HOURS

Final Day to Prevent Gov’t Shutdown

Obama doesn't have “wild optimism” for deal.

Get ready for a crazy Friday on Capitol Hill. Congressional leaders have only hours left to agree on the budget before the government shuts down. President Obama, House Speaker John Boehner, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid all said they'd come closer to agreement during another round of late-night talks in the Oval Office, and Obama said he expects an answer in the morning. But he also acknowledged that the issues in play are important to both sides, “so I'm not yet prepared to express wild optimism." Officials in both parties say Democrats have tacitly agreed to slightly deeper cuts than they'd previously been willing to embrace. On the Republican side, there are hints that they may give up a straight ban on funding for Planned Parenthood in exchange for placing funding in control of the states.