Top Items:
![](/130918/i10.jpg)
And what's right with Obama? — The British have a saying about the twin rules of journalism: first simplify, then exaggerate. — Perhaps Barack Obama can comfort himself with the reality that his current travails are both more complicated in their causes and less dire in their consequences …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Pirate's Cove, Althouse, Connecting.the.Dots and Jammie Wearing Fools
RELATED:
Maureen Dowd / New York Times:
Losing the Room — WASHINGTON — On the most deadly day here since Sept. 11, 2001, with the capital reeling over the sadly familiar scene of a mass shooting by a madman, the chief executive stepped to the microphones and captured the heartbreak. — It wasn't the chief executive of the nation.
Discussion:
Right Turn, NationalJournal.com, The Dish, No More Mister Nice Blog, CNN, Mediaite, TheBlaze.com and Politico
![](/130918/i17.jpg)
As Budget Fight Looms, Obama Sees Defiance in His Own Party — WASHINGTON — For four years, President Obama counted on fellow Democrats to rally to his side in a series of epic battles with Republicans over the direction of the country. But now, deep in his fifth year in office …
Mario Trujillo / The Hill:
White House gets ready for shutdown — The White House told federal agencies on Tuesday to prepare for a government shutdown. — President Obama's budget director Sylvia Matthews Burwell in a memo to agencies said they should set their plans in case Congress fails to pass a funding measure by the end of the month.
Discussion:
CNN, Politico and The Moderate Voice
RELATED:
Sheldon Alberts / The Hill:
House Republicans up ante in showdown over federal shutdown — House Republican leaders bowed to conservative demands and announced plans Wednesday to strip out money for President Obama's healthcare law in a stopgap spending bill to keep the government running after Sept. 30.
Discussion:
The Hill, Politico, E2-Wire, The Plum Line, Weasel Zippers and Booman Tribune
New York Times:
The Money Behind the Shutdown Crisis — Representative Aaron Schock is a conservative Republican from Illinois, but not conservative enough for the hard-right activist group Club for Growth, which is seeking someone to run against him in next year's primary. — His crime?
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, The Week, Politico, BillMoyers.com, Prairie Weather, Salon and Talking Points Memo
![](/130918/i20.jpg)
White House Shifts Debt-Ceiling Tone, Warning of Fiasco
Discussion:
Wonkblog
Robert Costa / National Review:
Boehner: 'We're Going to Put Obamacare Defunding Directly Into the CR'
Boehner: 'We're Going to Put Obamacare Defunding Directly Into the CR'
The Fix:
Boehner Agonistes (again)
Boehner Agonistes (again)
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, Post Politics, Business Insider and Daily Kos
Ramsey Cox / The Hill:
Reid: GOP doing ‘everything they can’ to get rid of government
Reid: GOP doing ‘everything they can’ to get rid of government
Discussion:
Politico
Washington Post:
Government shutdown moves closer to reality
Government shutdown moves closer to reality
Discussion:
First Read, Politico, Los Angeles Times, Right Turn, New York Times, Taegan Goddard's …, Post Politics, Prairie Weather, Salon and The Week
Robert Costa / National Review:
House to Vote on Defunding Obamacare
House to Vote on Defunding Obamacare
Discussion:
Mother Jones, Firedoglake, Balloon Juice, Washington Monthly, Business Insider, Talking Points Memo, Daily Kos, The Dish, Algemeiner.com, The Week, Roll Call, Moe Lane, The Moderate Voice, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Taegan Goddard's …, Hit & Run, Hot Air, Politico, The Plum Line, The Reaction, msnbc.com and Gin and Tacos
Starbucks Coffee Company:
An Open Letter from Howard Schultz, ceo of Starbucks Coffee Company — Posted by Howard Schultz, Starbucks chairman, president and chief executive officer — Few topics in America generate a more polarized and emotional debate than guns. In recent months, Starbucks stores and our partners …
RELATED:
Stephanie Strom / New York Times:
Starbucks Seeks to Keep Guns Out of Its Coffee Shops
Starbucks Seeks to Keep Guns Out of Its Coffee Shops
Discussion:
Outside the Beltway, Gawker and The Daily Caller
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo:
Chuck Todd: It's Not Media's Job To Correct GOP's Obamacare Falsehoods (VIDEO) — MSNBC host Chuck Todd said Wednesday that when it comes to misinformation about the new federal health care law, don't expect members of the media to correct the record. — During a segment on “Morning Joe …
Discussion:
Daily Kos, Balloon Juice and Fox News
RELATED:
![](/130918/i36.jpg)
Walgreen to Give Workers Payments to Buy Health Plans — Drugstore Chain's Move Underscores Shifting Burden on Insurance — Rising health-care costs and a climate of change brought about by the new federal health law are prompting American corporations to revisit the pact they've long had with employees over medical benefits.
