After a day of Congressional leaders of both parties courting skeptics in their rank-and-file, the House of Representatives passed a deal to raise the debt ceiling and slash federal spending by a vote of 269-161. The legislation is scheduled to be voted on by the Senate today at noon. Among the 161 "no" votes were both Democrats and many Tea Party Republicans, united in opposition for ideologically different reasons. One of those Democrats who voted against the bill was Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, who is a member of the president's National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

Early Saturday morning, House Republicans, prodded by fervent Tea Party freshmen passed a bill slashing government spending by $61 billion immediately. That vote forces Republicans and Democrats into a political showdown that could boil over into a government shutdown. How could this affect you? We speak with Nate Persily, Charles Beekman Professor of Law and Political Science at Columbia University, and the author of the book "Public Opinion and Constitutional Controversy."

Under ordinary circumstances, it can be hard to get young people engaged in politics. But when the political system seems broken, does the job become even harder? For the fourth installment in our series, "Frustration Nation," we turn to a high school civics teacher and two students to hear how the turmoil in Washington plays out in the classroom.

Yesterday, we spoke with media experts about the role of news in politics and its impact on the gridlock in Washington, D.C.  We received many comments from listeners who believe strongly that the media are responsible for much of the political divisiveness in the country today.

From television, to talk radio, to the newsstands, Americans are inundated with news about the sorry state of politics. But are the media merely covering the story of D.C.'s gridlock, or are they creating it? For the second installment of our series, "Frustration Nation," we examine the role of the media and its impact on the political divisiveness in America and Washington, D.C., today.

A new CNN poll finds that 86 percent of Americans think that government is broken. This week, we kick off a series called "Frustration Nation," where we examine the gridlock in the capital and how politics has come to be so divisive in America. For the first installment, we put today's situation in a historical context.