No Accord in Budget Talks as Policy Fights Hamper Deal  —  WASHINGTON — Another day of intense negotiations between the two parties failed to yield a budget deal on Thursday, leaving the federal government hours from a shutdown.  —  After the third round of White House talks in 24 hours …

Both parties continue talks over elusive 2011 budget deal  —  Gallery: Government shutdown: Democrats and Republicans have so far failed to reach an agreement on the 2011 federal budget, increasing the likelihood of the first government shutdown in more than 15 years.

White House hopes last-minute heroics keep government running  —  Republicans have hit President Barack Obama for being out of touch, disengaged and unwilling to lead on the budget negotiations — and Democrats aren't wild about his taste for last-minute heroics either.

It May Be a ‘Budget Battle,’ but Some Skirmishes Have Little to Do With Money  —  WASHINGTON — There are fights about money and fights about ideas, and the battle over a spending plan to keep the government open is increasingly centered on the latter.  —  The frenetic negotiations to avert …

Who Really Wants a Shutdown?  —  President Obama does, but the GOP's strategy is a lot less clear.  —  For people who keep saying they don't want a government shutdown, Washington's warring parties are sure acting like they can't wait for it to happen.  Since the policy stakes …

Corrected Brookfield tally puts Prosser ahead after 7,500-vote gain  —  By Jason Stein, Laurel Walker and Bill Glauber of the Journal Sentinel  —  In one explosive stroke Thursday, the clerk in a Republican stronghold tilted the tight Supreme Court race in favor of Justice David Prosser …

Why Prosser needed EXACTLY +7500 votes....  In WI, a recount at state-expense is triggered if an election is within .5% if the candidate requests it, and we have a fully verifiable paper trail to audit election results.  That means in this election with approximately 740k for Kloppenburg and 739k for Prosser …

BREAKING: Computer Error Gives Prosser 7,381 More Votes, Almost Certain Victory  —  After Tuesday night's Wisconsin Supreme Court election, a computer error in heavily Republican Waukesha County failed to send election results for the entire City of Brookfield to the Associated Press.

Winnebago County vote-count change alters Supreme Court race  —  By Sharif Durhams of the Journal Sentinel  —  The latest vote count in the state Supreme Court race in Winnebago County indicates incumbent David Prosser is leading Assistant Attorney General JoAnne Kloppenburg in votes.

Justice Surges to Lead After Clerk Reports Vote Error  —  CHICAGO — The tally of a close Wisconsin Supreme Court election, which had come to be a referendum on Republican leadership in the state, turned upside down on Thursday evening: the incumbent justice, viewed as a conservative …

Reading Romney's Mind  —  This has been my best week in politics since John McCain lost to Barack Obama.  —  I face two huge problems: getting nominated and getting elected.  —  To get nominated, I need to discredit the Tea Party before it can veto me.  —  To get elected, I need a double dip recession in 2012.

Dissents Of The Day  —  The in-tray is still bulging with fury over Paul Ryan.  I find the arguments bracing - and in themselves evidence that Ryan's proposal has already helped move the debate to more earnest grounds.  A reader writes: … Anything that even hints at sacrifices from the elderly …