Nations debt. What it means for hundreds of thousands of working americans. New details on the investigation into the Navy Yard Shooting. What was the motivation . Were live in washington. Plus, securing a chemical weapons stockpile. Its a challenging effort even here in the u. S. So can we expect quick action in syria . Well take you to one of the deadliest places on earth right in americas heartland. And is democracy alive again . The u. S. Hasnt talked with iran since the hostage crisis in 1979. That could change as soon as next week. Well talk live with a man who personally negotiated with iran for years. But we begin with developing news out of kenya. An investigation is under way to find out who is responsible for an apparent terrorist attack at a luxury mall in nairobi. At this hour, the kenyan government says as many as 11 people have been killed and at least 40 others wounded in the horrific attack this afternoon in kenyas largest city. The u. S. State Department Says it has a report of american citizens injured in that attack. Well have a live report from the scene in just a few minutes. But first, lets get to nbc News White House correspondent, Kristen Welker, for more on that. What does the administration know about this attack . Reporter the state department is condemning this violence in the strongest terms. Deputy spokesperson marie harf putting out a statement saying the Obama Administration is monitoring developments at the scene. They say there are as many as ten gunmen. They also say, as you pointed out, that some americans may have been injured in this attack. So the embassy there is working with local authorities to try to figure out exactly who may have been involved. We are also told that if american citizens are among those who were killed, you would then see u. S. Authorities get involved in this investigation moving forward. We know that president obama has been updated about the situation as well. Again, the administration condemning the violence and also continuing to monitor the evo e evolving situation there. Well continue monitoring from our end as well. We have a live report later in the show. With you, i want to switch gears to the president and the congress. Nine days to avoid a Government Shutdown. The president and john boehner spoke by phone last night. Where do things stand right now . Reporter nothing was accomplished during that phone call last night. To bring everyone up to date, the republicancontrolled house passed a measure that would fund the government but would do so by defunding the president S Health Care law. That bill now goes to the senate where it has absolutely no chance of passing. Essentially what we expect to happen is that you will see the senate take out the part of that bill that would defund the president S Health Care law and essentially send a bill back to the house that would just extend funding for the government. It would be whats called a clean bill. What will the house do next . Thats the big question. Will House Speaker john boehner put that bill on the floor . He could. That would certainly wrangle a lot of members of his party, like the tea party members. This is politically perilous for everyone involved but particularly republicans. They are sharply divided over this strategy. You have the more conservative members, the tea party members, really digging in their heels about this issue of defunding the president S Health Care law. And then you have the Establishment Republicans saying this is essentially political suicide. One member of Congress Calling this a kamikaze mission. Meanwhile, while all of this is going on, the clock is ticking down, just nine more days until the government shuts down. If that does happen, we know that all essential personnel would stay on the job, but some nonessential personnel would be furloughed. That could be tens of thousands of workers. Economists warn that could negatively have an impact on the overall economy. Kristen welker live from the white house, well check back in with you later today. With both parties digging in their heels, just nine days from a possible Government Shutdown, whats behind the politicking . Lets bring in reuters columnist david rode, lynn sweet and tamara drought. Thank you all for being here this afternoon. Thank you. Lynn, i want to start with you. The president in his weekly address this morning is keeping the pressure on congress. Lets take a listen. Were running out of time to fix this. But we could fix it tomorrow. Both houses of congress can take a simple vote to pay our bills on time, then Work Together to pass a budget on time. Then we can declare an end to governing by crisis and govern responsibly. Lynn, do you think the president can effectively use the bully pulpit here to get this done . Not going to be done full budget by september 30th. Even in this best case, this clean bill that kristen was talking about would only keep government open until mid december. So this is the big kick the can way of operating government that no one likes. But its because Congress Keeps putting off these big decisions. I think what has to happen first is that the republican civil war has to first be settled a little more before its clear over what pressure obama has in forcing boehner to take a vote on a bill. Because whatever republicans who voted for that bill friday thought, its not ever going to become law. And, david, after yesterdays house vote, we saw republicans doing some kind of celebrating. I want to take a quick listen. Well talk on the other end. Our message to the United States senate is real simple the American People dont want the government shut down and they dont want