US President Barack Obama and top lawmakers say progress has been made in urgent budget talks. Obama says staffs of Republican House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will continue their talk throughout the night, trying to reach an agreement.

US President Barack Obama said, "I thought the meetings were frank, they were constructive, and what they did was to narrow the issues and clarify the issues that are still outstanding. I remain confident that if we're serious about getting something done we should be able to complete a deal and get it passed and avert a shutdown. But it's going to require a sufficient sense of urgency from all parties involved. It means that people have to recognize that a government shutdown has real consequences for real people."

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