Republicans toss insults at Harry Reid  —  Washington's shutdown blame game is already in full force - and the government isn't even closed yet.  —  About 20 House Republicans gathered on the steps of the United States Senate on Sunday afternoon, a time usually reserved in the city for watching the Redskins.

Key players in the shutdown debate  —  Washington (CNN) — If the federal government shuts down starting Tuesday because of a bitter partisan battle over the new health care law, more people say congressional Republicans rather than President Barack Obama would be responsible, according to a new national survey.

STATES OF HEALTH  —  Ours can be an unforgiving country.  Paul Sullivan was in his fifties, college-educated, and ran a successful small business in the Houston area.  He owned a house and three cars.  Then the local economy fell apart.  Business dried up.

House Republican Hostage-Takers Are Unfit to Govern  —  They're threatening an economic shutdown that will cause financial hardship and even ruin for millions of Americans.  So let's call these House Republicans what they are, says Jon Favreau.  —  The most terrifying speech I ever wrote for President Obama was one he never gave.

Top MIT scientist: Newest UN climate report is ‘hilariously’ flawed  —  Not all scientists are panicking about global warming — one of them finds the alarmism “hilarious.”  —  A top climate scientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology lambasted a new report by the UN's climate bureaucracy …

Rebels Without a Clue  —  This may be the way the world ends — not with a bang but with a temper tantrum.  —  O.K., a temporary government shutdown — which became almost inevitable after Sunday's House vote to provide government funding only on unacceptable conditions — wouldn't be the end of the world.

The frauds on the Hill target Obama  —  Who are these people?  Of what are they made that they can say and do such things on the floor of Congress?  —  No nonsense is too great, no act too low.  —  House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) leaves the floor of the House in the wee hours of Sunday morning …

Justice Department Poised to File Lawsuit Over Voter ID Law  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is expected to sue North Carolina on Monday over its restrictive new voting law, further escalating the Obama administration's efforts to restore a stronger federal role in protecting minority voters …

Qaeda Plot Leak Has Undermined U.S. Intelligence  —  WASHINGTON — As the nation's spy agencies assess the fallout from disclosures about their surveillance programs, some government analysts and senior officials have made a startling finding: the impact of a leaked terrorist plot by Al Qaeda …

Lawyers Olson and Boies want Virginia as same-sex marriage test case  —  The legal team that overturned California's ban on same-sex marriage is targeting Virginia to launch another challenge aimed at convincing the Supreme Court that gays and lesbians have a constitutional right to marry no matter where they live.

Texas First Lady Calls Abortion 'A Woman's Right'  —  Texas first lady Anita Perry told an interviewer on Saturday that she thinks abortion is “a woman's right.”  —  Perry's husband, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R), has helped push through a slew of laws restricting and eroding access to abortion in the state.