Ted Cruz confronts President Obama at White House  —  Sen. Ted Cruz confronted President Barack Obama over his health care law during a meeting at the White House Friday attended by dozens of GOP senators.  —  Cruz told Obama that any deal to reopen the government must also provide relief for those negatively affected by Obamacare.

Ted Cruz?  Winnowed, Probably  —  I've been on the side of those who thought that Ted Cruz was a viable candidate for the Republican nomination in 2016.  Not a likely winner, but very plausible.  —  I'm pretty sure that's done now.  —  I was willing to defend Cruz's chances despite …

ESTABLISHMENT GOPERS ASSAIL TEA PARTY ON SHUTDOWN  —  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — From county chairmen to national party luminaries, veteran Republicans across the country are accusing tea party lawmakers of staining the GOP with their refusal to bend in the budget impasse in Washington.

America Needs a White Republican President  —  Admit it.  You want a white Republican president again.  —  Now before you start feeling like you're a racist, understand you are not.  —  Follow Joe For America on Facebook!  —  Wanting a white Republican president doesn't make you racist, it just makes you American.

'She's Got Really Hot Breasts, Man!'  Lonegan Aide Bashes Booker With X-Rated Rant  —  A top aide to Republican New Jersey Senate hopeful Steve Lonegan went into decidedly not-safe-for-work territory when TPM asked why he thinks his candidate has been gaining on Democratic opponent Cory Booker in recent polls.

Piers Morgan Expected to Lose 9PM Hour on CNN; Bill Weir to Move In?  —  Earlier this morning, we reported that Nightline anchor Bill Weir was departing ABC News for other pastures.  —  TVNewser beat us to the punch on the news that his new role is with CNN.  But that is only part of the story.

States pony up to open national parks, sights  —  The Grand Canyon, Statue of Liberty and Mount Rushmore are all open for business again — at least for about a week.  —  The three iconic national symbols will be at least temporarily reopened after the states of Arizona …

Court: NSA can continue sweeping phone data collection (Video)  —  The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court has granted the National Security Agency (NSA) permission to continue its collection of records on all U.S. phone calls.  —  The Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced …

Local group urges House Republicans to stand ground against Affordable Care Act  —  ‘The fight is here and now,’ says local business owner  —  Group urges GOP to stand ground against Affordable Care Act  —  DOYLESTOWN -  —  It's called the Affordable Care Act, but some say the president's …

Ben Carson Says Obamacare Is ‘Worst Thing’ To Happen To America Since Slavery  —  Tea Party favorite Dr. Ben Carson said the Obama administration's healthcare reform law is the worst thing to happen to the United States since slavery.  —  “I have to tell you Obamacare is, really I think …

Christie: 'If I was in the Senate right now, I'd kill myself'  —  Gov. Christie today blamed Republicans and Democrats for the government shutdown, saying “it's irresponsible of both sides to have allowed this to get where it's gotten.”  —  Asked during an editorial board meeting …

McLean Youth Lacrosse fights government shutdown in court; Langley Fork Park reopens  —  Fed up that the federal shutdown was keeping them off their practice fields, a group of young lacrosse players in Northern Virginia challenged the government in court.  And at least for now, they won.

First Thoughts: A divided GOP cannot stand  —  Why Republicans are losing the shutdown fight per the NBC/WSJ poll: They're divided — just look at the Tea Party vs. non-Tea Party split... Why Democrats are winning: They're united... There's now a sense of urgency for both the GOP and Obama …