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 …

Rebels kidnap Libyan PM Ali Zeidan, his office says  —  (CNN) — Armed men kidnapped Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan at dawn Thursday and took him to an undisclosed location, his office said.  —  The gunmen escorted the prime minister from the Corinthian Hotel in Tripoli into a convoy of waiting cars …

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 …

Yellen's Path From Liberal Theorist to Fed Voice for Jobs  —  BERKELEY, Calif. — When the economists Janet L. Yellen and George A. Akerlof hired a baby sitter for their son in the early 1980s, they decided to pay more than the going wage.  They reasoned that a happier baby sitter would provide better care.

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.

Developments in Financial Markets and the Federal Reserve's Balance Sheet  —  The Manager of the System Open Market Account reported on developments in domestic and foreign financial markets as well as the System open market operations during the period since the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) met on July 30-31, 2013.

Business Groups See Loss of Sway Over House G.O.P.  —  WASHINGTON — As the government shutdown grinds toward a potential debt default, some of the country's most influential business executives have come to a conclusion all but unthinkable a few years ago: Their voices are carrying little weight …

Alec Baldwin dishes on new show  —  Set your DVR.  Actor Alec Baldwin is making his MSNBC debut this weekend.  The star's weekly show, “Up Late With Alec Baldwin,” premieres on Friday night from 10-11, ET.  —  Ahead of the launch, Baldwin told POLITICO's Patrick Gavin how the show came together and what viewers can expect:

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 …

Release Detail  —  October 10, 2013 - Christie Holds Almost 2-1 Lead In New Jersey Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Voters Say Override Gov Veto On Same-Sex Marriage  —  Despite strong support for same-sex marriage, which New Jersey Gov. Christopher Christie is blocking …

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

Florida Defends New Effort to Clean Up Voter Rolls  —  LAUDERHILL, Fla. — Paving the way for a new attempt to remove noncitizens from voter rolls, Florida's election chief tried to stoke confidence on Wednesday in the revamped plan before a largely skeptical crowd in immigrant-heavy South Florida.

Guardian has handed a gift to terrorists', warns MI5 chief: Left-wing paper's leaks caused ‘greatest damage to western security in history’ say Whitehall insiders  —  A massive cache of stolen top-secret documents published in The Guardian has handed a ‘gift’ to terrorists, the head of MI5 warned last night.

In Crackdown Response, U.S. Temporarily Freezes Some Military Aid to Egypt  —  WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Wednesday announced a modest and temporary freeze on military assistance to Egypt, even as American officials stressed their desire to avoid rupturing a security relationship …