Boehner Pledges to Avoid Default, Republicans Say  —  WASHINGTON — Speaker John A. Boehner has privately told Republican lawmakers anxious about fallout from the government shutdown that he would not allow a potentially more crippling federal default as the atmosphere on Capitol Hill turned increasingly tense on Thursday.

DC attacker a dental hygienist, shot dead after chase  —  Alex Leary tweeted, “Something happening outside Capitol.  Police running around with guns at ready.”  —  @learyreports via Twitter  —  @MarcSchloss tweeted: “No joke on Capitol Hill as Cops are running with machine guns as reports of shots being fired at Capitol.”

Congressman Confronts Park Ranger Over Closed WWII Memorial  —  Conflict over the responsibility for the government shutdown got personal at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Wednesday when a member of Congress confronted a U.S. Park Service Ranger over access to the closed park land.

Out of ideas, House GOP considers Hail Mary  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL CONGRESS BARACK OBAMA OBAMACARE PAUL RYAN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REPUBLICAN PARTY HARRY REID JOHN BOEHNER DAVE CAMP GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN  —  As the partial government shutdown enters its third day, many House Republicans …

Live mic catches Senators McConnell and Paul talking strategy  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. - WPSD Local 6 got an inside glimpse Wednesday night to how much the government shutdown is about the messaging for congressional lawmakers.  —  After finishing an interview with CNN, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul ran …

Chad Henderson Signed Up for Obamacare and Every... Single... Media Outlet Is on It!  —  On October 1, Chad Henderson successfully signed up for a health care exchange as part of the Affordable Care Act.  He was instantly catapulted into the national spotlight as the White House …

Congressman Mansplains The Shutdown To CNN Anchor: 'You're Beautiful But You Need To Be Honest'  —  CNN's Carol Costello confronted Rep. Todd Rokita (R-IN) over his party's continued crusade against Obamacare Thursday morning, pushing him to admit that Republicans' “divisive approach” …

Millions of Poor Are Left Uncovered by Health Law  —  A sweeping national effort to extend health coverage to millions of Americans will leave out two-thirds of the poor blacks and single mothers and more than half of the low-wage workers who do not have insurance, the very kinds of people …

Gulf Coast hurricane watch as Karen moves north  —  Are you affected by the storm?  Share your photos and videos with CNN iReport if you can do so safely.  —  (CNN) — A hurricane watch is in effect for parts of the U.S. Gulf Coast after Tropical Storm Karen formed in the southeastern portion …

Congressman Who Appeared To Blame Democrats For Shooting “Tweeted Out Of Emotion,” He Says  —  Says he did not mean to blame Obama, Schumer and Pelosi.  —  WASHINGTON — Arkansas Congressman Tim Griffin, a Republican, said he had “tweeted out of emotion” on Thursday after appearing to blame Democrats for a shooting on Capitol Hill.