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* There’s been a flurry of activity on the Hill today, and it looks like Senate leaders have effectively reached an agreement that would reopen the government and extend the government’s borrowing authority.
* Congressional leaders had planned to meet with President Obama at 3 p.m. eastern, but the gathering was delayed so work on an agreement could continue.
* Roll Call sketched out some of the apparent details, though nothing official has been announced.
* Abu Anas al-Libi: “A suspected al Qaeda operative who was captured in Libya and held aboard an American warship for interrogation has been taken to New York to face charges that he played a role in the bombings of two African embassies in 1998, federal authorities said Monday.”
* Iran: “As negotiations get underway in Geneva Tuesday on Iran’s disputed nuclear program, expectations are running higher than they have in a decade. But the barriers that remain are daunting, and are likely to center on what the experts call Iran’s “breakout capacity,” the ability to build a nuclear weapon in a matter of months, and its willingness to accept intrusive inspections.”
* A new Washington Post/ABC News poll confirms what all recent polling shows: Republicans are getting crushed by the shutdown crisis.
* Wise choice: “A coalition of gun groups that’s faced harsh criticism for its decision to hold a ‘Guns Save Lives Day’ on December 14, the anniversary of the horrific Newtown school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, has changed the date of that event.”
* It’s irritating when longtime U.S. senators don’t know the difference between the deficit and the debt. * Paul Krugman characterizes Tea Party Republicans as the neighbor from hell. * Good advice from E.J. Dionne Jr.: “Obama can’t slip back into the style of deficit wrangling that so weakened him in 2011. He now has an opening to refocus on his priorities: universal pre-kindergarten education, immigration reform, rebuilding our transportation and communications systems — and, one would like to hope, an even broader agenda for speeding growth and sharing its dividends fairly.” * Every time Fox News hosts confess publicly that they’re helping Republicans, I’m a little surprised to see them drop the pretense. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
