White House, Senate Democrats step up pressure to raise federal debt ceiling  —  The White House and Senate Democrats on Monday sought to increase pressure on House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) to raise the federal debt ceiling — if only for several weeks — with just 10 days until …

White House: Obama Will Never Negotiate On The Debt Limit Again  —  White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that lifting the debt ceiling will be non-negotiable for as long as Barack Obama is president.  —  “Whether it's today, or a number of weeks from now, or a number of months from now …

Senate to Move Ahead on ‘Clean’ Debt-Limit Increase  —  The Senate is preparing to move ahead this week on legislation to raise the nation's debt ceiling, Senate aides told ABC News, with Majority Leader Harry Reid expected to file a bill later today or Tuesday on a “clean” debt-limit increase, without any restrictions.

Why Obama Must Talk to the GOP  —  The president doesn't need to cave on Obamacare to help end the GOP-inspired fiscal crisis.  —  President Barack Obama visits M. Luis Construction on October 3, 2013 in Rockville, Maryland.  (Dennis Brack-Pool/Getty Images)  —  I am on record advocating two seemingly incongruous positions.

Obamacare or the Debt Ceiling  —  Republicans are winning the shutdown fight, and Democrats know it.  —  People turning on the news this week came away with the knowledge that it was about Obamacare and kept hearing that Democrats wouldn't negotiate.  They also learned that for some reason …

Obama dares Boehner to hold vote on ‘clean’ funding bill  —  President Obama dared Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Monday to prove there aren't enough votes in the House to pass a “clean” bill to reopen the government.  —  “The House should hold that vote today,” Obama said during a visit …

Smash-mouth Reid (Video)  —  President Obama has handed over the reins of leadership on government funding and the debt limit to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).  —  Reid is now fully in charge of his party's negotiating strategy, a significant change from past showdowns with Republicans.

Republicans Lose Ground vs. Obama in the Shutdown Blame Game  —  The Republicans in Congress have lost ground against Barack Obama in blame over the government shutdown, with Americans expressing increasing criticism of both parties in Washington, while the president's avoided that rise in public ire.

CNN Shutdown Poll: Plenty of blame to go around  —  Washington (CNN) - Most Americans say the government shutdown is causing a crisis or major problems for the country, according to a new national poll.  —  And while a CNN/ORC International survey also indicates that slightly more people …