With approximately two and a half days left before the August 2nd deadline, we reported this morning that negotiators are "very close" to a deal to raise the federal debt limit. NBC's Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd reported that the parties have agreed to a framework for a deal, though he warned not to be surprised if a short-term increase is passed to allow time to finalize the larger compromise.

On our roundtable this morning, freshmen representative Raul Labrador (R-ID) told me the votes "will be there" in the House for the compromise deal that's taking place in the Senate. Though he may not vote for it, he maintains the deal will have enough support if Speaker Boehner is for it.

White House Senior Adviser David Plouffe said today is a "critical day" in the negotiating progress. "We don't have a deal," he said, but admitted there is general agreement among negotiators to have deficit reduction in two stages.

The first stage would consist of about a trillion dollars in deficit reduction, while the second would contain the "trickier elements of entitlement reform and tax reform." The latter could end up being be another tough fight in Washington. 

You can watch my entire interview with David Plouffe- as well as my segment with Senators McCaskill and Thune - on our website. Also check out our roundtable with interesting discussion and debate from Jim Cramer, Tom Brokaw, Rep. Raul Labrador and Fmr. Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Make sure to join us next week - same time, same place. If it's Sunday, it's Meet The Press. 

In a first-of-its kind event, Meet The Press is partnering with Facebook to hold a Republican presidential debate one week before the New Hampshire primary – a vote that could turn out to be key in the nominating process for the GOP.

As Facebook’s Associate Manager for Policy Katie Harbath put it, the debate will allow user to, “be a moderator right next to David Gregory throughout the entire debate.”

To kick off the announcement, NBC’s Chief White House Correspondent and Political Director Chuck Todd held a roundtable on the Meet The Press set to discuss the impact of social media and politics.  Chuck talked with Facebook’s Katie Harbath, the DCI Group’s Vice President for Digital Strategy Julie Germany, and former RNC eCampaign Director and Founder and Partner of CRAFT | Media/Digital Michael Turk.

The event was streamed live on Facebook, but you can watch a recording of it above.

Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Dick Durbin

• The Hill writes that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is skeptical of  the Republican frontrunner for president in 2012,Gov. Mitt Romney's, stance on the Afghanistan war. The Hill continues, "Graham said he believes the GOP is at risk of ceding its ownership of national-security issues, adding,'I’m not going to let that happen without some speaking out.'"
• Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) thinks the Obama administration needs congressional approval for the mission in Libya. Politico reported Durbin said, "“There are others among us who have — for more than 25 years — held the position that the War Powers Act is the law of the land... congressional approval is essential.”
  
• During the 2010 campaign season, the New York Times called Graham "This year's maverick" because of his public distaste for the Tea Party and its divisive politics, and because of his willingness to discuss - and even compromise on - climate change, immigration and Guantanamo. 
• The New York Times said Durbin, "the liberal democrat" member of the Senate's 'Gang of Six' has the most to lose by joining the 'Gang of Six'. But, they reported, Durbin told a Republican why finding a solution is necessary: “It’s like we’re on a long flight here and we’ve come so far there’s no turning back — we’ve got to land the plane.”
• Watch the senators' last Meet The Press appearance together. 
• Follow Sen. Graham on Twitter @GrahamBlog.
• Follow Sen. Durbin on Twitter @SenatorDurbin.

Roundtable: Engel, Goodwin, Villaraigosa, Gigot, Todd

• NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel received the David Bloom award for Excellence in Enterprise reporting for his work while embedded with soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan at the 2011 Radio and TV Association's Congressional Correspondents' Dinner.Watch some of his best reporting. Follow Engel on Twitter @RichardEngel.
• According to The New Yorker, Los Angeles Mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, "likes to say that Los Angeles will soon be the world’s most important city—a proving ground for a multicultural society." Follow Villaraigosa on Twitter @villaraigosa.

• When Paul Gigot was tapped to be the editor of Wall Street Journal's editorial page, Slate called him, "the sort of conservative with whom liberals can do business." Read his latest columns for the Wall Street Journal here. Follow The Wall Street Journal's editorial board on Twitter @WSJOpinion.
• Discussing how the public views candidates' personal relationships, Doris Kearns Goodwin told The New York Times that "Character matters...We think about that now in choosing somebody for office. Their relationships with their wives, their families, the choices they’ve made." Goodwin's 2005 book Team of Rivals is being adapted in to a movie that will be produced by Steven Spielberg and filmed in Richmond, VA. 
• Read NBC News Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd's contributions to the must-read politics column, First Read. Plus, watch his last appearance on Meet The Press.Read about the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. Follow Chuck Todd on Twitter @chucktodd.