Collision course: CR and debt ceiling  —  A harsh reality began setting into Capitol Hill on Tuesday: The U.S. government may not reopen until the two parties reach a deal to raise the national debt ceiling.  —  Hours after federal agencies shuttered their doors for the first time in nearly two decades …

Why Boehner doesn't just ditch the hard right  —  Robert Costa is the National Review's Washington editor and one of the best-sourced reporters among House Republicans.  Like many others, I've relied on his reporting in recent days about how House Republicans are strategizing around the government shutdown.

Obama admin. knew about WWII veterans' request and rejected it  —  The White House and the Department of the Interior rejected a request from Rep. Steven Palazzo's office to have World War II veterans visit the World War II memorial in Washington, the Mississippi Republican told The Daily Caller Tuesday.

Rick Perry calls Obamacare ‘a criminal act’ as he stumps for Lonegan in Bergen County  —  Republican U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan (left) stands next to Texas Gov. Rick Perry (right) at a rally outside the Bendix Diner in Hasbrouck Heights this afternoon.  (Brent Johnson/The Star-Ledger)

Staunch Group of Republicans Outflanks House Leaders  —  WASHINGTON — They have had their fleeting moments on cable television.  Their closed-door run-ins with Speaker John A. Boehner spill occasionally into the pages of Capitol Hill newspapers.  But outside their districts …

Jellyfish Invasion Paralyzes Swedish Reactor  —  In an episode that evokes B-grade sci-fi movie plots from the 1950s, but actually reflects a continuing global problem, nuclear engineers in southeastern Sweden have been wrestling with a giant swarm of jellyfish that forced the shutdown of the world's largest boiling-water reactor.

The real story of the shutdown: 50 years of GOP race-baiting  —  A House minority from white districts want to destroy the first black president, and the GOP majority abets them  —  On the day the Affordable Care Act takes effect, the U.S. government is shut down, and it may be permanently broken.

White House turns to star power for ObamaCare boost  —  The White House is turning to local politicians and celebrities Wednesday to promote the second day that uninsured Americans can purchase coverage on the ObamaCare exchanges, following a launch that featured intense interest — and serious technical glitches.

The Saddest Paragraph You'll Read About the Government Shutdown Today  —  With NIH furloughs, children with cancer are being turned away from clinical trials.  —  You've heard about the Pandacam, the closed monuments and national parks, and the furloughed federal workers.

Conservative Organization Moves Forward With Hillary Clinton Movie Plans  —  Citizens United, which went to the U.S. Supreme Court over a film about the former first lady five years ago, is making a doc about her role as secretary of state to be released in 2016.

With Traditional GOP Allies Defecting, Big Business Takes Sides With Obama  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Having failed to persuade their traditional Republican allies in Congress to avert a government shutdown, business leaders fear bigger problems ahead, and they're taking sides …

President Obama shortens Asia trip  —  President Barack Obama is canceling part of his planned trip to Asia this weekend because of the government shutdown, the White House announced on Wednesday.  —  Obama called the presidents of the Philippines and Malaysia on Tuesday night …

Grayson blames shutdown on GOP literally drinking on the job  —  “Many of them seem loaded,” the liberal congressman says, charging his GOP colleagues smelled like alcohol  —  In a Tuesday interview, Rep. Alan Grayson charged that Republican House members have been literally intoxicated …