At The Br$nk: Day 16. Senate leaders are expected at mid-day to announce a deal to re-open the government and raise the debt ceiling, but they will have to put the bill on a fast track to avoid debt default …

Syria: With the President about to lay out his case for why the US believes Syria used chemical weapons on its own people, the NY Times reports that some American officials said “there is no smoking gun.”  The UN secretary …