Debt deal vote likely on Monday, party sources say

Staring down a possible U.S. government default, the Senate and House are expected to vote Monday on a legislative package to extend the federal debt ceiling while cutting spending and guaranteeing further deficit-reduction steps.

The proposal -- part of an agreement reached Sunday between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders -- still faces a future that is far from certain.

"There are still some very important votes to be taken by members of Congress, but I want to announce that the leaders of both parties in both chambers have reached an agreement that will reduce the deficit and avoid default," Obama said in brief remarks to reporters Sunday night.

Asian markets surge on news | U.S. futures rally

Even with that uncertainty, the package brought some immediate relief to global markets closely watching the situation play out and to a nation filled with anger and frustration over partisan political wrangling that threatened further economic harm to an already struggling recovery.

Democratic and Republican leaders in both the House and Senate are briefing their caucuses about the agreement. A Senate Democratic leadership aide told CNN that the Senate planned to vote first on the measure on Monday afternoon. If the measure passes an expected Republican filibuster attempt, the House could vote on it Monday night.

White House officials told CNN that congressional leaders worked hard to reach a deal, but declined to say whether they had been given assurances that the leaders had the votes to deliver its passage.
According to information from the White House and a presentation for his Republican colleagues by House Speaker John Boehner, the proposed deal includes $2.4 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years while authorizing an increase in the federal debt ceiling by a slightly smaller amount to allow the government to pay its debts through 2012.

The agreement proposes a two-stage process.

In the first stage, it includes $917 billion in spending cuts and other deficit reduction now, as well as a $900 billion increase in the debt ceiling.

Because of the pending Tuesday deadline, Obama would have immediate authority to raise the debt ceiling by $400 billion, which will last through September, according to the White House document.

For the other $500 billion of debt ceiling extension in the first stage, Congress can vote on resolutions of disapproval that, if passed, the president can then veto, the White House said.

In the second stage, a special joint committee of Congress will recommend further deficit reduction steps totaling $1.5 trillion or more by the end of November, with Congress obligated to vote on the panel's proposals by the end of the year.

If the recommendations are enacted, Obama would be authorized to increase the debt ceiling by up to $1.5 trillion -- as long as the additional deficit reduction steps exceed that amount. The president also can get the additional debt ceiling increase if both chambers of Congress pass a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution in votes to be held by the end of the year.

However, Obama would be able to request only up to $1.2 trillion in additional debt ceiling if the special congressional committee fails to agree to at least $1.2 trillion in cuts.

At that point, across-the-board spending cuts would be activated, equal to the difference between the committee's recommendations and the $1.2 trillion in additional debt ceiling. The across-the-board cuts would be split between defense spending and non-defense programs, an unpopular formula intended to inspire legislators to approve the special committee's recommendations instead of triggering such automatic cuts.

In addition, the across-the-board cuts are automatically enacted if Congress fails to pass the special committee's recommendations.
"You want to make it hard for them just to walk away and wash their hands," Gene Sperling, the director of Obama's National Economic Council, told CNN earlier Sunday. "You want them to say, if nothing happens, there will be a very tough degree of pain that will take place."

The White House document said the debt ceiling increase of the second stage also would be subject to a congressional vote of disapproval that can be vetoed.

It said the special congressional committee would comprise 12 members -- six from each chamber, equally divided between Democrats and Republicans. The panel's recommendations would be due by November 23 and guaranteed an up-or-down Senate vote without amendments by December 23, the White House document said.
In an important concession to Democrats, benefits from entitlement programs including Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare and veterans benefits will be exempt.

"Is this the deal I would have preferred? No," Obama said. "I believe that we could have made the tough choices required -- on entitlement reform and tax reform -- right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year."

Boehner also told his caucus the deal represents a compromise, but he also praised his colleagues for moving the focus of the talks in their direction.

"This isn't the greatest deal in the world," Boehner said, according to excerpts of remarks to his caucus. "But it shows how much we've changed the terms of the debate in this town."

