A U.S. Default Seen as Catastrophe Dwarfing Lehman's Fall  —  Anyone who remembers the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. little more than five years ago knows what a global financial disaster is.  A U.S. government default, just weeks away if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling …

In Conversation: Antonin Scalia  —  On the eve of a new Supreme Court session, the firebrand justice discusses gay rights and media echo chambers, Seinfeld and the Devil, and how much he cares about his intellectual legacy ("I don't").  —  a day that just happened to be the 27th anniversary …

Reid plotting to stay in power  —  Republicans are eager for November 2016 — and not just because Barack Obama's presidency will be in its final days.  —  It's when Harry Reid, the man reviled by Republicans for his inflammatory rhetoric and hardball tactics during the government shutdown, could be booted from his Nevada Senate seat.

The Boehner Bunglers  —  The federal government is shut down, we're about to hit the debt ceiling (with disastrous economic consequences), and no resolution is in sight.  How did this happen?  —  The main answer, which only the most pathologically “balanced” reporting can deny, is the radicalization of the Republican Party.

TV ad in Wyoming Senate race hits Liz Cheney on gay marriage  —  U.S. Senate candidate Liz Cheney, right, campaigns in Emblem, Wyo., this summer at the same time as her opponent, Sen. Michael B. Enzi, left.  (Dan Cepeda / Casper Star-Tribune / August 24, 2013)

Anxious Allies Aiding Booker in Senate Bid  —  Cory A. Booker is an undisputed star of a new generation of African-American leaders, electrifying liberal audiences with his oratory and charming the social media set with his digital savvy.  —  But the Senate campaign Mr. Booker, a Democrat …

ATF tries to block whistleblowing agent's ‘Fast and Furious’ book  —  1st Amendment battle over ‘gun-walking’ expose  —  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is blocking the main whistleblower in the Fast and Furious case from publishing a book for pay …

Boy Boards Plane To Vegas At MSP Without Ticket  —  UPDATE: Boy Who Stowed Onto Vegas Flight At MSP In Protective Custody  —  MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) — A 9-year-old Minneapolis boy was able to get through security and onto a plane at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport without a ticket, an airport spokesman said Sunday.

Amber Alert Website Offline Due to Gov't Shutdown  —  The federal Amber Alert website on Sunday displayed a sparse, white screen with a simple message: It's a victim of the government shutdown.  —  “Due to the lapse in federal funding, this Office of Justice Programs (OJP) website is unavailable …

Software Defects Cripple Health-Care Website  —  Six days into the launch of insurance marketplaces created by the new health-care law, the federal government acknowledged for the first time Sunday it needed to fix design and software problems that have kept customers from applying online for coverage.

Rick Scott Acknowledges Flaws In 2012 Voter Purge, But Says Next One Will Be Better  —  Florida Gov. Rick Scott's (R) administration is owning up to flaws in last year's effort to purge noncitizens from voter rolls, the Miami Herald reported Sunday.  —  “I accept responsibility for the effort …

Supreme Court Has Deep Docket in Its New Term  —  WASHINGTON — After back-to-back terms ending in historic rulings that riveted the nation, the Supreme Court might have been expected to return to its usual diet of routine cases that rarely engage the public.