House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., (speaking) with (l-r) House Majority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kent., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., speak to reporters outside the White House on Friday (Nov. 16) // (Photo by Joshua Roberts, Bloomberg via Getty Images)

With less than 50 days until a $500 billion, 10-year cut to planned Pentagon spending is set to kick in unless Congress and the president strike a massive deficit-reduction deal, talks began Friday at the White House. And everyone emerged upbeat. The word of the day was “confident,” uttered by all of the so-called congressional Big Four and the White House.

Forty-six days and counting. Check out our full coverage here.