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GOP adds ‘conscience clause’ to spending bill — Washington (CNN) - House Republicans have added a measure aimed at limiting contraceptive coverage to the spending bill coming up for a vote Saturday night, a spokesman for Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kansas, told CNN. — A senior House leadership aide confirmed that development.
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As shutdown looms, Obamacare exchanges still set for launch — It's looking more and more like Tuesday will be a split-screen day: The government will shut down, and Obamacare will open for business. — That's going to annoy a lot of Republicans —because the ones who are pushing the shutdown …
Discussion:
Politico


GOP Congressman Compares Republicans Trying To Take Down Obamacare To Heroes Of 9/11 — This afternoon, House Republicans decided to tie continued funding of the federal government — which will run out of funds on Monday — to a one year delay of Obamacare and a repeal of a tax on medical devices.
Discussion:
The Hinterland Gazette, The Moderate Voice, No More Mister Nice Blog and Crooks and Liars


House GOP Mulls CR with Vitter Amendment — House GOP insiders acknowledge a shutdown is increasingly likely, due to House conservatives' aversion to passing a “clean” continuing resolution that simply funds the government. But the leadership isn't ready to concede defeat, and …
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, Taegan Goddard's …, Business Insider and Hit & Run


Here Comes the Shutdown: Three Reasons It Will Hurt the GOP — Uh oh! A House plan to delay Obamacare has put the government on the brink of a shutdown—for real this time. David Frum on why the infighting is sure to backfire on the Republicans. — The federal government swerved toward …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice


American Way: US debt ceiling debacle as Congress threatens to go nuclear — You know things are bad when President Obama thinks he can negotiate with Iran but not Republicans in Congress, writes John Avlon. — For decades, the key question when dealing with the murderous mullahs …
Discussion:
The Moderate Voice, Business Insider, The Reaction and Slate

Cliffgate Update: Now A 90% Chance Of A Shutdown — It was virtually inevitable that House Republicans would amend the Senate-passed continuing resolution with changes the Senate has already said it won't accept. — To understand why, I need to again refer back to something I posted …
Discussion:
Mediaite, Balloon Juice, Hullabaloo, Hot Air, Outside the Beltway and The Moderate Voice


House delays Obamacare as shutdown nears — House Republicans forced through a short-term government funding bill that delays Obamacare and permanently repeals a tax on medical devices, setting up their most dramatic face-off ever with President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats.
Discussion:
The Heritage Foundation, americanthinker.com, Wall Street Journal, Outside the Beltway, NewsMax.com, New York Times, Mediaite, Roll Call, Twitchy, The Moderate Voice, The Hill, Hot Air, Patterico's Pontifications, CNN, PolicyMic, Reuters, TechCrunch, The Lonely Conservative, The New Republic, Liberal Values, Connecting.the.Dots, Associated Press, The Atlantic Online, ThinkProgress, The Right Scoop, Washington Monthly, Washington Post, The Federalist, The Impolitic and Wonkblog


House GOP moves to protect military pay in a shutdown
Discussion:
Politico and Talking Points Memo

House sends stopgap to Senate hours before shutdown (Video)
Discussion:
NPR, Real Clear Politics, Politico and New York Times

House delays Obamacare, pushes US toward shutdown
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, NBCNews, Politico, The Reaction and Daily Kos

The House GOP's shutdown plan is great news
Discussion:
Wonkblog and Prairie Weather

House pushes U.S. to the edge of a shutdown
Discussion:
Alan Colmes' Liberaland, National Review, Wonkblog and Power Line

House votes to speed up consideration of GOP spending bill
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars and Politico

House GOP to vote on one-year delay for Obamacare
Discussion:
Daily Kos and Michelle Malkin


Did the Wrong Man Spend 40 Years in Solitary Confinement? — What a sham trial in Louisiana says about the U.S. court system — It is now only a matter of weeks, or days perhaps, before Herman Wallace dies of the liver cancer that is ravaging his body. He will likely die in prison …
Discussion:
Firedoglake

Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll — The .45-caliber pistol that killed Lucas Heagren, 3, on Memorial Day last year at his Ohio home had been temporarily hidden under the couch by his father. But Lucas found it and shot himself through the right eye. “It's bad,” his mother told the 911 dispatcher.
Discussion:
The Mahablog


Nancy Pelosi absent for CR vote — Days ahead of a government shutdown, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary outside Washington, D.C. — “Speaker Boehner has told me he has the votes for his proposals on his side of the aisle and that he will not need our help …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers


N.S.A. Gathers Data on Social Connections of U.S. Citizens — WASHINGTON — Since 2010, the National Security Agency has been exploiting its huge collections of data to create sophisticated graphs of some Americans' social connections that can identify their associates, their locations at certain times …