Discussion:
Wonkblog, National Review and Pirate's Cove
Elise Viebeck / The Hill:
Walgreens, Blue Cross launch effort to promote ObamaCare
Walgreens, Blue Cross launch effort to promote ObamaCare
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Shakesville and The Gateway Pundit
Sheryl Gay Stolberg / New York Times:
Reaping Profit After Assisting on Health Law
Reaping Profit After Assisting on Health Law
Discussion:
Via Meadia and OpenSecrets.org
![](/130918/i31.jpg)
Buddhist community ponders apparent link between their faith and Navy Yard shooter — In the aftermath of the Washington Navy Yard shootings, gunman Aaron Alexis's interest in Buddhism seemed at odds with conventional Western stereotypes of serene, nonviolent meditators.
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Gawker, The Hinterland Gazette, Althouse and Post Politics
RELATED:
Michael S. Schmidt / New York Times:
State Law Prevented Sale of Assault Rifle to Suspect Last Week, Officials Say
State Law Prevented Sale of Assault Rifle to Suspect Last Week, Officials Say
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, NPR, NewsBusters, Business Insider, Mediaite, Hot Air, Taylor Marsh, ABC News, The Stranger … and Los Angeles Times
Amie Parnes / The Hill:
Obama distress signal: President seeks help from first-term A-Team — A struggling President Obama is calling for help from members of his first-term A-Team, who have left the White House for other jobs. — With his poll numbers falling and his second-term floundering so far …
Discussion:
Politico, VodkaPundit, Hot Air, Moe Lane, CNN, Taylor Marsh, Weekly Standard, Taegan Goddard's …, National Review and Booman Tribune
Art Swift / Gallup:
For First Time, Americans' Views of Russia Turn Negative — Despite approval of Russian plan for Syria, Americans sour on Putin — WASHINGTON, D.C. — More Americans view Russia as unfriendly or an enemy of the United States than as an ally or friendly nation for the first time in 15 years …
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, Politico, Weasel Zippers, CBS DC and Post Politics
![](/130918/i60.jpg)
Could Republican Senator Rand Paul Win the White House? — Tough talk and fearless politics have made Senator Rand Paul a leader in the Republican Party. Could he—and his charming, secret-weapon wife, Kelley—win the White House? — On a sunny Saturday in July, Rand Paul and his wife …
Discussion:
Politico, Ballot Box, TheBlaze.com and Post Politics
RELATED:
![](/130918/i65.jpg)
New Hampshire Senate Candidate: More Women In The Workplace Led To More Mass Shootings — Former Republican state Sen. Jim Rubens is expected to announce his U.S. Senate campaign today. The rise of an economy with added opportunities for women has created “stress” for men, he says.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, ThinkProgress and The Raw Story
Martin O'Malley / Washington Post:
What Maryland does better than Texas — Martin O'Malley, a Democrat, is governor of Maryland. — With gridlock and partisanship having all but paralyzed Washington, governors are at the forefront of our country's policy divide. On the No. 1 issue facing our nation …
Discussion:
Washington Monthly, Trail Blazers Blog and WJLA-TV
![](/130918/i66.jpg)
Wrongnado - CNN — Reporting on a mass shooting in Washington, CNN doesn't let a lack of facts get in the way of drawing speculative conclusions. (06:53)
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, TheBlaze.com, Connecting.the.Dots and Business Insider
Thomas L. Friedman / New York Times:
The Man With Pink Hair — I was at a conference in Bern, Switzerland, last week and struggling with my column. News of Russia's proposal for Syria to surrender its poison gas was just breaking and changing every hour, forcing me to rewrite my column every hour.
Discussion:
National Review and Daniel W. Drezner
![](/130918/i64.jpg)
WH: ‘Extreme members’ of GOP are ‘reckless’; Mark Knoller smacks Obama with flashback quotes — Ah, yes! Another day, another round of finger-pointing and blame-gaming by the White House. — CBS' Mark Knoller has the scoop: … When in doubt, repeat speech it out! Pivot! … Oh dear.
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers