Friday October 11, 2013 Happening Now - Shutdown Day 11 - Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Shutdown day 11.

And for the first time writing my blog.. there IS progress to report. Negotiations are happening on the Hill. Yesterday, during "Happening Now" the GOP offered a short-term extension of the debt ceiling. Neither side spoke after a White House meeting last night, but both sides expressed optimism for the first time. Today President Obama will meet with the Senate Republican Caucus at the White House. The Senate also working on a bipartisan deal. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he'll hold an up or down procedural vote on a clean debt ceiling bill today. We'll keep a close eye on the House and Senate today.

0900EDT -- The House meets for legislative business.

1030EDT -- The Senate meets.

1000EDT -- House Dem Caucus holds closed meeting. LIVE STAKEOUT

New polling from the Wall Street Journal and NBC News landed like a ton of bricks on the Hill yesterday. Here's how the Wall Street Journal put it: "Americans have come to hold a harshly negative view of the Republican Party during the government shutdown, giving the GOP a far larger share of the blame for a political brawl that many believe is harming the economy."

New AP polling out today suggests Americans like little about the Republicans OR the Democrats. President Obama also getting low marks.

Markets reacted well to the news of a possible deal (or at least getting closer to a deal). The Dow finished the day up more than 300 points.

Several thousand truckers will ride in protest through the Washington DC area today.. angry over the government shutdown and what they call a do-nothing Congress. Doug McKelway reporting.

Carl Cameron reporting today on the Values Voters Summit going on in DC. Several big Tea Party leaders will be there including Senators Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Rand Paul. It will be interesting to see what they think of the possible retreat from going after Obamacare in pursuit of a shutdown and debt ceiling deal.

News today on what happened to the Affordable Health Care exchanges. Apparently, most of the issues are because of design flaws that force users to create accounts before browsing for plans on the federal-run plan for 36 states. Those pieces of the software are apparently now being redesigned on the fly.

Casey Stegall reports on a surge of illegal immigration in Texas.

Four of the men arrested in connection with the biker gang attack on a family in its SUV will be in court today. David Lee Miller reporting.

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- Clint Henderson