New GOP strategy: Offer deal on debt limit, but keep shutdown fight going  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL REPUBLICAN PARTY JOHN BOEHNER DEBT CEILING GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN  —  Many House Republicans, including some key leaders, have decided they can live with a government shutdown but not with the threat of default.

President Obama's shameful death-benefit theater  —  The Obama administration insisted Tuesday it had no choice but to withhold death benefits to relatives of 1st Lt. Jennifer Moreno, a 25-year-old soldier born and raised in San Diego, and four other soldiers killed since the partial government shutdown began Oct. 1.

CONNECT  —  WASHINGTON—The partisan logjam that has paralyzed the capital showed signs of easing Wednesday, as conservative Republicans warmed to the idea of a short-term increase in the country's borrowing limit and House GOP leaders prepared for their first meeting with President Barack Obama since the government shutdown began.

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 …