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The good news: It played out far differently than expected.

"What we're finding is... that wasn't an accurate assumption with what played out."

The North Carolina Democrats' director of voter protection answered participants' deep legal questions about the future of the case as it plays out in federal court and how the parties are funding the battle.

But there is a tension between this message and what plays out on the ground - not in diplomatic talks between leaders, but on main streets and in supermarkets as Americans go about their daily lives.

This may play out over the next month as the Congress comes back into session and takes up the budget talks in earnest.