Welcome to the Republican Party's make-believe fight to defund Obamacare.  —  If you're in a hurry, and you can only memorize one fact about the coming congressional debt and budget war, try this: There will be no “defunding of Obamacare.”  It's impossible for Republicans to admit it …

Spitting on Their Graves: Democrats Leave Benghazi Hearing Before Testimony From Families of Victims  —  During the second portion of a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing about Benghazi Thursday on Capitol Hill, the majority of Democrats on the Committee left the room and refused …

EXCLUSIVE: Two decades after her affair with Bill Clinton, Gennifer Flowers reveals they'd be together now if it wasn't for Chelsea and how former president confided in her that Hillary was bisexual  — She bitterly regrets rejecting him when he last begged to see her and says he's the ‘love of her life’

Blair's fight to stop Brown's coup  —  Exclusive: Like a script for The Thick of It - the messages that show how the PM's team fought in vain to prevent Brown's coup  —  Read the leaked emails detailing the battle in Downing Street  —  Downing Street emails detailing the rearguard battle …

Pope Says Church Is ‘Obsessed’ With Gays, Abortion and Birth Control  —  Six months into his papacy, Pope Francis sent shock waves through the Roman Catholic church on Thursday with the publication of his remarks that the church had grown “obsessed” with abortion, gay marriage and contraception …

Warming lull haunts authors of key climate report  —  STOCKHOLM (AP) — Scientists working on a landmark U.N. report on climate change are struggling to explain why global warming appears to have slowed down in the past 15 years even though greenhouse gas emissions keep rising.

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.

DOJ spox to USA Today: ‘I will save what I have for another outlet’  —  A Department of Justice spokesperson who initially offered to provide sources to USA Today has reversed that decision on the grounds that the reporter was “biased” and would not forego his story even if the sources undercut its premise.

GOP plans ‘one man, one woman’ law in wake of same-sex marriage ruling  —  A group of Republicans in the House is set to unveil a proposal aimed at protecting conservative groups in the wake of the Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage.  —  Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) …

Horrifying Anti-Obamacare Ad Warns That Uncle Sam Wants In Your Uterus  —  As the October 1 enrollment date for the Affordable Care Act creeps closer each day, one had to expect some feeble pushback from conservatives upset that a black liberal passed a healthcare bill they actually kind of like.

AllThingsD parting ways with Dow Jones  —  AllThingsD and The Wall Street Journal call it quits.  —  FORTUNE — The team behind influential tech site AllThingsD is severing ties with founding owner Dow Jones, a subsidiary of News Corp. (NWS).  A formal statement is expected later today.

Two Men Dead In Michigan Road Rage Shootout, Police Say  —  Police said two men died Wednesday after a shootout allegedly motivated by road rage, the Grand Rapids Press reported.  —  The initial police investigation showed Ionia, Mich. residents James Pullum, 43, and Robert Taylor, 56 …

Rand Paul says recent GOP wins a roadmap for party's future  —  CHANTILLY, Va. — Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., on Thursday said Republicans have been “winning” recent Washington battles and laid out a roadmap  —  for how the party can use the victories to appeal to key voting blocks that fueled President Barack Obama's 2012 re-election.

Colorado House Republicans Unanimously Support Flood Relief, Unanimously Opposed Sandy Aid  —  As historic floods of “biblical” proportions continue to ravage Colorado, President Obama signed an emergency declaration on Sunday — a move that was encouraged by a bipartisan letter last week …

Syria's Assad: Removing chemicals a sensitive operation  —  Syrian President Assad said the cost for removing chemicals from Syria would be $1B.  —  CONNECT  —  Syrian President Bashar Assad wants to cooperate with diplomatic agreements that would compel his country to be rid …

Texas Court Overturns Conviction of DeLay  —  Tom DeLay was the very symbol of Congressional power and, in the view of his detractors, excess.  His political career collapsed in 2005 when Mr. DeLay, a Texas Republican who was the House majority leader, was indicted on money-laundering charges …