Republican senators share "candid" dinner with Obama

U.S. Senator Johanns departs after a private dinner with fellow Republican senators and Obama at a hotel near the White House in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) – A dozen Republican senators talked about how to reach a "big agreement" on the nation's debt and deficit over dinner with President Barack Obama on Wednesday night, the start of what one of the senators hoped was a new round of intense fiscal discussions. "It was a really good conversation. It was candid. We really talked about how do we get to a big agreement in terms of the debt and deficit?" Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota said after the private dinner with Obama at the Jefferson Hotel near the White House. …