GOP quietly backing away from Obamacare  —  A fight over Obamacare?  That's so last week.  —  With the government shutdown firmly in its second week, and the debt limit projected to be reached next Thursday, top House and Senate Republicans are publicly moving away from gutting the health care law …

Republican Party Favorability Sinks to Record Low  —  Falls 10 percentage points from September's 38%  —  This article is part of an ongoing series analyzing how the government shutdown and the debate over raising the debt ceiling are affecting Americans' views of government, government leaders …

Eleanor Holmes Norton confronts Obama on D.C. budget bill  —  Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) had what some colleagues called “a heated exchange” and what she described as “a conversation” with President Obama during a White House meeting Wednesday afternoon regarding the District's budget constraints …

U.S. plans to curb military aid to Egypt  —  The Obama administration will announce curbs on a significant part of nonessential military aid to Egypt within a few days, U.S. officials said Tuesday, marking a shift in America's relations with one of its key Arab allies.

Announcing Fed Nomination, Obama Praises Yellen  —  WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday announced what he called perhaps his most important economic decision, nominating Janet L. Yellen to lead the Federal Reserve system and be his independent co-steward of the economy, calling her …

Ted Cruz poll shows GOP gained in fight over Obamacare despite shutdown  —  BARACK OBAMA OBAMACARE REPUBLICAN PARTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY POLLS TED CRUZ PENNAVE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN  —  Sen. Ted Cruz during a closed-door lunch on Wednesday argued to his Republican colleagues that the campaign …

Let's Get Cynical  —  Why should we trust the government—especially now?  —  “An old friend who has been active in politics for more than 30 years tells me he's giving up,” claims Robert Reich in a Puffington Host post: " 'I can't stomach what's going on in Washington anymore,' he says.

Press Release - First Letter from Julian Assange to Benedict Cumberbatch Over The Fifth Estate  —  Today WikiLeaks publishes the first letter from Julian Assange to Benedict Cumberbatch regarding “The Fifth Estate”, a Dreamworks movie about WikiLeaks set to open in the UK on Friday 11 Oct …

Chelsea Manning statement: 'I don't consider myself anti-war or a conscientious objector'  —  US soldier convicted over WikiLeaks disclosures says she did not leak the documents because she was explicitly motivated by pacifism

White House, IRS exchanged confidential taxpayer info  —  Top Internal Revenue Service Obamacare official Sarah Hall Ingram discussed confidential taxpayer information with senior Obama White House officials, according to 2012 emails obtained by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and provided to The Daily Caller.

Bachmann: Obama ‘Committed Impeachable Offenses,’ Wants To Be A Dictator  —  Speaking with conservative talk show host Rusty Humphries on a conference call sponsored by TheTeaParty.net yesterday, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota suggested that the House hold hearings on impeaching the president.

Ohio's GOP Governor May Adopt Obamacare Via Executive Order  —  Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) is considering accepting Obamacare's Medicaid expansion in his state via executive order, his office confirmed to TPM, after the state legislature stymied his efforts earlier this year.

You're still legally dead, judge tells Fostoria man  —  Donald Eugene Miller Jr. walked out of Hancock County Probate Court on Monday as legally dead as ever.  —  In 1994, the court ruled that Miller was legally dead, eight years after he disappeared from his Arcadia rental home.

Is the Shutdown Creating a Dystopic Political Future?  —  Let's cast our minds forward a few weeks, to after the shutdown/default crisis is over.  At that point, the 2014 off-year elections will be only a year away.  And what will the lasting effect of this episode be?  Maybe not all that much.