Arwa Gunja

There are two major stories in the news both revolving around deals that have been held up by long, entrenched standoffs.

First, the debt debate wages on in Washington. After hours of closed-door meetings with high-level members of Congress, rumors floated around Capitol Hill yesterday that President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner were close to reaching a debt deal that would call for as much as $3 trillion in savings. 

Eurozone leaders are meeting in Brussels today, for an emergency summit on the looming debt crisis in Greece. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou called this summit a "make-or-break" moment. Meanwhile, the International Monetary Fund warned that this crisis could spread to the rest of Europe, even if Eurozone leaders prevent a default in Greece.

Late last month, President Obama gave a speech laying out his plan to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. "Even as there are dark days ahead in Afghanistan, the light of a secure peace can be seen in the distance. These long wars will come to a responsible end," Obama said. 

The United Nations has declared parts of southern Somalia to be in a state of famine, as the country struggles to cope with a drought that has affected more than 10 million people in the Horn of Africa. But international aid efforts may be complicated because of the Islamic terrorist organization Al-Shabaab, which controls sections of southern Somalia and has in the past restricted access to the region.

So far, the News Corp. phone hacking scandal has led to the shutdown of the British tabloid News of the World, the arrests of 10 people, and the resignations of several News Corp. executives and high ranking police officials. Today, Rupert Murdoch and his son, James, will face a round of questioning before the British Parliament. And it all started with phone hacking. There’s no question that hacking is illegal and unethical. But is it difficult to do?

Another weekend has passed with little progress made on reaching a compromise to raise the nation's debt ceiling. This week, Republicans say they'll vote on their new "cap, cut and balance" plan. The plan may get enough support to get past the House, but it's looking less likely in the Senate. Todd Zwillich, Takeaway Washington correspondent, previews what we can expect in the budget battle this week.

Rupert Murdoch's global media empire is coming under further pressure this morning as the scandal starts to affect his interests in other countries. Our partner, the BBC has learned U.S. federal investigators have contacted British police to discuss the probe into allegations against journalists working for the News of the World newspaper. Some are alleged to have paid police officers for information. Murdoch's News Corporation is based in the U.S., and the law here can impose serious penalties on companies guilty of bribing foreign officials. In the country of Murdoch's birth, Australia, the value of News Corporation shares has plunged more than six percent to a two-year low.

After a weekend of relatively little progress on the debt-ceiling negotiations, Congress is still far away from any sort of compromise. This week, Republicans intend to vote on a "cap, cut and balance" plan, aimed at capping federal spending, cutting the deficit and amending the Constitution to require a balanced budget. They would also lift the debt limit. The deal may get enough support in the House, but it's less likely to pass the Senate.

Another week ends with little progress made in the debt ceiling talks in Washington. President Obama will speak at a press conference for Friday morning at 11 a.m. (EST), but all indicators point to little headway being made towards a compromise. 

Nearly 500 inmates escaped an Afghan prison last April, highlighting some major deficiencies in the country's security infrastructure. Despite that, U.S. efforts in Afghanistan may be much more high-tech than many realize. Recently, U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan and Iraq have been taking eye scans and fingerprints to compile a large database of biometric information on prisoners and civilians alike. About 35 escapees have been recaptured after their identities were confirmed using this data.

Leon Panetta began his term as defense secretary on July 1, 2011. In the less than two weeks since, he's already visited Iraq and Afghanistan and set a new tone — and agenda — for the Pentagon. Though he was friendly with his predecessor, Robert Gates, Panetta has not been shy about publicly changing the goals for America's two wars. 

We've been asking listeners to tell us: What does the phrase 'My America' means to you? Mary Joe Mercer from the Osage Nation Reservation in Oklahoma, told us about the Native Americans that have called this country home for thousands of years. On the Fourth of July, Mercer joins us to give us another perspective on what 'America' means.

In an exclusive story in The New York Times, investigators have serious doubts about the credibility of the housekeeper who accused the former head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, of rape and sexual assault in a Manhattan hotel in May. Strauss-Kahn has stepped down from his position while the IMF investigates the charges, which he has consistently denied. According to law enforcement officials who spoke with Times, there are questions surrounding the asylum application of the housekeeper, as well possible links to criminal activities, including money laundering and drug dealing. It's likely that Strauss-Kahn's bail conditions will be eased and he could be released on his own recognizance as early as this morning.

A week after President Obama announced the time line for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, his top counter-terrorism adviser, John Brennan, says the US war on al-Qaida is far from over. Immediately following the death of Osama bin Laden, Brennan said in an interview on NBC's Today Show that the US would continue to "pummel the rest of Al Qaida." Now that goal is being laid out in the form of official strategy, with the U.S. vowing to focus more on clandestine operations and attacks to take out key leaders of the terrorism network.

This morning at 11:45 am EST, the U.S. women's soccer team will play North Korea for their first game of the Women's World Cup, in Dresden, Germany. This will be the second consecutive Women's World Cup in which the U.S. has opened against North Korea. The U.S. team has won eight tournaments under their current coach, Pia Sundhage, and is said to have a great shot at winning the World Cup. 

The only authenticated photograph of the infamous Billy the Kid was auctioned off this weekend in Denver. The auction house expected the photo to sell for somewhere in the ballpark of $300,000 tp $400,000. Instead, Florida billionaire William Koch won the photo with a bid of $2.3 million. 

Barack Obama, as a senator then presidential candidate and now as president, has struggled with his political position when it comes to supporting same-sex marriage. As a candidate for State Senate in Illinois, Obama filled out a questionnaire and wrote, "I favor legalizing same-sex marriages." (White House officials have said he was really referring to civil unions.)

In 2004 when he ran for the U.S. Senate, Obama said he would fight for equality for gay couples, but not for gay marriage. And on the presidential campaign trail in 2008, the candidate told Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren that, "marriage is the union between a man and a woman." Since becoming president, Obama has had a strong track record on supporting LGBT issues and has said that his position on gay marriage is "evolving." Last night in New York City, speaking at the “Gala with the Gay Community,” gay leaders were listening to see if the president would come any closer to endorsing gay marriage. 

There are potentially three different votes pertaining to Libya happening in Washington this week. House Republicans are set to vote on a proposal that would defund the American military mission in Libya, and Sens. John Kerry (D-Mass.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) put out a joint resolution on Tuesday authorizing limited use of forces in Libya. The senators are partly responding to critics who say President Obama violated the War Powers Act by not getting the mission in Libya approved ahead of time by Congress. There is also talk of the House putting out its own resolution to remove all troops from NATO operations in Libya.

22-year-old Rory McIlroy made golfing history at the U.S. Open yesterday, closing his four-day onslaught and setting twelve Open records at 16-under-par 268—eight shots ahead of his closest competitor, and four shots better than the U.S. Open record set by Tiger Woods. McIlroy is from Northern Ireland, and is the youngest winner of the tournament since the legendary Bobby Jones won in 1923. Mark Simpson, from our partner the BBC, joins us from McIlroy's Northern Ireland hometown, Hollywood, to discuss the match.

After failing to get a measure to defund Planned Parenthood through the Senate in April, Republican lawmakers are now taking their fight against the organization to the state level. And they seem to be succeeding. Last week, North Carolina became the third state to ban federal funding from going to the health care provider, joining Indiana and Kansas. Now several other states, including Wisconsin and Texas, are considering similar legislation. Joining us is Sarah Kliff, health care reporter for Politico, and Dr. Andrea Price, an OBGYN with the Women’s Health Alliance of New Jersey.