Patchwork Deal News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

He had a point. we did not think through -- this was kind of a patchwork deal we had with the kurds. the only way to actually come out of this nicely would have been at the negotiating table, and this is exactly where our president went wrong. >> yeah. and to come back to -- you know, i don't want to make you the graham explainer today, but you're kind of in that position, charlie, because -- >> a graham whisperer. >> yeah, you're the graham whisperer, because here's the thing, the theory on lindsey graham is that he traded his dignity for access, that essentially, he thought he had influence ...

So no surprise the market's in negative territory. you've got the numbers right there in front of us right from the opening. now, on the flip side the markets had priced in some kind of a deal and that's why post election day we had seen the markets overall going up. but right now make no mistake about it, the fiscal cliff doubts in getting to january 1 without some kind of even a patchwork deal is what's driving the markets right now in negative territory. >> as we know, it's not a cliff, it's really a slope or series of steps as you're falling down them should a deal not come to pass here. i...

Glad to have you here. >> good to be here. >> ladies first, erin. where do we stand with congress and the president away from washington for christmas holiday? is there any chance for a deal or is it just wishful thinking? >> well, it seems to be wishful thinking, but they do say that after christmas congress is going to come back and try to hammer things out, that somehow some kind of deal will get ironed out in the senate. any deal that gets done in the senate still has to pass the house and that looks very difficult. you know, before of course it can get to the president's desk it seems lik...

Congress when he signed an extension back in july. >> we can't keep on funding transportation, you know, by the seat of our pants. we can't have bridges collapsing and potholes not being filled because congress can't come up with an request plan to fund our infrastructure budget for more than three or five or six months at a time. >> nbc's luke russert joins me now from capitol hill. so, luke, how big a priority is this for the new speaker to get something more than another patchwork deal done on transportation funding and what are his odds are success at getting something substantive here? >>...