obama care. Isnt this bill supposed to be about funding the government not about obama care . How did we get to the point where theyre now inextricably linked . Its become such a major issue for the far right of the Republican Party that theyre taking this gamble. But i think its crucial that the white house and democrats aggressively sell obama care. These ads coming out, total of like 1 billion worth of advertising defending and attacking obama care, the implementation of this is crucial. Whatever happens with the budget fight on october 1st, if the president sits back and thinks that, oh, the whole country is going to think these are crazy allegations, theyre making a huge mistake. People are nervous about obama care. But that seems to have been their strategy from the beginning. In a lot of ways, they have totally ceded the communication message on this. Is that where they went wrong . That they werent aggressive enough in countering some of the negative reports that we were hearing about the Affordable Care act . I think theyve been too passive. This is a critical time right now. The republicans are saying this is armageddon, this is going to end health care as we know it. Companies are going to shut down. People wont have Health Insurance. You have to counter that narrative and you have to make sure the implementation actually go ahead quickly. I want to jump in and make a point. Theres a confluence of events here so people understand the time line. This is maybe bad planning by the Obama White House. October 1 is the beginning of the new fiscal year. Thats why were having the budget fight. It is also the same date that these insurance exchanges are going to be up and running. And thats why theres such a big spotlight on obama care. Its coming at the white house through a few ways. I wanted to ask tamara about october 1st and the opening up of this marketplace for people to buy their insurance. That starts in just a few days. A lot of the spending on that has already been done. Is any shortterm Government Shutdown going to have any real effect on the implementation of obama care anyway . Its very unlikely because as you say, a lot of the spending has already been in place. The exchanges are going to be up and running. This is sort of a road to nowhere strategy. The reality is i agree with you, david, that it needs to be settled much more to the American People. But a lot of people are already getting benefits from obama care. Most women in this country now can get free Birth Control thanks to obama care. Young people can stay on their parents plans. They now have Health Insurance options that they didnt have before. Theres lots of benefits out there that people are already experiencing. I think its a mistake to think that the American Public is really opposed to this going forward. I do have to agree with david, though, i think we havent heard enough of that message coming from the white house. Absolutely. Lynn, i want to ask you the senate will take up the house bill next week. Democrats are expected to have the votes to strip the obama care defunding provision. Then the bill goes back to the house with new pressure on Republican Leadership since now theyll be even closer to that shutdown deadline. Is there a path to victory here for the gop . What is their plan to make this work in their favor . Well, each day, they get boxed in a little more. Remember, to let the pressure off, congress could pass a very one or twoday extension if it seems a deal there. One big decision that House Speaker boehner has to make is whether to allow an upordown vote on what will be a strippeddown continuing resolution without the obama care defunding in it. If he does that, it could pass. But mainly with democratic votes because you have so many of them, you would only need 30 or 40 republicans. Thats a big threshold decision for him to make in the coming days whether he will allow that vote or if they push instead of defund, if they send it back to the senate for delay theres still a few more hands to play out here. David, you write that the speaker is essentially challenging tea Party Lawmakers saying, boehners strategy is brilliant because once senator cruz et al. Fail, the tea party influence will wane and boehner can start to forge a compromise i think lynn actually said that. Im sorry. Feel free to weigh in. I agree with her. It is a possibility to finally discredit the tea party senators, ted cruz and others and rand paul who say, we have to take this extreme position. And this could be an effort by the mainstream republicans to kind of show that they are essentially paper tigers. I want to get to tamara before we run out of time. Are we focusing on the wrong issues . Should we be focusing on the debt ceiling more so than funding obama care . A lot of people think thats what the big problem coming down the pike is. I think were going to come up against yet another crisis. I think if weve learned anything its that this congress, particularly the republicans in congress, dont know how to deal with not getting their way. Theyve taken 42 votes to say they want to defund obama care. Its time for them to my 6yearold is better at handling not getting her way than this republican congress. Its really time to come to the table and govern. We cannot afford another showdown over the debt ceiling. Lynn, i want to ask you quickly in terms of making time to actually govern, seems so much work has been spent on obstructionism as opposed to actually crafting legislation which is in theory what theyre supposed to be doing in congress. How did we get to this point . We get to this point because congress lives on deadlines and on brinksmanship. And they dont usually work as much as we have to who show up every day. Next week, the house imagine that. The house was supposed to be on another break next week after just coming back from their summer recess september 9th. The good thing is, if you think its better for the house to be at work in washington, at least theyll be there. But in more seriousness, like reporters, i think lawmakers only act when they feel they have a deadline looming. Like reporters. Thanks so much. David, lynn and tamara, thank you all for your time this afternoon. Thank you. Investigators are still trying to piece together a possible motive for Washington Navy yard gunman aaron alexis. 