Former U.S. Representative Alan Grayson paid a visit to The Ed Show, telling host Ed Schultz that, were he still in Congress, he would decidedly not vote for any cuts to Medicare or Social Security, and he would be “grabbing everybody else by the collar and telling them they should do the same.” Furthermore, he [...]

The big news of the night is that the government will indeed not shut down, as a deal was reached on a federal budget through the end of the year (in the meantime, a stopgap measure will be passed so the larger deal can be finalized). President Barack Obama spoke on the deal, praising Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker of the House John Boehner, as well as the deal itself.

Cenk Uygur has not yet had a chance as MSNBC host to distinguish himself for keeping his side of the aisle honest, mostly interviewing ideological brethren and cruising through chats. Today was an exception, as he welcomed self-avowed “socialist” Senator Bernie Sanders to discuss the looming budget battle in Congress and pushed the Senator to answer why the Democrats were compromising on the issue: “What’s stopping you guys?”

The budget battle currently ongoing in Congress has the parties in a gridlock and sometimes presented the threat of a full government shutdown. Yet the debt as an issue exists, and no one is trying to get America back to a surplus as radically as Sen. Rand Paul. Reminding Fox Business host Judge Andrew Napolitano on Freedom Watch of his campaign promises last night, Sen. Paul explained a budget proposal that would reduce spending by $4 trillion.

NJ Gov. Chris Christie looks to be getting popular on the Internet. Or is it infamous. This video, which the sort of thing that will quickly find it’s way to an upcoming campaign commercial, was taken during a town hall meeting in Rutherford, New Jersey. At the one point, a local teacher complains that Christie’s proposed budget cuts would lead to unworkable salaries for teachers. As she turns to sit down, Christie gives her a simple solution: “Well, you know what, then you don’t have to do it.”

This is what budget cuts look like in the extreme. The Washington Post has just announced that it will be closing its news bureaus in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, to save costs. In a memo to staff, WaPo leadesrhip says it will maintain its commitment to national news, but frankly, with three major bureaus closing, it’s hard to see how.