Photo by Yostinator.

Good morning, Washington. Deal or no deal? After working through the weekend, it appears as if President Barack Obama and the Congress have come to terms to prevent a federal default, though congressional leaders still need to get it through their caucuses. If they do manage to seal the deal and avoid disaster after the vote today, maybe they can all get away by crashing at Joe Biden’s cottage.

Drug Abuse in D.C.: According to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration finds that the District of Columbia has a very high drug and alcohol abuse rate — 11.3 percent of the city’s residents older than 12 were dependent on alcohol or drugs in the past year, reports the Examiner. (The national average is 8.9 percent, though that’s obviously a tricky comparison to make, given the makeup of the District.) The abuse rate is actually down from 11.9 percent in 2002 and 2003. Alcohol, marijuana and cocaine remain the city’s drugs of choice, according to the survey.

Thomas’ Quietest Campaign: Is Harry Thomas, Jr. fighting his public relations battle under the radar? Freeman Klopott reports that Thomas has apparently forwarded an email, purportedly from a resident of his ward, to the Council and Mayor Vince Gray — the email calls for patience and a “presumption of innocence.”

Ice Skating on the Washington Harbour?: It could happen — a developer which is planning a $30 million overhaul of the Washington Harbour development in Georgetown wants to install an outdoor plaza featuring a skating rink. The rink would be 11,000 square feet, eclipsing the one in the Sculpture Garden as the largest in the city. The best part about the plan? The development could easily fill in the water needed to create the ice — all they’d have to do, after all, is just forget to put up the flood gates again.

Briefly Noted: Several D.C. schools to reopen this year after renovations….Candidates to replace Leslie Johnson on P.G. Council are familiar…Sewer commission looks to fix overflows…Efforts to remove grafitti ramped up this year…D.C. ticket amnesty kicks off today.

This Day in DCist: Last year, a Cheesecake Factory employee was caught taking too big a slice; in 2009, Metro was all delayed and Mary Cheh called for then-attorney general Peter Nickles to resign.