and travelers squashed by major airlines. but first, to the desperate race against the clock to secure what president obama is calling america s national credit card. the country could face unprecedented default if congress is unable to agree on a deal to raise the nation s debt ceiling. failure to do so could downgrade america s debt rating and could be extremely damaging for global economy purposes. let s get all the angles. we ve just learned the president will be addressing the nation later to. kate baldwin is up on capitol hill. first to you. what s the very latest, the thinking behind the president s decision to address the nation and the world tonight? wolf, the thought was that the president like lly today ha to come out put and exclamation point on a very busy day. fruns and senate democrats, laying out their plans. already today, we saw a statement from the white house press secretary jay carney, endorsing senate majority leader reid s plan. and i ll save the de