AFGHAN PRES HAMID KARZAI SUSPENDS TALKS WITH THE U.S. AND CANCELS A PEACE DELEGATION TO THE TALIBAN *

KARZAI IS ANGRY OVER THE TALIBAN'S MOVE TO CAST THEIR NEW QATAR OFFICE AS A RIVAL EMBASSY *

SECY OF STATE JOHN KERRY SAYS HE SPOKE WITH KARZAI ON THE PHONE AND ASSURED HIM HE WOULD WORK TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE *

THE TALIBAN HELD A RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY AT THE NEW EMBASSY, ANNOYING KARZAI AND OTHER AFGHANS *

U.S. BLASTS CHINA AND RUSSIA FOR FAILING TO MEET MINIMUM STANDARDS TO FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING *

STATE DEPT DOWNGRADED THE COUNTRIES, PUTTING THEM ON A PAR WITH N KOREA AND SYRIA *

THE U.S. ALSO DOWNGRADED UZBEKISTAN OVER ITS STATE-SANCTIONED USE OF FORCED LABOR IN ITS ANNUAL COTTON HARVEST *

PRES OBAMA NOW HAS 90 DAYS TO DETERMINE WHETHER TO APPLY SANCTIONS, ALTHOUGH THAT WOULD BE UNLIKELY *

TROPICAL STORM BARRY FORMS OFF MEXICO'S GULF COAST *

NATL HURRICANE CENTER SAYS THE ATLANTIC SEASON'S SECOND TROPICAL STORM IS DRENCHING THE REGION WITH UP TO 10 INCHES OF RAIN *

BARRY IS ABOUT 70 MILES EAST OF VERACRUZ, MEXICO, WHERE IT'S EXPECTED TO MAKE LANDFALL TOMORROW MORNING *

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM PUNTA EL LAGARTO TO BARRA DE NAUTLA *

FMR SOPRANOS ACTOR JAMES GANDOLFINI DIES OF AN APPARENT HEART ATTACK AT THE AGE OF 51 *

GANDOLFINI APPEARED IN MORE THAN 25 FILMS, BUT IS MOST FAMOUS FOR PLAYING TONY SOPRANO IN HBO'S "THE SOPRANOS" AND WON THREE EMMY AWARDS FOR THE ICONIC ROLE *

THE ACTOR DIED ON WED WHILE ON VACATION IN ROME, ITALY *

CO FIREFIGHTERS ARE CLOSE TO WINNING THE FIGHT AGAINST THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE WILDFIRE IN STATE HISTORY *

THE BLACK FOREST FIRE IS 85% CONTAINED AND OFFICIALS EXPECT TO HAVE THE FLAMES UNDER FULL CONTROL BY THURS *

HOWEVER, FORECASTED HIGH WINDS AND HOT WEATHER COULD HAMPER FIRE-FIGHTING EFFORTS TOMORROW *

THE FIRE HAS TORCHED 22 SQUARE MILES AND KILLED TWO PEOPLE SINCE IT SPARKED MORE THAN A WEEK AGO *

U.S. AND SEVERAL OTHER COUNTRIES WILL MEET IN QATAR THIS WKND TO DECIDE ON HOW TO RESPOND TO REQUESTS FOR HELP FROM THE FREE SYRIAN ARMY *

MEETING WILL INCLUDE GOVT OFFICIALS FROM 11 COUNTRIES IN THE SO-CALLED FRIENDS OF SYRIA GROUP *

TALKS COME A WEEK AFTER THE OBAMA ADMIN AGREED TO SEND ARMS TO SYRIAN REBELS AMID THE COUNTRY'S DEADLY TWO-YEAR CIVIL WAR *

