eastern, 8:00 p.m. pacific for a live cnn special shutdown showdown. i turn you over to wolf blitzer, who is in "the situation room." happening now -- >> this bill that they're sending over here is doomed to failure. >> there have been no decisions about what exactly we will do. >> as the clock ticks steadily toward an unprecedented default, a senate deal to end the paralyzing gridlock is on hold as house republicans struggle to come up with a last ditch alternate plan. in a new interview just in to "the situation room" president obama says the speaker, john boehner, can't control his own caucus and is weakened by extremists within it. and is the house really going to take the country over a fiscal cliff? i'll speak with two powerful congressmen, democrat steve israel and republican darrell issa. they are here to debate. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."