Minutes before Obama spoke, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, also announced the deal on the Senate floor and encouraged colleagues to support it.

However, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, earlier told reporters that she needs to see "the final product" in writing before she can decide if she supports it.

Pelosi said she would meet with the House Democratic caucus on Monday to discuss the matter.

"I don't know all the particulars of what the final product is in writing and what the ramifications will be," Pelosi said, noting the measure will have an impact for a decade or more. Asked about the outcome, she warned: "We all may not be able to support it or none of us may be able to support it."

If Congress fails to raise the current $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by Tuesday, Americans could face rising interest rates and a declining dollar, among other problems.

Some financial experts have warned of a downgrade of America's triple-A credit rating and a potential stock market plunge. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped for a sixth straight day on Friday.
Without an increase in the debt limit, the federal government will not be able to pay all its bills this month. President Barack Obama recently indicated he can't guarantee Social Security checks will be mailed out on time.

In Afghanistan on Sunday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen was unable to assure U.S. troops they would get their paychecks following the Tuesday deadline without a deal. Mullen said August 15 would be the first payday jeopardized if the United States defaults.

Last week, a Department of Defense official told CNN on condition of not being identified that "it's not a question of whether, but when" military pay gets withheld if no agreement is reached.

Sources described a tense day of behind-the-scenes negotiating Sunday, with Vice President Joe Biden a prominent figure, one Democratic source told CNN on condition of not being identified.

The deal includes no tax increases, a key demand of Republicans. Obama has pushed for a comprehensive approach that would include additional tax revenue as well as spending cuts and entitlement reforms to reduce budget deficits, and he told reporters he would continue to do so in coming months as the special committee drafts its recommendations.

A recent CNN/ORC International Poll reveals a growing public exasperation and demand for compromise. Sixty-four percent of respondents to a July 18-20 survey preferred a deal with a mix of spending cuts and tax increases. Only 34% preferred a debt reduction plan based solely on spending reductions.

According to the poll, the public is sharply divided along partisan lines; Democrats and independents are open to a number of different approaches because they think a failure to raise the debt ceiling would cause a major crisis for the country. Republicans, however, draw the line at tax increases, and a narrow majority of them oppose raising the debt ceiling under any circumstances.

Bachmann cancels campaign stops to vote against debt deal

Michele Bachmann is cutting short her presidential campaign trip to Iowa to return to Washington for a vote on a debt ceiling deal.

Bachmann was to make two appearances Monday -- a midday event in Newton and a late afternoon backyard chat in Dexter -- but her campaign said she was instead flying back to be ready to vote against the bill later in the day.

The Minnesota Republican has opposed any increase in the debt ceiling during negotiations.

"The 'deal' ... spends too much and doesn't cut enough," Bachmann said in a statement released Sunday after President Barack Obama announced the agreement with congressional leaders.

"Is this the deal I would have preferred? No," Obama told reporters. "I believe that we could have made the tough choices required -- on entitlement reform and tax reform -- right now, rather than through a special congressional committee process. But this compromise does make a serious down payment on the deficit reduction we need, and gives each party a strong incentive to get a balanced plan done before the end of the year."

"This isn't the deal the American people 'preferred' either, Mr. President," Bachmann said in her response. "Someone has to say 'no.' I will."

"Mr. President, I'm not sure what voice you're listening to, but I can assure you that the voice of the American people wasn't the voice that compelled Washington to act," she said in a statement after the president announced a deal with congressional leaders Sunday night. "It was you that got us into this mess, and it was you who wanted a $2.4 trillion blank check to get you through the election."

Bachmann may still get to call into the Iowa events, campaign spokeswoman Alice Stewart said.

It was the second time in three days the debt situation has forced her to change her campaign schedule. Bachmann also had to cancel Saturday stops in Iowa to remain in Washington for votes. Bachmann spoke on the House floor during the debate.

Jets re-sign CB Antonio Cromartie

early Monday that CB Antonio Cromartie -- bookend to All-Pro CB Darrelle Revis -- has re-signed with the Jets to the tune of four years, $32 million.

