Many in G.O.P. Offer Theory: Default Wouldn't Be That Bad  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Richard Burr, Republican of North Carolina, a reliable friend of business on Capitol Hill and no one's idea of a bomb thrower, isn't buying the apocalyptic warnings that a default on United States government debt …

AP-GfK Poll: Republicans get most blame for shutdown, tea party is potent and divisive factor  —  WASHINGTON — Americans are holding Republicans primarily responsible for the partial government shutdown as public esteem sinks for all players in the impasse, President Barack Obama among them, according to a new poll.

Chris Christie makes point on Obamacare  —  Republican Gov. Chris Christie said Tuesday that he doesn't like Obamacare but that he found a way to deal with it in New Jersey, another signal that he sees the government shutdown as an opportunity to contrast himself with feuding parties in Washington.

Here's How We Can End This Stalemate  —  Both Reagan and Clinton negotiated debt-ceiling deals with their opponents.  We're ready to negotiate.  —  The president is giving Congress the silent treatment.  He's refusing to talk, even though the federal government is about to hit the debt ceiling.

Obama meets with Krauthammer, Gigot  —  President Obama held an off-the-record meeting with five conservative journalists on Tuesday afternoon.  —  Present at the meeting were Charles Krauthammer, the Washington Post columnist and Fox News contributor; Paul Gigot, the Wall Street Journal …

U.S. to halt Egypt aid after coup, turmoil  —  Clashes in Egypt  —  Washington (CNN) — The United States will cut off aid to Egypt in the wake of the July coup against President Mohamed Morsy and the turmoil that has followed, a U.S. official said Tuesday.  —  The Obama administration withheld some military aid to Egypt in August.

What's happening in the Treasury bill market today should terrify you  —  This is likely the scariest graph you will see today.  It shows the interest rate for the Treasury bill maturing on Oct. 31.  It has spiked dramatically in the last 48 hours.  —  A lot of the market indicators …

Liberal Intolerance: You Believe What?  —  I was at a dinner recently where I happened to be seated at a table with new acquaintances of the liberal political persuasion.  —  We went around the table introducing ourselves.  As I said that I work for a “conservative website,” …

Obama to Pick Yellen as Leader of Fed, Officials Say  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama will nominate Janet L. Yellen as chairwoman of the Federal Reserve on Wednesday, administration officials said Tuesday night, ending an unusually public search to fill one of the most important economic policy-making jobs in the world.

8 lawmakers arrested at immigration rally  —  Nationwide demonstrations calling for comprehensive immigration reform culminated with a rally in Washington on Tuesday to forcefully press lawmakers to overhaul the nation's immigration laws this year.  —  In an attempt to ramp up the heat …

Applying government shutdown logic to the baseball playoffs  —  Braves fan Paul Kaplan was quite upset that the Braves lost in the NLDS last night.  So upset that he wrote his congressman about it.  —  I have to say, I never would have considered this, but if this logic applies in baseball …

Obama cousin makes Sen. Roberts primary challenge official  —  Milton Wolf, a distant cousin of President Obama, on Tuesday made his primary challenge to Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kans.) official.  —  Wolf alerted press on Monday to his planned announcement, and on Tuesday evening confirmed expectations …

‘Gestapo’ tactics meet senior citizens at Yellowstone  —  NEWBURYPORT — Pat Vaillancourt went on a trip last week that was intended to showcase some of America's greatest treasures.  Instead, the Salisbury resident said she and others on her tour bus witnessed an ugly spectacle that made her embarrassed, a

Exchange Competition Cuts Health Insurance Costs: BGOV Insight  —  Competition among insurers offering coverage through federal exchanges established under the Affordable Care Act is driving down the premiums charged in the new marketplaces by as much as one third, according to a Bloomberg Government analysis.

FULL TRANSCRIPT: President Obama's Oct. 8 news conference on the shutdown and debt limit  —  President Obama delivered a statement and took questions from reporters on the partial government shutdown and the looming fight over reaising the federal debt ceiling on Oct. 8 at the White House.