Getty Images,Walter Bibikow
President Obama returned to Washington from New York Wednesday night for an after-dark meeting at the White House with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker John Boehner, hoping to resolve the parties’ budget impasse in the final hours before the government shuts down. But the effort appears to have been mostly in vain: The three, who were also joined by Vice President Joe Biden, failed to reach an agreement. But both sides admitted the conversation inched forward. Obama said the 90-minute meeting helped “narrow the issues,” and that he would work through the night and check in with the two leaders again in the morning. “If we haven’t made progress we are going to go at it again,” he said. “I do think we made some progress,” Boehner said, but reiterated that “there is no agreement on a number and there is no agreement on the policy side.” The three appeared briefly in front of reporters after the meeting, and Obama issued a stern warning against letting the state come to a halt. “It would be inexcusable, given the relatively narrow differences, when it comes to numbers, between the two parties, that we can’t get this done.”