Still reeling from Nnamdi Asomugha's Thursday decision to become a Philadelphia Eagle, the Jets 'settled' on the 27-year-old Cromartie, a Pro Bowler in 2007 with the Chargers.

His deal reportedly pays $4 million per year less in salary that Asomugha's.

Cromartie tweeted early Monday:

    "They say Cro is back, Cro is back all #GangGreen fans say is Cro...," Cromartie tweeted. "I'm on my FLT headed home glad 2 b a JET...let's go win a Superbowl."

New York acquired Cromartie from the Chargers last year in exchange for a second round draft pick.

Bobby Flay Talks Career, Passion, and Food Network Stardom

When my phone rang at the precise time for my interview with Bobby Flay, I picked up and was surprised to have the man himself on the line. "I thought I'd be getting a call from your people," I said as I laughed, "who would then patch me through to you." He laughed with me, replying, "I don't have 'people'."

Despite not having people, Bobby Flay is a supernova in the culinary universe. With cookbooks, restaurants, product lines and oodles of TV shows, he has so much going on that I asked him the question I ask all celebrity chefs with overloaded plates... "Just how much time do you spend in your restaurants?" He quickly corrected me. "You have it backwards. I spend 80% of my time in my restaurants. Taping my TV shows doesn't take much time, and then they get aired a lot. That's the thing people don't realize. The most important thing is my restaurants. It's the thing I want to do most, it's where I'm most comfortable and most happy."

That's a good thing, with five Bobby's Burger Palaces, three Mesa Grills, two Bar Americans, and a Bobby Flay Steak in Atlantic City, he told me, "I'm on a constant tour of my restaurants." If he wasn't most happy in a kitchen, he'd be one miserable guy.

Thing is, Bobby Flay didn't start with a great love of kitchens, he just needed a job when he quit high school at 17. "I wasn't passionate about food until I'd been cooking for a while. I started long before food became part of the mainstream media. I just wanted to cook, period. I had ups and downs in the business, then after about four years I met Jonathan Waxman (Barbuto) and that's how I became very passionate."

Waxman introduced Flay to Southwest cuisine. Having grown up on New York's Upper East Side, Southwest obviously wasn't a part of Flay's culinary landscape. "Jon was the first chef to bring California cuisine to New York City," explained Bobby. "And that cuisine has a lot of the Southwest in it. I fell in love with the ingredients... the flavors, textures, and colors. Jon opened my eyes to that cuisine."

Bobby took his open eyes on a tour to work in some Southwest kitchens, learning from what he called "the forefathers of Southwest cuisine," among whom were Robert Del Grande of RDG Bar Annie in Houston, Stephan Pyles of Stephan Pyles Restaurant in Dallas, and Dean Fearing of Fearing's at the Ritz-Carleton.

"They were incredibly gracious with me. I was this young New York City punk, and they let me in their doors, opened their kitchens to me, and taught me so much. I'm very grateful to them to this day." Then Bobby added, "I think this is the most giving profession there is. While we're all competitive, everybody is generous with each other, with their time, knowledge, and kitchens."

Traveling to Texas also helped Flay become a BBQ master. Given that I grew up in LA, BBQing year round and now jonesing for BBQ during my NYC summers, I always wondered where Flay got his passion for BBQ. After all, growing up in NYC doesn't lend itself to year round grilling, let alone having a yard to grill in even in summer (if you're lucky you get a rooftop). He told me that as a kid his family would spend summers on the Jersey Shore, where they would grill outdoors all summer long. "It was very basic BBQ," said Flay. "But I took the concept of simple grilling and added my own twist to it, like I do with all of my food."

More Shark Sightings, Great Fishing

At least two more white sharks sighted have been sighted and great calico bass along the kelp and sand bass are biting at night.
The San Diego offshore scene remains very hit-and-miss with some rays of sunshine. Boat passengers worked pods of dolphin for limits of yellowfin tuna this week in the 15-35 lb. class. There has also been more kelp paddie yellowtail as well as some dorado.

