Historic Call: Obama Talks With Iran's President

President Obama went to the White House briefing room this afternoon to scold House Republicans—"knock it off, pass a budget, and move on"—but he made more news with a brief announcement beforehand: Obama revealed that he had spoken on the phone with Iran President Hasan Rouhani and was confident the two nations could reach a nuclear deal. That call marks the first time leaders from the two nations have talked since 1979, reports CNN.

As for the congressional scolding: Speaking hours after the Senate passed its own version of a spending bill that restores money for ObamaCare, the president said House Republicans should follow suit to avoid a government shutdown on Tuesday, reports the Washington Post. The Affordable Care Act is a "done deal," said Obama, adding that he's open to working with Republicans on improving it, not gutting it. He again implored Congress not to make next month's deadline on the debt ceiling a political fight. Failure to raise the ceiling "would be far more dangerous than a government shutdown," he said. In fact, "we don't fully understand what might happen." (More President Obama stories.)