, but to say the big point here -- forget about what sarah palin says. if we default, and it's not resolved by the beginning of november, we're in a recession. but more importantly, if we default, and it's not resolved until into november, towards the end of november, there will be a worldwide economic down turn that could last for years, if not decades. now, this is a guy who is one -- not the only, but one of many economic advisers to the mccain/palin campaign back in 2008. and so -- but you've got people in the tea party out there who keep saying, we can default, this is not a big deal. this is just scaremongering on the part of the president. and they're -- you know, they're really playing a very fast and loose game with this nation's future. and, again, it's -- you know, this is like a short and compressed version with climate

change denial. you know, you just don't care about the facts. and you are willing to take these risks, largely because you hate that guy in the white house. >> it's absolutely incredible. joy reid, david corn and professor michael eric dyson, thank you so much. all of you. >> thank you. coming up, we'll talk to democratic congressman, charlie rangel, about the scramble to avoid a default. but first, they were blind and now they see? religious leaders at the capitol implore gop lawmakers to avoid their own funeral and make a deal. ♪ ♪ how sweet the sound

[ male announcer] surprise -- you're having triplets. [ babies crying ] surprise -- your house was built on an ancient burial ground. [ ghosts moaning ] surprise -- your car needs a new transmission. [ coyote howls ] how about no more surprises? now you can get all the online trading tools you need without any surprise fees. ♪ it's not rocket science. it's just common sense. from td ameritrade.

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. limited availability in select markets. ♪

here are some cold facts on this tuesday afternoon. house republicans caused the government shutdown. they will cause a default if a deal is not reached by thursday. they are the reason a new bill would deny health care subsidies for their own staff. they are the reason that hundreds of thousands of federal workers are not receiving paychecks. they are why tens of thousands of poor children will go without assistance from head start programs if the shutdown continues through the end of this month. and so the word they latched on to this morning when describing their policy prescription is deeply and bitterly ironic. >> under obama care. >> there should be fairness for all americans. >> we think individuals should be treated fairly.

>> fairness for all. >> we're working with our members on a way forward. and to make sure we provide fairness to the american people. >> joining us now is democratic congressman, charles rangel of new york. good afternoon, sir. >> hi, martin. >> while republicans fight with themselves about when they might dane to open the government, the national head start association reports that if allowed to continue for the next two weeks, 86,000 children in 41 states will lose their head start places. temporary assistance for 4 million families is in jeopardy. in connecticut, and other states, funds for low-income energy assistance will run out. what should people do, freeze to death? meals on wheels in michigan and elsewhere have funds for about another two weeks. what should people do, starve to death? do your republican colleagues in the house have any idea what their game of shutdown is doing to the most vulnerable people in our society?

>> you opened up your program talking about amazing grace, and all i can say in response is, i was blind, but now i see. the poor and the middle class really doesn't count for a handful of people that are out to destroy our country. i was blind until i saw that confederate flag being waved and cheered on by people that belong to the tea party, and saying that the president of the united states should be chased out of town. now, that sounded pretty familiar to me. i recall that the confederates hated lincoln so much that some of them even assassinated him. and if you take a look to see who were the confederates there. did they become the dixie krafts, did the dixiecrats become the republicans? i really don't think this is a

discussion or a confrontation between republicans and democrats. but a handful of people who don't care about the republican party, don't care about congress and obviously don't care about the people and america generally. >> and now we hear they don't even care about their own staff, because they propose a bill which may even be voted on today, which would include the vitter amendment, which would mean that fairly lowly paid stafferers on the hill would end up losing any kind of subsidy they get for their own health care, which in effect is a pay cut. i mean, i under that they have contempt for the poor. i understand they think that so many people in this nation are moochers and takers and sponges. i get their philosophical position. but they hurt their own staff? >> i think what they're doing -- i don't really think -- i wish i was a fly on a wall as they

explain to their staff, we are giving the senate an offer they have to refuse. they know darn well that the president of the united states has made it abundantly clear, it doesn't make any difference who the president is. they should not cave into a handful of people, democrats or republicans, that's going to try to legislate on the debt ceiling. it just doesn't make sense. it's unconstitutional. it's immoral. and it's unfair. so what they are doing is not any reason or rhyme involved in this. they know these things are absolutely ridiculous. why else would they try to shoot town the affordable care act, when they know that legislatively, constitutional, they couldn't do it. no, they're out to embarrass the president. and if it means bringing down the country, and having it reform without any entitlements and any obligations to those people that are poor and working in the middle class, then i think that they'll take the risk.