Surf fishing remains excellent for barred perch, corbina, some halibut, and more. The key bait has been sand crabs for most species. You’ll see a device in this week's Patch Video Fishing Update that makes catching sand crabs easy. There has also been great fishing from San Clemente to Redondo Beach.

Calico bass fishing remains excellent with the kelp lines off San Clemente, Laguna, Newport, Corona del Mar and Palos Verdes kicking out limits (10 per angler) on most days. There continues to be great fishing for thresher sharks just offshore too.

The sighting of a great white shark on the Dana Pride earlier this week has been followed by more sightings. Passengers on board the Dana Pride out of Dana Wharf Whale Watch got quite a surprise on Tuesday when whale watchers not only saw a blue whale mother and calf, but also saw a great white shark. Then on Thursday, a 12-16 foot white shark was seen by the Dana Wharf boat off San Onofre.

Finally, the workers on the offshore oil rigs report that two weeks ago, a 15-18 foot white shark circled the platform for two days off and on looking for sea lions. The rig workers say they know when a shark is around because the sea lions refuse to leave the rig.

The Long Beach breakwall has been providing bass fishermen with copious amounts of calico and sand bass. Twilight trips remain good for sand bass, barracuda and an occasional big halibut up and down the coast.

Palos Verdes and Redondo have been red hot. There has been excellent calico bass fishing along the PV kelp forests, a new area of spawning market squid off Redondo and more barracuda off Marina de Rey.

Lake Laguna Niguel continues to provide good catfish action with fair bass fishing and lots of pan fish from the shoreline for the kids.

Islamic Center Unveils Renovations

After months of construction, the newly renovated San Ramon Valley Islamic Center unveiled its expanded facility this Friday.

The echoes of “salaam aleikom,” “mashala,” and “mubarak” were audible as about 300 worshippers attending the center's celebratory family night greeted one another and expressed their appreciation for the new facilities.

Prior to the expansion, the growing congregation was limited to a single building, which would be quickly filled up during prayer times and family nights.

“In the past we have had to lock the doors or send people away because of room capacity,” said Hana Khan, a Dougherty Valley High graduate who has been a member of the congregation for a dozen years.

In November 2009, the Islamic Center purchased two buildings adjacent to its original site. Now, those rooms serve as new prayer halls for men and women, respectively.

“The prayer halls are in the new facility, the old building will be for administrative purposes, classes, social events, and all other things related,” said Faraz Sattar, who was closely involved in the purchase and design of the expanded center.

The family night, the likes of which the Islamic Center hosts monthly on Fridays, included prayers, dinner catered by Shalimar Restaurant in Fremont and a sermon by Imam Dawood Yasin on religious religious regeneration in the holy month of Ramadan, which starts Monday. Toddlers chased one another across the new prayer rugs while mothers sat cross-legged, rocking their infants.

The expansion improved the capacity of the Islamic Center, which aims to cater to a community of 500 to 800 people. According to Sattar, the largely donor-funded renovations were necessary to accommodate a rapidly growing and vibrantly social Muslim community.

“From 1992 to now, the city’s population has doubled. Our community has grown 13 fold. We started with 30 families and now we have 400,” he said.

The construction had caused the center to be closed since mid-April.

“We told the community that we would have the center up and running by Ramadan, which is Monday, and with the grace of God we have met our goal,” said Sattar. The center was open for Friday afternoon prayers earlier in the day, the Islamic equivalent of Sunday mass.

Although the SRVIC caters mostly to San Ramon, Dublin, and Danville, many attending the services Friday night were residents of Fremont, Walnut Creek, Concord, and Pleasanton. Some had even moved their businesses and families to the Tri-Valley area for its proximity to the Islamic Center.

The San Ramon Planning Commission in July granted the center a temporary permit to house up to 541 people during the month of Ramadan.

“The city of San Ramon is open to friendly, family-oriented, peace-loving people, and our community fits that bill,” said Sattar.

