This is our first show where we've had an actual drum kit on stage.

If we can work that into the show, I think we should get a special extra prize.

Hello and welcome to this late political gab fest.

We're April 8th. I'm John Dickerson with Emily Bazelon and in Plots.

We are all together around a little table,

but we're not in Washington. We're at the University

Church, just off the campus of Purdue

University, and we have an audience,

and the audience will now show themselves

by applauding or making noise.

Thank you. That's my favorite part of the show.

It's really excellent. We have to pretend that you're there when we normally have the show.

And so it's so nice to have all of you here with us.

We're recording Thursday night, and the reason I mentioned that is that

our first topic is going to be about the budget. Our second topic will be about the presidential

campaign, and our third topic. We'll be about the mystery and declining wonder of college

admissions. But on that first topic, of course, events may overtake us, by which I mean the hordes may come down

from the north and attack us. The events may overtake us in Washington, and so the things we talk

about tonight may change, in fact, may be changing as we speak. But let's start here with where we

are, which is that the president and John Boehner, the House Speaker, and Harry Reid, the Senate

leader for the Democrats, have been trying to negotiate some way to pay for the rest of the

government operations for the rest of this year. They have broken down these negotiations,

...