kristen welker and nbc news senior political editor mark murray. kristen, let me start with you because the buses just rolled up a moment ago. the senators are making their way in and it's a rainy day there in washington, d.c. >> reporter: it certainly is, thomas. but the tone has changed here in washington, d.c., after that meeting that you talked about last night between president obama and house republicans. we are told that house speaker john boehner put an offer on the table essentially to increase the debt limit without reopening the government. he said before we can do that, let's have budget negotiations. president obama didn't reject the offer but he didn't accept it rooireither. he said, look, we need to do both at the same time. we need to reopen the government. and i am told that a number of establishment republicans agree with that thinking and that they have been increasingly voicing that opinion to house speaker john boehner. so it's back to the drawing board to some...