How Democrats Got a Spine  —  The Republican Party taught them how to be uncompromising.  —  It's easy to forget, but this year began with a nick-of-time congressional compromise.  At the 11th hour, with Washington's supply of clichés nearly depleted, the House and Senate approved a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.

OBAMA TO PUBLIC: DON'T GIVE UP ON HEALTH SIGN-UPS  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Defending the shaky rollout of his health care law, President Barack Obama said frustrated Americans “definitely shouldn't give up” on the problem-plagued program now at the heart of his dispute with Republicans over reopening the federal government.

Police: Man on fire at National Mall dies  —  A man who set himself ablaze on the National Mall Friday has died of his injuries, according to authorities.  —  The individual passed away shortly before 9pm on Friday at a local hospital, a D.C. police spokesman told The Hill on Saturday.

FEDS TRY TO CLOSE THE OCEAN BECAUSE OF SHUTDOWN  —  Just before the weekend, the National Park Service informed charter boat captains in Florida that the Florida Bay was “closed” due to the shutdown.  Until government funding is restored, the fishing boats are prohibited from taking anglers into 1,100 square-miles of open ocean.

House approves back pay for workers hit by the shutdown  —  The House voted unanimously Saturday to retroactively pay back federal workers who are not receiving a paycheck because of the government shutdown.  —  Members approved the Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act, H.R. 3223, in a 407-0 vote, with 25 members not voting.

Swiss to vote on 2,500 franc basic income for every adult  —  (Reuters) - Switzerland will hold a vote on whether to introduce a basic income for all adults, in a further sign of growing public activism over pay inequality since the financial crisis.  —  A grassroots committee is calling …

Pent-Up Demand for Health Insurance  —  There were plenty of computer glitches when millions of Americans went online to check out their options for affordable insurance policies on the new health care exchanges that opened for business this week.  It was frustrating, but it was also an indication …

THE WOMAN WHO KNOWS THE NSA'S SECRETS  —  Trawling for needles in the data haystack

For Rep. Ted Yoho, government shutdown is ‘the tremor before the tsunami’  —  Why in the world would Ted Yoho ever back down?  —  “This one is from a 72-year-old lady: ‘Way to go, tiger,’” said Yoho (R-Fla.), a freshman congressman.  In the middle of the government shutdown that he had helped bring on …

Priests threatened with arrest if they minister to military during shutdown  —  In a stunning development, some military priests are facing arrest if they celebrate mass or practice their faith on military bases during the federal government shutdown.  —  “With the government shutdown …

U.S. expected to be largest producer of petroleum and natural gas hydrocarbons in 2013  —  The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that the United States will be the world's top producer of petroleum and natural gas hydrocarbons in 2013, surpassing Russia and Saudi Arabia.

A federal judge tells Congress what it can do with its urgent “Fast and Furious” litigation.  —  As we end the first week of a government shutdown that manages to be both catastrophic and juvenile at the same time, it's heartening to see that at least some folks in positions of authority …