To the Point
How Is America Reacting to the Debt Ceiling Drama?
No one knows what the first default in US government history might look like, and it might take until Midnight Tuesday before the world knows if it's going to happen....
By Warren Olney • • 50m ListenNobody knows what the first default in US government history might look like, and it might take until the Midnight hour Tuesday before the world knows whether it's going to happen. We get the latest from Washington and ask what Americans are thinking around the country. Also, jobless claims fall to a three-month low and stocks are up despite the debt standoff. On Reporter's Notebook, another partisan split — over "Fast and Furious," the effort to track gun smugglers that went wrong. Republicans want head to roll; Democrats are defensive.
Banner image: Religious and civil leaders stage a civil disobedience protest relating to the debt limit impasse in the US Capitol Rotunda July 28, 2011 in Washington, DC. Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
In this episode
3 storiesJobless Claims at 3-Month Low, Stocks Up Despite Debt Standoff
The Debt ceiling was expected to drop markets down, but they're still on the upswing after a three-day slump. Peter Cook is chief Washington correspondent for Bloomberg TV .
Read the story8 minHow Does Gridlock Look from Outside the Beltway?
As the debt-ceiling deadline looms, House Speaker John Boehner has been challenged by his own Republican majority. After re-working his plan for spending cuts and reducing the deficit, he held a news conference early this afternoon, telling reporters, "When the House takes action today, the US Senate will have no more excuse for inaction."
Read the story38 minATF under Fire
Republicans have been highly critical of "Operation Fast and Furious," a federal operation that lost track of firearms purchased by suspected gun smugglers. Some of the weapons have turned up in the wake of shootings in Mexico.
Read the story6 min
