Ted Cruz: The Distinguished Wacko Bird from Texas  —  In less than a year, Texas Republican Ted Cruz has become the most despised man in the U.S. Senate.  He's been likened to Joe McCarthy, accused of behaving like a schoolyard bully, and smeared by senior members of his own party.

Blame for Both Sides as Possible Government Shutdown Approaches  —  Tea Party Reps Say Stick to Principles, Even if Shutdown Results  —  If the federal government shuts down because Republicans and the Obama administration fail to agree on a budget, there will be plenty of blame to go around.

Clinton World Hints at Ditching Old Baggage for Hillary Run … Hillary Clinton's first major print interview since leaving the Obama administration seven months ago leaves two inescapable impressions: She is running in 2016, and this campaign won't look anything like her failed 2008 run.

Sorry, The Latest Anti-Obamacare Article To Go Viral Is Totally Wrong  —  An article published by Forbes claiming that Obamacare will increase health care costs by $7,450 for a typical family of four is spreading like wildfire across the internet, but causing eye rolls from economists across the country.

Nationalities of Kenya shopping mall gunmen unknown  —  NAIROBI — Kenyan security forces on Monday seized control of a luxury shopping mall that had been attacked by Islamist militants, but officials said some assailants remained hidden inside stores in the mall and little was known …

Lois Lerner still Hill's favorite piñata  —  Lois Lerner is the political piñata that Congress still loves to whack months after she awkwardly acknowledged that the IRS wrongly scrutinized conservative groups for years.  —  Her sudden retirement on Monday after 12 years at the agency won't change that.

Lower Health Insurance Premiums to Come at Cost of Fewer Choices  —  WASHINGTON — Federal officials often say that health insurance will cost consumers less than expected under President Obama's health care law.  But they rarely mention one big reason: many insurers are significantly limiting …

E.W. Jackson says non-Christians are engaged in ‘some sort of false religion’  —  At a morning sermon Sunday in Northern Virginia, Republican lieutenant governor candidate E.W. Jackson, a Chesapeake pastor, said people who don't follow Jesus Christ “are engaged in some sort of false religion.”

Bush: Obama should play golf  —  Former President George W. Bush said President Obama should not be criticized over his frequent golf outings.  —  Former President George W. Bush said President Obama should not be criticized over his frequent golf outings.

CASD in crisis after racially-charged text messages surface  —  The abrupt departure of the Coatesville Area School District superintendent and another senior administrator came two weeks after numerous exchanges of inappropriate and racially-charged text messages were discovered …

The Mower Gang: #Anarchy in Detroit, Part I  —  We all know Detroit's in trouble: A bankrupt city full of crumbling houses, abandoned factory buildings, and a dwindling population.  —  But while politicians, unions, and investors slug it out in bankruptcy court and grasp for their share …

A Mayoral Hopeful Now, de Blasio Was Once a Young Leftist  —  The scruffy young man who arrived in Nicaragua in 1988 stood out.  —  He was tall and sometimes goofy, known for his ability to mimic a goose's honk.  He spoke in long, meandering paragraphs, musing on Franklin D. Roosevelt, Karl Marx and Bob Marley.

'If they found me, I'm white... so I'm dead': Survivors reveal how gunman executed non-Muslims - after asking them to name Prophet Mohammed's mother  — Survivors said they saw fellow shoppers mercilessly executed after being singled out as non-Muslim  — Shoppers said people were lined …

Opinion: Defunders are playing Russian roulette with GOP, writes ex-senator  —  Most Americans these days are simply ignoring Republicans.  And they should.  —  The self-promotional babble of a few has become the mainstream of Republican political thought.  It has marginalized the influence of the party to an appalling degree.

Nancy Pelosi plans to introduce immigration reform bill  —  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is spearheading a plan to advance comprehensive immigration reform in the chamber.  —  The California Democrat's strategy includes introducing legislation combining the comprehensive bill that passed …

In Supreme Court Opinions, Web Links to Nowhere  —  WASHINGTON — Supreme Court opinions have come down with a bad case of link rot.  According to a new study, 49 percent of the hyperlinks in Supreme Court decisions no longer work.  —  This can sometimes be amusing.