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.

U.S. Says Navy SEALs Stage Raid on Somali Militants  —  NAIROBI, Kenya — A Navy SEAL team targeted a senior leader of the Shabab militant group in a raid on his seaside villa in the Somali town of Baraawe on Saturday, American officials said, in response to a deadly attack on a Nairobi shopping mall …

NBC: Police Remove Vietnam War Veterans at Memorial Wall  —  Via William Jacobson, NBC's affiliate in Washington, D.C. reports that police ordered tourists and Vietnam war veterans who were visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall to leave the memorial at one point on Friday.

TEXT OF OBAMA'S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH THE AP  —  President Barack Obama conducted an interview Friday with AP White House Correspondent Julie Pace that covered a wide range of topics - the government shutdown, the debt ceiling, health care, foreign affairs and the name of Washington's professional football team.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

Neb. high court nixes teen's request for abortion  —  OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — In a split decision released Friday, the Nebraska Supreme Court rejected a 16-year-old ward of the state's request to waive parental consent to get an abortion, saying the girl had not shown she is sufficiently mature …

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.