Tea Party Support Dwindles to Near-Record Low  —  Republicans ambivalent about movement, while most Democrats oppose it  —  PRINCETON, NJ — As Washington braces for another budget showdown, this time with the threat of defunding the new healthcare law in the mix, the key political force pushing …

You Really Ought to Be More Terrified of the Debt Ceiling  —  The truly scary thing about blowing through the debt limit isn't what we think will happen.  It's that we actually have no idea what will happen.  —  Sen. Ted Cruz's 21-hour soliloquy was rightly criticized (or, characterized) …

NSFW: Cory Booker's Interesting DMs With A Portland Stripper  —  “The East Coast loves you and by the East Coast I mean me.”  Not safe for work, unless you work at Newark City Hall.  —  Twitter: @LynsieLee  —  Twitter: @LynsieLee  —  View Entire List ›

Let ObamaCare Collapse  —  Congress can't kill the entitlement state.  Only the American people can.  —  What the GOP's Defund-ObamaCare Caucus is failing to see is that ObamaCare is no longer just ObamaCare.  It is about something that is beyond the reach of a congressional vote.

Iran's Leader, Denouncing Holocaust, Stirs Dispute  —  WASHINGTON — As he conducts a high-profile good-will visit to New York this week, Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, says he is bringing a simple message of peace and friendship.  But on Wednesday, Mr. Rouhani set off a political storm …

Jim DeMint, Congressional Republicans' Shadow Speaker  —  When Congress adjourned for its August recess this year, most members avoided the town hall meetings that were once the standard venue for hearing from constituents.  They were too afraid.  Ever since activists opposed …

How Obamacare may be holding down costs  —  The historic slowdown in health-care costs is continuing.  Earlier this month, the government's actuaries found that total national health spending continues to grow at the lowest rate we've ever seen.  And our annual employer health benefits survey released …

Time's Stengel latest in long line of reporters who jumped to jobs in Obama administration  —  Jay Carney says it was a simple calculation.  He could continue as a reporter and writer for the rest of his working life, or he could try something new and different.  —  He chose something different.

The Most Ridiculous Moments In Ted Cruz's Phony Filibuster (VIDEO)  —  Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) put forth a challenge Wednesday to members of the media covering his 21-hour non-filibuster to protest funding for Obamacare.  —  “So I'm gonna make a request directly to those reporters who are covering …

The Democratic 2014 turnout machine, courtesy of Pat Hickey  —  This is not the last you wiil hear of this: Assembly Minority Leader Pat Hickey, sitting down with a friendly interviewer (Dan Mason) on conservative talk radio, got careless and talked about how great for the GOP that young people …

Who's Not Online and Why  —  Summary of Findings  —  15% of American adults do not use the internet at all, and another 9% of adults use the internet but not at home.  —  As of May 2013, 15% of American adults ages 18 and older do not use the internet or email.  Asked why they do not use the internet:

David Gilmour on Building Strong Stomachs  —  Shelf Esteem is a weekly measure of the books on the shelves of writers, editors, and other word lovers, as told to Emily M. Keeler.  This week's shelf belongs to David Gilmour, whose most recent novel, Extraordinary, appears on the Giller longlist.

Detroit Spent Billions Extra on Pensions  —  Detroit's municipal pension fund made payments for decades to retirees, active workers and others above and beyond normal benefits, costing the struggling city billions of dollars and helping push it into bankruptcy, according to people who have reviewed the payments.

Edited transcript: An interview with Hassan Rouhani  —  Editor's note: In his latest column, David Ignatius writes about his one-on-one interview with Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani.  A transcript of the full interview is below:  —  Q: U.S. officials say that you have been given full authority …