suicide is not an option for them. the worst people in the world they're getting to fight with is somebody who doesn't mind dying. and those tea party people don't mind dying politically. >> congressman charles rangel, thank you so much, sir, for joining us. >> thank you, martin. coming up, far above politics. a moment of patriotism at the white house for a soldier who went above and beyond in the face of war. and the lesson washington might just take from his act of courage. >> well, you're an example to everyone in this city and to our whole country of the professionalism and patriotism we should strive for, whether we wear a uniform or not. not just on particular occasions, but all of the time. (announcer) at scottrade, our clients trade and invest exactly how they want.

with scottrade's online banking, i get one view of my bank and brokerage accounts with one login... to easily move my money when i need to. plus, when i call my local scottrade office, i can talk to someone who knows how i trade. because i don't trade like everybody. i trade like me. i'm with scottrade. (announcer) scottrade-proud to be ranked "best overall client experience." ♪ ♪

[ male announcer ] over time, you've come to realize... [ starter ] ready! [ starting gun goes off ] [ male announcer ] it's less of a race... yeah! [ male announcer ] and more of a journey. and that keeps you going strong. at unitedhealthcare insurance company, we get that. with over 30 years of experience, we'll be there -- ready to go as far as you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, these help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay -- and could save you in out-of-pocket costs. you'll also be able to choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. call or go online today to request your free decision guide. go forward with passion. and never settle for good enough along the way.

aarp medicare supplement insurance plans, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. go long. ♪ [ male announcer ] 1.21 gigawatts. today, that's easy. ge is revolutionizing power. supercharging turbines with advanced hardware and innovative software. using data predictively to help power entire cities. so the turbines of today... will power us all... into the future. ♪

in our nation's history, we have the highest military declaration, the medal of honor. nearly 3,500 times for actions above and beyond the call of duty. but this may be the first time that we can actually bear witness to a small fraction of those actions for ourselves. and today we honor the american in that video, the soldier who went back in. captain william swenson. >> the president this afternoon awarded the nation's highest military decoration, the medal of honor, to retired army captain, william swenson. serving in afghanistan back in september of 2009, captain swenson risked his life to save his fellow troops, as well as recover the bodies of those who had fallen during a seven-hour battle. but captain swenson didn't exactly follow the path one would expect on his way to the medal of honor. after returning from service, he disputed the military account of the battle, going so far as to cast doubt on another medal of

honor recipient, marine dakota meier. but captain swenson has acknowledged that all who served with him that day were heroes, something the president also acknowledged. >> and i'd like all of those who served with such valor, alongside will, both army and marines, who have fought for each other, please stand and be recognized. >> no matter the path captain swenson has taken, he is now the recipient of the medal of honor. we're now going to the white house where nancy pelosi is speaking, having met with the president. >> legislation is being prepared in the united states senate. we are disappointed that the house republicans decided to sabotage or at least delay what was happening there. but are hopeful that the -- everybody knows the time is of the essence, and that it's a -- republicans of the house want to put up a bill, they should do it soon. but they have to know, if it is as it has been described, they'll have to do that with

100% republican votes. we stand ready, our members have signed letters, petitions, to open government that we are there for a clean petition to open government, a clean legislation to open government. clean legislation to lift the debt ceiling that will take us on a path to the budget table when any and all issues can be discussed. so that's where we are. and i'm optimistic. i believe because the impact of not lifting the debt ceiling on top of shutting down -- alone, actually. not lifting -- is so catastrophic that there will be those in the republican party who will see the light. we stand ready to supply the votes, but if they do not -- if they go on the path they're on, they'll need 100% republican votes. with that i'm pleased to yield to the distinguished mr. hoyer. >> thank you, madam leader. i agree with the leader, this is a very positive meeting, as we expected it to be.