12 people were killed and eight others injured in the shooting monday morning. Nbc News National investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff has been following this investigation very closely and joins us live from washington. Michael, good afternoon. Reporter good afternoon. Where do authorities stand right now on identifying a possible motive in this shooting . Reporter no real breakthrough what is emerging more and more is this portrait of somebody who is literally unraveling in the weeks before the rampage. Were learning more and more about that starting in the month in august when hes working for this subcontracting firm, the experts, on a job in newport, rhode island. And the company is concerned enough that they actually call the hotel where hes staying and say theyre going to bring him home. Theyre concerned hes unstable. Theres a hotel log reflecting that. They apparently call his mother and express concerns about him. This gets relayed to aaron alexis and he expresses concerns about this to a friend. So we might see the seed of a possible motive there in that the company is thinking of yanking him off his job. Now, the fact is they didnt. And more and perhaps now when we learn even more what happened after that, it seems an inexplicable decision because this is when he starts going to the hospital reporting hes hearing voices, vibrations coming from a microwave. He goes to a v. A. Hospital and complains he cant sleep. All of this is happening in the weeks before the rampage. And its worth noting that it was just exactly one week ago today, september 14th, that transferred to washington. He goes to the gun shop in lorton, virginia, and buys the shotgun he used in the rampage. Based on what we know, michael, when he made that purchase, he bought that firearm legally. How was he able to get through the background check process . Reporter first of all, theres nothing in the gun law ps that would have stopped him from buying that gun. Theres multiple arrests but no convictions. The laws are most restrictive on handguns and semiautomatic assault rifles. He was buying a shotgun. He listed his residence as ft. Worth, texas. He could not have bought a handgun that day in the state of virginia because of federal law. He would have had to have picked it up in the state of his residence but he could buy the shotgun. The real question on background checks relates to the clearances he got. We now know the company that did the original secret background check on him for his secret clearance in 2007 was usis, the prime outside contractor in this. Its the same company that did the background check in edward snowden. Its under investigation by federal authorities and by the senate. There are a lot of questions about how adequate and thorough these background checks are. In the case of alexis, we know he had this prior arrest before he got the clearance. But no conviction. So still a lot of questions about how these background the background check was done but not clear if there was anything in his past that could have triggered the alarm that would have prevented him from getting that security clearance which he had for ten years. Nbcs Michael Isikoff with the very latest, thanks so much for that. Coming up next, clues to the chaos. The d. C. Navy yard shooter sought help for paranoia, hallucinations and insomnia but the system seemed to fail him. And well ask this congressman whether theres any solution to epidemic of gun violence. Political june keys may remember the day they had to look up the word is. Thats in our flashback, coming up. And surviving the streets, a gifted Young Musician is out with a special song for kids dealing with gun violence. Well hear some of his brandnew single coming up. It starts with something little, like taking a first step. And then another. And another. And if you do it. And your friends do it. 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Navy yard monday, aaron alexis told police in newport, rhode island, that he heard voices speaking to him through the walls of his hotel room and felt vibrations in his body. Police turned the case over to the local navy station in newport but theres no evidence the report was passed on. Joining me is democrat rhode island congressman david sisilini. Youve been an outspoken advocate against illegal guns. But as far as we know right now, alexis obtained his weapons perfectly legally. What kind of legislation could have averted this tragedy . Theres current pending legislation that would have fixed the broken background check system. It would make sure that every single sale of a firearm is subject to a background check so that all of the private sales, gun show sales which currently do not go through the background check system, that every sale of a firearm go through a background check. The second part is to fix the broken system, to be sure all of the information is inputted into the system so that its accurate so people that are criminals and people with