. >> tom: bernanke minced no words as he urged lawmakers to reach a deal "without resorting to brinkmanship." >> i fully understand the desire to use the debt limit deadline to force some necessary and difficult fiscal policy adjustments, but the debt limit is the wrong tool for that important job. failing to raise the debt ceiling in a timely way would be self-defeating if the objective is to chart a course toward a better fiscal situation for our nation. >> tom: late today, vice president biden said he's making progress on budget negotiations with republican and democratic lawmakers. he's now confident the talks will produce more than $1 trillion worth of cuts and a tentative deal by the july 4 congressional recess. >> susie: americans got some encouraging news on inflation today after months of battling high food and gas prices. wholesale inflation as measured by the producer price index rose just 0.2% last month. that follows a hefty increase of 0.8% in april. still, one benign inflation report does not make a trend, and economists are still keeping a close eye on price tags. suzanne pr