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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …