abcnews: Debt Default 101: What Happens on Oct. 17? (Or Not)

What is the Oct. 17 "debt ceiling deadline" and why does it matter?

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Syrian gunmen release 4 aid workers, hold 3
BEIRUT - Gunmen in Syria released three Red Cross staffers and a Red Crescent volunteer who had been kidnapped in rebel-held territory.
Man with knife arrested trying to enter Buckingham Palace
LONDON - A man with a knife was arrested after he tried to dart through a gate at Buckingham Palace in London on Monday, police said.
Dry ice explosion causes scare at Los Angeles Airport
LOS ANGELES - A dry ice explosion occurred late Monday at Los Angeles International Airport, but there were no reports of any injuries or evacuations, authorities said.
Image released of suspect in Madeleine McCann disappearance
LONDON - Police in London have released computer-generated images of a new suspect in the disappearance of British girl Madeleine McCann in Portugal six years ago.
US-Afghan officials near a deal on American troops
KABUL, Afghanistan - The U.S. and Afghan President Hamid Karzai reached an agreement in principle Saturday on the major elements of a deal that would allow American troops to stay in Afghanistan after 2014.
Social Security raise to be among lowest in years
WASHINGTON - For the second straight year, millions of Social Security recipients, disabled veterans and federal retirees can expect historically small increases in their benefits come January.
Dying Ohio man on gurney leads daughter down aisle
CLEVELAND - A terminally ill Ohio man who arrived at his daughter's wedding by ambulance gave her away, from a hospital gurney.
Peru bus plunge kills 51, including 14 children
LIMA, Peru - A makeshift bus carrying 51 Quechua Indians back from a party in southeastern Peru plunged off a cliff into a river, killing everyone on board, including 14 children.
Food stamp system restored in 17 states affected by outage
WASHINGTON - Xerox Corp. says that access to food stamp systems has been restored in New Jersey and 16 other states that were affected by a temporary outage.
Chemical watchdog, not Malala, wins Nobel Peace Prize
OSLO, Norway - The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for working to eliminate the scourge that has haunted generations from World War I to the battlefields of Syria.
NM authorities: 4 boys from youth camp back home
HILLSBORO, N.M. - Four of the nine teenagers reported missing from a rural ranch for troubled youth are back with their parents, New Mexico police said Saturday.
Sorority members injured in Delaware bus crash
BEAR, Delaware - Several sorority sisters from the University of Delaware were injured when a bus taking about 40 people to a party during homecoming week overturned in a crash with a tractor trailer, authorities said.