Democratic cracks open in debt-limit fight  —  For the past several weeks, Senate Democrats and the White House have shown a remarkable amount of unity in the controversial fight surrounding the debt ceiling.  —  Then came shutdown Day Seven.  —  Just as top Senate Democrats began to lay …

John Boehner's New Headache  —  Catastrophic.  Brutal.  Dangerous.  Terrifying.  —  That's how lawmakers, the administration and market analysts have described the prospect of default if Congress fails to raise the borrowing limit on the nation's $16.7 trillion debt by the Treasury Department's Oct. 17 deadline.

GOP Proposes New Supercommittee to Resolve Impasse (Updated)  —  Updated 12:12 p.m. |  House Republicans will bring to the floor a bill to create a bipartisan, bicameral committee to address the current fiscal impasse that has shut down much of the government and threatens a debt default.

Stewart to Sebelius on health care law “Am I a stupid man?”  —  (CNN) - “The Daily Show” took a more serious turn Monday night when host Jon Stewart introduced his guest for the evening, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  —  Sebelius, who has been on a media blitz …

Insurers Getting Faulty Data From U.S. Health Exchanges  —  Insurers are getting faulty and incomplete data from the new U.S.-run health exchange, which may mean some Americans won't be covered even after they sign up for an insurance plan.  —  While it's not clear how widespread the problem is …

Shutdown Delays Benefits to Families of War Dead  —  WASHINGTON — Family members of four Americans killed in combat in Afghanistan over the weekend won't be flown at government expense to Dover Air Force Base to view the return of the soldier's bodies to the U.S., a result of the government shutdown …

The risk to the GOP House majority  —  In the current shutdown, John Boehner might be acting out of fear of losing his position.  If he doesn't appease the hardliners who are willing to take the government and economy over the brink for their goals, he could be ejected from the Speaker's seat.

Exchange launch turns into inexcusable mess: Our view  —  Health sites generate more error messages than coverage.  —  CONNECT  —  Over the first four days the new online health insurance exchanges were open last week, more than 8 million people visited them, according to the Obama administration.

AWKward: WH adviser Dan Pfeiffer apologizes for ‘horrendous’ N-word tweet … White House senior adviser Dan Pfeiffer is well on his way to having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. … Dude! … Not fast enough! … After the typo was brought to his attention, Pfeiffer apologized and deleted the tweet.

The Attorney General tries to reverse a Supreme Court ruling by the back door.  —  For Eric Holder, American racial history is frozen in the 1960s.  The Supreme Court ruled in June that a section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act is no longer justified due to racial progress …

The House GOP has nothing to show for its government shutdown  —  WHAT HAVE House Republicans managed to accomplish in a week of government shutdown?  —  Damage the livelihood of millions of Americans?  Check.  Government secretaries, food-truck operators, cleaners who work in motels near national parks: They're all hurting.

Biker cop joined in SUV beatdown, hit vehicle  —  Alexian Lien after he was attacked by motorcyclists on Sept., 28, 2013  —  An off-duty undercover cop who had claimed he took no active role as fellow bikers pulled a Manhattan dad from his SUV and beat him to a pulp was actually pounding …

Exclusive Gyms For Members Of Congress Deemed ‘Essential,’ Remain Open During Shutdown  —  Head Start programs have been shuttered, small businesses can't get loans and hundreds of thousands of federal government employees are furloughed.  But the exclusive gyms available only to members …

GOP shutdown shenanigans giving Dems a big recruiting boost?  —  Rep. Steve Israel, who is in charge of winning House races for Democrats, told Dem lawmakers at a closed door meeting today that GOP shutdown shenanigans were giving Dems a big recruiting boost, by prompting reluctant Dem candidates …

Obama and the Debt  —  PRINCETON, N.J. — THE Republicans in the House of Representatives who declare that they may refuse to raise the debt limit threaten to do more than plunge the government into default.  They are proposing a blatant violation of the 14th Amendment, which states that …

Shutdown Could Hamper Inspections of Seafood Imports  —  It's almost a week into the government shutdown and imported food Americans are eating is passing through with little of the inspection it's normally given.  —  Thanks to the shutdown, some food safety inspectors at the Food and Drug Administration …