the president is very committed to getting the government open. obviously, making sure that america pays its bills. and we assured the president that those two objectives have the overwhelming, almost unanimous if not unanimous support of our caucus. we have a letter signed on the debt limit, and we're going to be unanimous on the opening up government. that's our two major objectives. we now have 48 hours to make sure that our country remains solvent and paying its debts. and to make sure that our workers get back to work on behalf of the american people. i agree with the leader that if the republican conference wants to offer -- we haven't seen text yet, but it has other things in it, one of which we think is very, very damaging to the united states of america. and that is taking away from the president and the secretary of treasury the ability to manage the payment of our debts so that

we remain a zero-risk creditor. and so with that, let me yield to my friend, jim clyburn, the assistant leader. >> thank you, mr. whip. the last hour has been very, very productive. and i would hope the next several hours will be as such. i find it kind of interesting that much of the discussion we've been hearing for the last several weeks has been the fact that we can maintain the full faith and credit of the united states of america by prioritizing exactly how we address the debt. now all of a sudden, from what we are hearing, legislation is now being brought forward to take away the ability of the president and the secretary of the treasury to manage our debt

and deficits. that to us is just absolutely the worst possible thing that can be done. we are very interested in a clean continuing resolution. a clean debt limit. and we can supply a vast majority of the democratic votes to get that done. we are hopeful that the speaker will allow such legislation to come to the floor and we commit to him and the american people democrats will be solid in support of that effort. and with that, i yield back. >> that was assistant leader of the house, democratic caucus, james clyburn, saying that democrats are ready to open the government, to raise the debt ceiling, and they await a response from republicans. coming up, we'll have much more on the state of play in washington and, of course, the day's top lines, straight ahead.

[ woman ] if you have the audacity to believe your financial advisor should focus on your long-term goals, not their short-term agenda. [ woman ] if you have the nerve to believe that cookie cutters should be for cookies, not your investment strategy. if you believe in the sheer brilliance of a simple explanation. [ male announcer ] join the nearly 7 million investors who think like you do:

face time and think time make a difference. join us. [ male announcer ] at edward jones, it's how we make sense of investing.

[ male announcer ] at edward jones, help the gulf when we made recover and learn the gulf, bp from what happened so we could be a better, safer energy company. i can tell you - safety is at the heart of everything we do. we've added cutting-edge technology, like a new deepwater well cap and a state-of-the-art monitoring center, where experts watch over all drilling activity twenty-four-seven.

and we're sharing what we've learned, so we can all produce energy more safely. our commitment has never been stronger. from tortilla coast to nacho libre. here are today's lines. get that corn out of here! >> another big story this morning. >> why don't we talk about -- >> possible end to that government shutdown. >> this morning, senators insist that congress is the closest it has been to a deal. >> this is what qualifies for quote, unquote, tremendous progress. >> baby steps? >> a solution that punts the difficult decision. >> it means setting small, reasonable goals. >> this is what congress has done for the past several years. >> baby steps. >> i really don't see this wrapping up as neatly as maybe the headlines this morning would suggest. >> our leadership team met with our members today. >> over the weekend, i got on the computer and i tried to sign up for obama care. you hear about a lot of people

having trouble. >> continue to provide fairness to the american people under obama care. >> signed right up for obama care and ordered six months mexican viagra. >> to actually make some gains in the policy debate about obama care, that was on the table before ted cruz came on. >> why is the federal government spending money to erect barricades to keep veterans out of this memorial? >> hmmm, let's see. i'm not sure, but i think it's because of you, right? >> are enough games! >> it takes a lot of cojones to lead a protest against yourself. >> senator ted cruz! >> senator cruz held a secret meeting at a washington bar and restaurant, tortilla coast. >> get that out of the face! >> with roughly 20 of the most conservative members of the house. >> i just hope the solution to this problem ultimately is known as the tortilla coast accords. >> a lot of wheeling and dealing, a lot of secret meetings. >> we missed the opportunity. two months of time went by. >> do you hate obama care more than you love your country?

>> to me, yeah, that's an embarrassment. >> listen to the way you're sounding. my goodness. >> oh, my lord. i am sorry, america. >> we are indeed sorry. let's get to our panel, joining us now, eugene robinson of the "washington post." professor james peterson, who is director of africaa studies at lehigh university and jonathan alter, msnbc political analyst. gene, if i might begin with you, here's what you wrote. it is understandable that the activist republican base might think victory through blackmail is the natural order of things. it's not. it's a distortion of american democracy that weakens the nation and it has to end. but gene, i have to ask you, with all your consummate understanding, is it about to end? because i cannot see it ending yet. >> i have no idea, martin, at this point. that was yesterday. >> of course. >> today we're beyond that to

this sort of -- this sort of blind, enraged lashing out. you know, we'll cut the earnings of our staff and make sure they -- you know, they have to pay for all their insurance and -- and can't get the subsidies anybody else gets. and we'll handcuff the president and the secretary of the treasury. so they can't manage the money. so we have become more likely to -- i mean, it's just ridiculous. and you know, i fear that we're on -- it always gets darkest before it goes completely black. >> yeah -- john, ted cruz reportedly skipped the gop luncheon today. but that's okay, last night he organized a group of tea party house members to meet at a mexican restaurant in washington. the purpose, of course, was to plot ways of keeping the government closed. >> right. >> now, it seems this coup d'etat con questionso is