Worshippers of all ages were impressed with the changes.

“I think it’s excellent,” said Danville resident Omar Masood of the renovations. “I’m really happy- this center is going to give back to the people that invested in it.”

Emma Watson In 'Beauty And The Beast'!

Having just wrapped up a modern day fantasy of epic proportions, Emma Watson is reportedly eyeing a more classic land of make believe for one of her next projects.

"Crazy, Stupid, Love.," producer Denise Di Novi told ComingSoon.net that Watson is lined up to star in director Guillermo Del Toro's new adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast," which Di Novi is developing. It'd be the first undisputed lead role for Watson; she's due to star in the ensemble of the teen drama adaptation, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," and has a supporting role in the Michelle Williams-starring "My Week With Marilyn."

What it means for Watson's studies -- she plans on going to Oxford this fall -- remains to be seen.

Watson told Vogue in June that she identified so deeply with her Hermione Granger character that, "I'm literally rediscovering what it means to be an actress."

As for Del Toro, the director is currently working on "Pacific Rim," a sci-fi robots vs. aliens film. He's largely been known for his violent, comic book-style films, including the "Hellboy" series, though "Pan's Labyrinth" had a fairy tale -- albeit haunted -- feeling to it. He's also listed as a producer of an upcoming adaptation of "Pinocchio," seemingly making him the master of twisted takes on stories once made family friendly by Disney.

He was also supposed to direct "The Hobbit," but the job has fallen back to "Lord of the Rings" trilogy director Peter Jackson.

Erik Bedard Lands In Boston, Minor Leaguers The Price

Erik Bedard, who you will remember from such articles as, "Who the Red Should Acquire: Erik Bedard", is now with the Boston Red Sox as part of a three-team trade involving the Mariners and the Dodgers. The Red Sox parted with catcher Tim Federowicz, Futures Game representative Chih-Hsien Chiang, Double-A hurler Stephen Fife, and Single-A reliever Juan Rodriguez. In addition to Bedard, Boston received former first round pick Josh Fields.
Fields has missed a lot of bats in his days in the Seattle minor league system, but he misses the strike zone just about as often. The 25-year-old right-hander has been a reliever from the start, Fields obviously has good stuff, as indicated by those strikeout rates, but unless he finds some semblance of control, he looks more like a project than anything. Nothing wrong with taking back a project, though -- for all the grief the Andrew Miller Experiment has been getting lately, it's even more shudder-inducing to imagine what would have gone down in Boston the last month-plus had they not taken the chance on him over the winter.

Bedard is a known quantity: if he is healthy, he will miss bats (8.8 strikeouts per nine in his last 255-1.3 innings), and while his control isn't amazing, he has plenty of moments where he is hard to beat. The main concern about him isn't whether or not he will perform, it is whether he will be around to do so. Injuries have been problematic for Bedard throughout much of his career, including 2011, and Boston is taking a risk here by acquiring him.

They didn't give up much quality, though, despite the quantity shown above. Tim Federowicz is a defense-first catcher that may develop some doubles power, but he is likely a backup in the majors. If he is a starter, chances are good it wouldn't be for a team like Boston. Fife is 24 years old and putting up uninspiring numbers at Double-A Portland as a starter. Chances are good he will need to convert to relief at some point, unless his lacking secondary stuff all of a sudden appears. Rodriguez has some intriguing numbers, as he is punching out 13.4 batters per nine for Greenville, but he also has control problems (just a 2.8 K/BB despite the unreal strikeout rate). He has been old for the level the whole way, and no one argues about his arm, but in the grand scheme of things, he isn't someone Boston is going to regret letting go.

Chih-Hsien Chiang is the only one of the group that gives this author some pause, but you have to give up something to get something. Chiang has been good, but never great in his minor league career, but in 2011 he exploded for Portland: .338/.399/.647 with 18 homers and 40 other extra-base hits.

