Top Items:

Peter King: Ted Cruz ‘is a fraud’ — Washington (CNN) - The government shutdown showdown is getting ugly. — Republican Rep. Peter King said Friday that his Republican colleague in the Senate, Ted Cruz, “is a fraud” who will “no longer have any influence in the Republican Party” …
Discussion:
The Hill, National Review and Politico
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Actually, Senate GOP can't filibuster to defund Obamacare — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL CONGRESS OBAMACARE SENATE HEALTH CARE TED CRUZ — Senate Republicans, along with GOP lawmakers in the House, know that Sen. Ted Cruz and his colleagues don't have the votes to pass a continuing resolution to defund Obamacare.
Discussion:
Washington Post, Washington Monthly, National Review, Business Insider, Guardian, Hot Air and Outside the Beltway


Inside Boehner's Plan To Avoid Shutdown (And Wound Obamacare) — Forget Friday's big spending bill vote. House leaders know the Senate will reject it and are ready to respond. Here's the GOP playbook. — House Republicans have orchestrated a master plan to avoid a government shutdown …

House votes 230-189 to fund government, defund ObamaCare — The House on Friday passed legislation that defunds ObamaCare but would keep the government running through mid-December. — The legislation was approved on a party line 230-189 vote, with Rep. Scott Rigell (Va.) the only GOP no vote.
Discussion:
ThinkProgress and LifeNews.com


Ted Cruz Punches Back — Even among Republicans, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is one of Washington's most divisive figures. Activists love him, but leadership staffers and many of his colleagues can't stand him — especially his latest effort to connect a government-spending bill with the defunding of Obamacare.


Conservatives Take Turns Standing Up to the Speaker — WASHINGTON — Those in the circle of fiery House conservatives who are spearheading a fiscal showdown that threatens to shut down the government see themselves in vaunted company. — “It only takes one with passion — look at Rosa Parks …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, The Hill, The Huffington Post, Hullabaloo and Alan Colmes' Liberaland


House passes bill defunding Obamacare — Game on. — The House passed a bill 230-189 Friday morning that would keep the government running for three months - and defund the health care overhaul that is President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement.
Discussion:
Little Green Footballs


House passes spending bill to defund Obamacare — House Republicans passed their stopgap funding bill Friday to keep government open while terminating the new health care law, setting up a final showdown next week with Senate Democrats and President Obama who have firmly rejected that.
Discussion:
Independent Journal Review

House GOP Passes Bill To Defund Obamacare Or Shut Down The Government
Discussion:
The Raw Story

The Republicans Who Fear a Shutdown
Discussion:
Politico and First Read

House sends government spending bill to the Senate without Obamacare funding
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers

Rep. King on defund plan: ‘Custer, Kamikaze’
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars, Politico, Alan Colmes' Liberaland, Business Insider, DownWithTyranny!, Connecting.the.Dots and The Hill


Al Gore: New EPA rule puts U.S. on path to solve climate crisis — Former Vice President Al Gore said EPA's regulations for future power plants are a major step toward putting the United States “on the path toward solving the climate crisis.” — “Today's announcement by EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers
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World's top climate scientists told to ‘cover up’ …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Climate Depot and Vox Popoli

EPA Proposes Carbon Pollution Standards for New Power Plants / Agency takes important step …
Discussion:
ABC News, Guardian, epa.gov and The Volokh Conspiracy

What climate change? Fewer people than EVER believe the world is really warming up
Discussion:
Althouse and Daily Pundit

Administration to Press Ahead With Carbon Limits
Discussion:
msnbc.com, Daily Kos, The Week and National Review


The real Navy Yard scandal — In the liberal remake of “Casablanca,” the police captain comes upon the scene of the shooting and orders his men to “round up the usual weapons.” — It's always the weapon and never the shooter. Twelve people are murdered in a rampage at the Washington Navy Yard …
Discussion:
The PJ Tatler and Betsy's Page
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Americans Fault Mental Health System Most for Gun Violence
Discussion:
Politico and Post Politics

Firm that ran background check on Snowden also vetted Navy Yard shooter
Discussion:
ABC News and Shakesville


Navy Yard rampage began with gunman's colleagues, sources and witnesses say

Not all mass shootings are equal in the eyes of the media or the public
Discussion:
The Daily Caller, Weasel Zippers and TheBlaze.com


Pricing Glitch Afflicts Rollout of Online Health Exchanges … Less than two weeks before the launch of insurance marketplaces created by the federal health overhaul, the government's software can't reliably determine how much people need to pay for coverage, according to insurance executives and people familiar with the program.
Discussion:
Forbes, National Review, Wonkblog, Hit & Run, Via Meadia, The Heritage Foundation, The PJ Tatler, Corrente and Washington Free Beacon

The Crazy Party — Early this year, Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, made headlines by telling his fellow Republicans that they needed to stop being the “stupid party.” Unfortunately, Mr. Jindal failed to offer any constructive suggestions about how they might do that.
Discussion:
BillMoyers.com, The Federalist, Power Line, msnbc.com, PostPartisan, PoliticusUSA, American Spectator and Daily Kos

Why Iran seeks constructive engagement — Hassan Rouhani is president of Iran. — Three months ago, my platform of “prudence and hope” gained a broad, popular mandate. Iranians embraced my approach to domestic and international affairs because they saw it as long overdue.
Discussion:
New York Times, Business Insider, The Week, AEIdeas, Gawker, Talking Points Memo, Consortiumnews.com, Politico, NBCNews, Via Meadia, The Hill and CNN


Rand Paul: ‘We are winning’ like Charlie Sheen — Sen. Rand Paul said Thursday that Republicans are like Charlie Sheen and are actually “winning” despite criticisms this week of party disarray over a budget strategy that would defund Obamacare, according to reports.
Discussion:
Daily Kos
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Rand Paul says recent GOP wins a roadmap for party's future
Discussion:
NBCNews, Prairie Weather and Talking Points Memo

Americans skeptical, confused about health care law's implementation — Poll Questions
Discussion:
The Plum Line, Prairie Weather and Taegan Goddard's …
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Obamacare Arrives 3 Years Later, Little Understood and Not Well-Liked
Discussion:
TheBlaze.com and Hot Air

Pelosi unplugged — Striking a tone of disgust, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi ridicules the GOP as obsessed with its loathing of President Obama and hell-bent on hurting him politically, regardless the cost. She assigns little to no blame to the president (even though Democrats privately …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, The Gateway Pundit, msnbc.com, Right Wing News, The Hill and Daily Kos

Democrat says repealing ObamaCare a ‘wet dream’ for Republican radicals — Freshman Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) on Friday accused Republicans of pursuing a “wet dream” by pushing for the repeal of ObamaCare as part of a short-term spending bill. — “I rise in strong opposition …


Republican Launches Personal Attack Against Keystone XL Activist At Congressional Hearing — On Thursday, a House of Representatives subcommittee hearing on the Keystone XL pipeline ended with an ugly exchange between a Republican congressman and a Nebraska grassroots organizer.
Discussion:
Rolling Stone and Alan Colmes' Liberaland