succeeding. he's keeping it closed. >> for this moment. it looks a little bit like a younger version of joe mccarthy, if joe mccarthy was transported back to the precivil war era, or the civil war, because there are these confederate flags around, of course. >> yes. >> look, nobody knows the way this is going to go in the next few days. there are a lot of moving parts. but i do get the sense that the republican radicals, or the banana republicans, as i think harry reid appropriately calls them, since they act as if we're in a banana republic. i think they've lost. and that these are the death throes of their little insurrection, their little effort to put a gun to the head -- not just of the country, but of the global economy. it's failed. even mitch mcconnell, hardly a friend of the administration, is working hard now to bring this to a close. and i think by the end of the week, you will have succeeded. >> let's hope so.

professor, ted cruz's protest this weekend led to some pretty ugly displays, aimed personally at the president. and now democrats are speaking up. i'd like you to take a listen. >> ted cruz and mike lee led a rally on the national mall, where one of their speakers called on president obama to leave town, put down the quran and come out with your hands up. >> but i was especially disturbed by the waving of the confederate flag, a symbol of racial oppression being waved at our first african-american president. i call on my colleagues to condemn this hateful rhetoric, renounce these fringe voices within their coalition. >> professor peterson, they're calling on republicans to condemn these manifestations of bigotry. but will they? >> absolutely not. in fact, what they -- they should be calling specifically for ted cruz and sarah palin to denounce the other speakers. by the way, in this country, it would actually be absolutely okay if the president was muslim and if he did worship and read

the quran. >> absolutely. >> where religion is a right. it would be okay if that was the case. there would not be grounds to disqualify him as president of the united states. but he so happens to not be muslim. the second person is right, the confederate flag is more sinister or at least as sinister as accusations of the president being a muslim. and i think people need to understand what that symbol means to millions of americans, millions of african-americans and millions of americans, period. but the irony of that whole rally, though, martin -- >> yes. >> they are accusing the president of using the veterans as political tools, as they're using veterans as political tools. >> it is incredible. >> can i just say something? about the confederate flag? in recent years, we have looked at it as a symbol of racism, which it is. but it's also a symbol of tr treas treason, right? insurrection. so those who wave it, though they might not realize it, in historical terms, they're taking part in an act of sedition.

they were trying to destroy the united states. that's what that flag actually symbolizes. and it's actually quite appropriate when you think about what they're doing. >> absolutely. it's accurate. eugene, what was your reaction to that whole scene? >> well, you know, i grew up in south carolina, late '50s, early '60s, when the confederate flag was flown in earnest more often. it was flown over the south carolina statehouse a few years ago at the state capitol. so i have no patience with that. i -- you know,it not a symbol of, you know, rebellion in general. it's a very specific symbol that represents slavery, that represents insurrection, that is aimed at our first black

president. and it was appalling. but it was also -- you know, there were other appalling things happening around it at that rally. you know, it was a ridiculous event, and you laugh at it if it didn't make you so angry. >> thank you, gene and professor peterson and john alter, all of you for being so polite and deck orrous about the matter. these people are repugnant, ignorant, i am besillic individuals and bring shame upon the nation. coming up, does the 11-hour senate deal still have a pulse or does our fate lie with -- wait for it -- house republicans. john tester joins us next. stay with us. [ male announcer ] pepcid® presents: the burns family dinner.

why would i take one pepcid® when i could take tums® throughout the day when my heartburn comes back? 'cause you only have to take one... [ male announcer ] don't be like the burns. just one pepcid® complete works fast and lasts.

[ male announcer ] don't be like the burns. my dna...s me. every piece is important... this part... makes my eyes blue... i might have an increased risk of heart disease... gallstones... hemochromatosis... i'll look into that. the more you know about your dna, the more you know about yourself... now i know. know more about your health. go to 23andme.com and order your dna kit for only 99 dollars today.