This feels like Boston selling high on a prospect that another organization (in this case, Seattle) was intrigued by. Chiang is 23 and recently moved to the outfield, a place where Boston may not need any corner help for years if Josh Reddick and/or Ryan Kalish, two better prospects, work out, so making him something of a centerpiece for a team attempting to win now makes a lot of sense, given the limited track record.

Most importantly, Federowicz, Fife, and Chiang were all going to be Rule 5 eligible this upcoming winter, so Boston was moving pieces it was planning to lose anyway in exchange for help now. Except for Chiang, chances are good none of that group would have been protected on the 40-man, and with others like Drake Britton, Ryan Lavarnway, and Will Middlebrooks also eligible, there is no guarantee Chiang would have been safe, either. (Ben Buchanan covered this 40-man crunch in more detail earlier this week.)

All in all, this was a good trade for Boston, as they didn't give up anything they weren't planning on losing in the short-term anyway, and they received a high-risk, high-reward hurler in Bedard. If Buchholz ends up missing significant time the rest of the year, and Bedard can stay on the mound, the Red Sox and their fans will be very happy about a rare July 31 deal that has a major impact. Of course, that "if" is as large as Bedard's injury history. It's clearly a risk worth taking for a team using or considering Andrew Miller, Kyle Weiland, Tim Wakefield, and maybe even Alfredo Aceves as starters down the stretch, though.

'Entourage' Recap: Out With a Bang!

Entourage is really doing whatever the hell it wants in these last few episodes. It's even given up on giving context to its numerous name-drops and celeb cameos. The one thing it seems to be getting right on its way out is taking the focus away from Vince. He's always been the glue of the group, but in a sticky, musty Elmer's glue sort of way. You're glad he's there, but you don't want to deal with him any more than you have to. Luckily, this episode we got to focus on just about everyone besides Vince.

Johnny's finishing up recording with Andrew Dice Clay for their new animated series Johnny's Bananas, a.k.a. Family Guy with apes, and as testing approaches Clay asks E to be his agent and can't seem to stop hanging around with the Vincent Chase crew telling sob stories about his crappy apartment and smelly cat. E's busy dealing with Sloane, so Scott takes over and gives Clay a deal without even thinking about it. Testing comes back and the show does really well and we finally get a reason for Clay hanging around like a social leech this whole time: he wants to convince Drama to walk because the show isn't paying them enough money. Can't we just not blow up Drama's spot for once? Nope, that's not how this show works. Granted, Drama does have Vince and Billy Walsh's TV movie coming up, though Vince can't spell and Billy's talking about how he's going to form the dog's personality in the script. These are not good signs. That Drama getting an Emmy talk has got to be a joke.
Turtle's having issues with his girlfriend, the Avion girl. He can't get ahold of her and being that he's the new Turtle, he's ready to dump her instead of waiting around for her to call. But he waits a little. He's still Turtle, after all.

E starts out the episode with a "fuck you" voicemail from Sloane, so he goes over to her house to get his stuff, assuming that's what the voicemail is about. It turns out when he was yelling at her "full" answering machine during Vince's party, he somehow, magically left a two-second "fuck you" message for Sloane. They clear this up and say they're sorry by having sex. Of course, because it always has to be difficult with these two, Sloane immediately leaves afterward, but later calls and says she's sorry and that she's moving to New York. I know they have to drag out the Sloane and E thing since it's the last season, but didn't we just do this last season...and the season before...and the season before?

Finally, Ari finds out his wife has been going to Flay's -- a restaurant she hates -- and he knows it's because of this mystery person she's dating. At first, Ari thinks it's a waiter, so he name drops every AMC show he can think of and makes sure Lloyd screws up the guy's Mad Men audition. Only it turns out that Mrs. Ari isn't dating the waiter, she's dating Flay...Bobby Flay. And this show just jumped out of my very, very wide plausibility net. There really is no ceiling on celebrity cameos and it's pretty obnoxious, but then again it's the boys' last hurrah.

What did you think of the Bobby Flay twist and Andrew Dice Clay hanging around the whole time? Is there such a thing as too many celebs on Entourage?