Tune in to Hardball tonight with guest host Michael Smerconish!
Up first: Deal or no deal? The New York Times reported rumors this afternoon that President Obama and GOP leaders are cutting a deal that would decrease the debt by three trillion dollars over the next decade, cut agency spending and make changes to entitlement programs… but notably, that the deal does not include tax increases. And if there are no tax increases, isn’t it a total GOP win? Without increased revenues, how can Democrats vote for it? We’ll ask DCCC Chairman Steve Israel (D-NY) if it would have his vote. And the Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza, author of “The Fix,” is here to break the rumored deal down.
Then: The doomsday scenario. What happens if the U.S. defaults? Former Undersecretary of the Treasury Jay Powell and Reuters Editor-at-Large Chrystia Freeland are here to crunch the numbers and answer the question. A hint: It’s not pretty.
Next: We’ll talk about Bachmann’s headaches—are they relevant to the race?—and the throwdown between Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Rep. Allen West (R-FL). The Chicago Tribune’s Clarence Page and Huffington Post’s Alex Wagner are here to discuss.
And don’t miss the scoop on a new book by Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post National Security Correspondent Joby Warrick! His book Triple Agent: The al-Qaeda Mole who Infiltrated the CIA details the story of the December 2009 sneak attack that killed seven CIA employees stationed at a hidden outpost along the AfPak border. He’ll tell the story tonight.