learn hundreds of things about your health at 23andme.com it guides you to a number it guides you to a number that will change your life: your sleep number setting. it even knows you by name. now it's easier than ever to experience deep, restful sleep with the sleep number bed's dualair technology. at the touch of a button, the sleep number bed adjusts to each person's ideal comfort and support. and you'll only find it at a sleep number store. where right now our newest innovations are available with 36-month financing. sleep number. comfort individualized. was a truly amazing day.ey, 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. two days to default, speaker john boehner is trying once again to get his raucous

caulkous behind him and pass their latest government funding effort. there's only one problem. senate democrats have made it clear, it has no chance of survival on the other side of the capital. i'm joined now by democratic senator, john tester of monday. good afternoon, sir. even as you join us, your colleague, senator david vitter, was just -- is now debating the vitter amendment, which, of course, the house speaker plans to table as part of the condition for reopening the government, and for raising the debt ceiling. what's your reaction to the news today? >> pretty darn irresponsible, i'll tell you that. i mean, we're playing with fire. we've talked about this for three weeks now, coming up on this debt limit. and for speaker boehner to come in with another one of his gimmickses that puts the whole faith and confidence of our government at risk, our economy

in a tailspin in a day or two i think is about as irresponsible as you can get. hurting a lot of folks. and it is time -- it is time to step up to the plate, harry, and mitch mcconnell yesterday were having good negotiations, and there was a solution to be had. it was within the grasp. and now the speaker in the house doesn't have the intestinal fortitude to come forth with a plan that's going to put this country on strong economic grounds moving forward. i don't know what to say other than that, martin. i mean, if this is -- if there was a republican president in the white house, they wouldn't be doing this stuff. i honestly think they want to turn the economy upside down, so they can point the fenger finger and say, gee, look, things aren't going very well. we're seeing the economy turn around, good things happen, seeing the deficit being decreased as far as the amount going in. we're seeing some good things happening in the economy. and these guys want to screw it up. >> why? what is behind their animus?

>> well, it's got to be -- it's got to be all driven by politics. which is what it's been driven by for a long, long time. and i think -- >> but i understand that, senator. and yet the politics are not working in their favor. their approval rating is through the floor. >> yeah, you're exactly correct. and they boxed themselves in by putting forth goofy policies. and they continue to try to remedy the situation by putting forth more goofy policies. so it's not working for them, and that's why it was -- like i said, i was hopeful yesterday when mitch and harry were talking. but today we've lost a lot of that hope. >> do you find it ironic that all of the house gop's slings and arrows at the affordable care act have finally come down to denying subsidies to their own staff? i mean, doesn't that prove in and of itself the sheer callousness of this whole political fight? >> absolutely. i mean, it just -- it's pretty

hateful, quite frankly. and taking away benefits to a -- the kid who is making $30,000 a year on the front desk isn't what put this country into tough financial shape. that's for sure. so it's -- it's just about being hateful. >> senator john tester, thank you, sir, for being so straight about these issues. and we hope that there will be some kind of resolution before we hit this disastrous debt ceiling. thank you, sir. >> thank you, martin. coming up, the great american middle. it exists, regardless of what washington may have you believe. and jeffrey saks will join us to discuss that in just a moment. ♪ here i am stuck in the middle with you ♪ ♪ yes i'm stuck in the middle with you ♪ color, and design. showing up where we least expect it. and taking inspiration from our wildest dreams. because kohler doesn't see the world in fixtures and faucets.

it reimagines. coloring our lives in ways only bold could do, it's no wonder the world can't wait to see what kohler does next. ♪ (announcer) answer the call of the grill with new friskies grillers, full of meaty tenders and crunchy bites. (dad) just feather it out. (son) ok. feather it out. (dad) all right. that's ok. (dad) put it in second, put it in second. (dad) slow it down. put the clutch in, break it, break it. (dad) just like i showed you. dad, you didn't show me, you showed him. dad, he's gonna wreck the car! (dad) he's not gonna wreck the car. (dad) no fighting in the road, please. (dad) put your blinker on. (son) you didn't even give me a chance! (dad) ok. (mom vo) we got the new subaru because nothing could break

our old one. (dad) ok. (son) what the heck? let go of my seat! (mom vo) i hope the same goes for my husband. (dad) you guys are doing a great job. seriously. (announcer) love a car that lasts. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru.

