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.

Closure of War Memorials Continues to Cause Conflict  —  The closure of D.C.'s war memorials continues to be a source of contention for tourists and law enforcement officials.  —  Like the hundreds of World War II veterans who came to National Mall to pay their respects this week …

IMMEDIATE RELEASE  —  Statement by Secretary Hagel on the Pay Our Military Act  —  Today I am announcing that most DoD civilians placed on emergency furlough during the government shutdown will be asked to return to work beginning next week.  —  Immediately after President Obama signed …

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.

Some in G.O.P. Try to Pick and Choose Amid Spending Fight  —  WASHINGTON — Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, a hard-core leader of House conservatives who helped force a government shutdown in a fight over the scope of federal health care spending, sent out a statement on Wednesday bragging …

Federal Judge Smacks House Republican For Demanding Exemption From Republican Shutdown  —  Countless lawsuits where the United States is a party are now in limbo, thanks to the fact that the Justice Department lacks the resources to litigate them so long as the government is shut down.

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.

Arizona Is Only State To Stop Welfare Checks During Shutdown  —  Arizona appears to be the only state to have stopped cutting welfare checks during the federal government shutodown, the Arizona Republic reported Friday.  —  Republican Gov. Jan Brewer's administration announced this week …

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.

Rick Perry: California's bad on every front.  Vote for me?  —  Texas Gov. Rick Perry speaks to reporters at a news conference at the California Republican Party convention in Anaheim on Friday.  (Reed Saxon / Associated Press / October 4, 2013)  —  Just for the record …

Analysis: IT experts question architecture of Obamacare website  —  (Reuters) - Days after the launch of the federal government's Obamacare website, millions of Americans looking for information on new health insurance plans were still locked out of the system even though its designers scrambled to add capacity.