FED RESERVE SAYS IT EXPECTS UNEMPLOYMENT TO FALL FASTER THIS YEAR THAN ITS PREDICTION IN MARCH *

THE FED NOW PREDICTS THE JOBLESS RATE WILL FALL TO 7.2% OR 7.3% BY THE END OF 2013 *

THAT'S DOWN FROM ITS PREDICTION OF 7.6% THREE MONTHS AGO *

THE FED ALSO EXPECTS THOSE RATES TO FALL BETWEEN 6.5% AND 6.8% BY THE END OF NEXT YEAR *

STOCKS CLOSE LOWER ON WALL STREET AFTER THE FED RESERVE SAYS IT COULD SLOW BOND PURCHASES LATER THIS YEAR *

THE DOW SANK 206 POINTS ON WED TO CLOSE AT 15,112, A LOSS OF 1.4% *

S&P 500 FELL 22 POINTS WHILE THE NASDAQ WAS DOWN 39 *

HOUSE VOTES TO CUT FOOD STAMPS BY $2 BIL A YEAR *

THE BILL CUTS ABOUT 3% FROM THE $80 BIL-A-YEAR FOOD STAMP PROGRAM *

THE CHAMBER REJECTED A DEMOCRATIC PLAN TO MAINTAIN CURRENT SPENDING LEVELS ON FOOD STAMPS AND CUT FARM SUBSIDIES INSTEAD *

notes

The “user’s manual” to the debt ceiling crisis

by Posted in: ,

Jul 31 2011 - 6:35 PM ET

comments

From FNC’s Chad Pergram:

Urgent: User’s Manual to the Debt Crisis, Sunday night edition

Per Pergram-Capitol Hill

 

Here are some things to watch for as we are said to be close to a deal, but not there yet.

 

For starters, the House GOP has not conducted a conference call today with its rank and file members. I am now told that such a group call with all members won’t happen until the entire framework is nailed down. That is not the case yet.

 

I am told by sources here they don’t want members to start asking and floating new possibilities. So, in essence, they’re keeping the rank-and-file out of it until they nail down the details.

 

Secondly, I am told by sources that they are in fact whipping this vote to get a sense of where members stand.

 

We are not sure if the GOP leadership has reached out to the Democratic whip operation for help yet. As of midday, they had not.

 

Conservatives and tea party-backed Republicans will have trouble with this bill. The balanced budget amendment provision will upset many affiliated with the tea party movement. It mirrors Boehner 1, so look at the trouble they had there last week. But buy-in from Democrats will help.

 

Defense cuts will ignite a firestorm among hawkish Republicans…especially after a feisty press conference Saturday where GOP members of the House Armed Services Committee blasted Republicans and Reid for cuts in that bill.

 

So, the GOP whip operation will have to work on these members. But they are gettable. And it is certainly believed that these pro-defense Republicans are more willing to bend than the tea party faction.

 

Also remember, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-CA) is an acolyte of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH). When Boehner chaired the Education and the Workforce Committee, McKeon was one of his lieutenants, serving as a subcommittee chair. When the GOP elected Boehner Majority Leader, McKeon took over as chairman of Education and the Workforce.

 

Next, there may be issues on the Democratic side of the aisle. The most-liberal blocs of members, the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus are fighting mad and demanding that the president invoke the 14th Amendment to avoid a vote on this and not commission any “deal at all.”

 

Also, senior Republican sources tell me here that it’s unlikely that anything on this would move in the House before tomorrow night at the EARLIEST. Plus, it’s looking increasingly likely they could start this process in the Senate. This is what I call the “Mikey” method (if you remember Mikey from the Life Cereal commercials). None of the other kids would try the cereal until Mikey tried it. And once Mikey was eating it, all of the other kids were game and started to chow down.

 

It is believed that this will be an easier (and that’s a relative term) sell to the Senate. If the votes are there, they might start in the Senate. That could convince a number of wavering House members to vote yes if the Senate has already okayed the deal. Plus, it may help if their home state senators voted yea, to give them political cover.

 

Chad Pergram

Senior Producer

U.S. House of Representatives

FOX News

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