the country has never been more divided. it's a sentiment we hear all of the time, both from politicians and media outlets, indeed. just look at the gridlock in washington today. a body so divided, they're

willing to risk a default rather than compromise. and yet, despite this seemingly paralyzing divide, according to a new nbc news surrendvey, such partisanship is not necessarily reflected in the rest of the country. yes, 28% of americans are on the far right, 21% on the left. but a whopping 51% are solidly living smack dab in the center. some are in favor of smaller government. some want more government intervention. some want stricter gun control. some favor less restrictions on guns, which is all to say, that a majority of the country doesn't automatically fall into one group or another. to discuss this more, we adjoined now by jeffrey sachs, who, of course, is professor and director of the earth institute at columbia university. professor sachs, before we discuss that, we have breaking news from fitch. fitch just announced, it's put the united states' credit rating -- its a-rating on watch, which they regard as a step

before an actual downgrade. so should you and i congratulate ted cruz on his magnificent achievement. >> we can congratulate just about all of washington. it is such a -- an absurd, destructive course that we're watching in washington right now. i think the one that i think that unites americans, many things do, but one is that we're disgusted with washington. >> yeah. you've been overseas. you've just got back. you were teaching and you were at various conferences. when you came back into the country, did you honestly expect to come back with two days until we reached the debt ceiling, with the government still shut down, and no agreement whatsoever to raise the debt ceiling? >> i did not. but i can tell you, i was at the apec leaders summit, the asia pacific group, 21 countries are in apec. 20 leaders showed up. of course, president obama was conspicuously absent. the other 20 countries were able

to run their affairs day by day, so that the president in mexico could be there, so that the president of peru could be there, the president of chili could be there, of indonesian, all these countries, except the united states. it is absolutely shameful. >> isn't this fight that's happening at the moment principally and overwhelmingly about this issue of whether we have any kind of functioning government? because there are some people in congress who actually think there shouldn't be any government intervention whatsoever. >> in general, the republican side has said, just cut any time, every time, anything. and they have been winning over the years. president obama was not able to resist this. at the same time, our country is not divided, but corrupted in politics. washington politics is deeply corrupted. and that's true of both parties, by the way. there's a strong majority for raising taxes on the wealthy. this is one of the results of

the esquire survey. >> right. >> but why doesn't that happen? well, neither party proposes it, because both are at the trough of the wealthy and the large campaign contributors. so this is something that is systemic. it's not one senator, however obnoxious he is, and he is. but it is actually a systemic problem. >> one of the other statistics that i found interesting from this study is that 51% of those in the center feel that government should do more to solve problems and help people. and one of the things that i think -- >> normal. what we're watching is not normal. >> but professor, there seems no acknowledgment that it's the most vulnerable of our society who are being injured by this government shutdown. it's children who could be receiving experimental treatments for terminal illness that are getting nothing out of the nih, because of the government shutdown. >> one of the things that we've seen in our politics, even before this profound morass of

the recent weeks, democrats talk about the middle class, the republicans cater to the rich nobody talks about the vulnerable in our society now. that's not american values. that's not what this survey shows. the mainstream of america is absolutely normal. this is the corruption of the political system. now, in my opinion, the republicans are absolutely unbelievable in their disregard for basic human needs. their crudeness and abrasiveness in these issues. but the democrats are also not so good on any of this, because they can't -- they fund their campaigns, they became owned by wall street. they're in the hands of special interests. this is a systemic problem that's quite deep. it's not a problem of american values. it's a problem of broken politics. >> professor jeffrey sachs, thank you, sir, for joining us.

especially after your recent conference. we'll be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪

there's a lot i had to do... ... watch my diet. stay active. start insulin... today, i learned there's something i don't have to do anymore. my doctor said that with novolog® flexpen, i don't have to use a syringe and a vial... or carry a cooler. flexpen® comes prefilled with fast-acting insulin used to help control high blood sugar when you eat. dial the exact does. inject by pushing a button. no drawing from a vial. you should eat a meal within 5 to 10 minutes after injecting novolog® (insulin aspart [rdna origin] injection). do not use if your blood sugar is too low, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause symptoms such as sweating, shakiness, confusion, and headache. severe low blood sugar can be serious and life-threatening.

ask your health care provider about alcohol use, operating machinery, or driving. other possible side effects include injection site reactions and low potassium in your blood. tell your health care provider about all medicines you take and all of your medical conditions. get medical help right away if you experience serious allergic reactions such as body rash, trouble with breathing, fast heartbeat, or sweating. flexpen® is insulin delivery my way. covered by most insurance plans, including medicare. find your co-pay cost at myflexpen.com. ask your health care provider about novolog® flexpen today. they always have. they always will. that's why you take charge of your future. your retirement. ♪ ameriprise advisors can help you like they've helped millions of others. listening, planning, working one on one. to help you retire your way... with confidence. that's what ameriprise financial does. that's what they can do with you. ameriprise financial. more within reach.