memeorandum: Talking seen as ‘breakthrough’ on Capitol Hill (Greg Clary/CNN)

2:20 PM ET, October 13, 2013

Top Items:

Government Shutdown Negotiations Stuck On Sequestration — WASHINGTON — As the United States government approaches a deadline for raising the debt limit and the government shutdown nears its second week, Senate Democrats are taking a stand on sequestration.

Discussion: Washington Monthly, ThinkProgress, Post Politics, No More Mister Nice Blog, Hullabaloo, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion, National Review, Business Insider, The Raw Story and New York Times

Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:

Lindsey Graham: No Debt Deal Without House GOP Support — Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said Sunday that no Senate Republicans would vote to advance a government spending/debt-limit increase bill that replaces the automatic budget cuts known as sequestration, which Senate Democrats are reportedly considering.

Discussion: Balloon Juice

Greg Clary / CNN:

Talking seen as ‘breakthrough’ on Capitol Hill — Washington (CNN) - The bar seems to be set pretty low on Capitol Hill, as one top lawmaker says just having Democrats and Republicans talking is a “breakthrough” - even though the two sides don't have a deal in the midst of a multifaceted budget crisis.

Discussion: Politico, The People's View and Outside the Beltway

John Bresnahan / Politico:

‘Dangerous’ Lindsey Graham vents frustrations — Sen. Lindsey Graham is angry. He's frustrated. He's upset. In his own words, he's “very dangerous.” — With the government shutdown now in its 12th day, and a possible U.S. debt default looming on Oct. 17, the veteran Republican was in the mood to lash out at everyone Saturday.

Discussion: The Huffington Post, msnbc.com, Prairie Weather, The Moderate Voice, CNN, Outside the Beltway, Hot Air, PoliticusUSA, Liberaland and The Hill

Dylan Scott / Talking Points Memo:

Corker: ‘Things Are Not Moving Now’ On Debt Deal — Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) painted a grim picture Sunday of ongoing negotiations to re-open the government and increase the debt limit. — “I think things are not moving now,” Corker said on Fox News Sunday. “The last 24 hours have not been good.”

Jonathan Karl / ABC News:

Talks to End Shutdown, Raise Debt Ceiling Deadlocked — Talks on ending the government shutdown and preventing default have once again deadlocked, but this time it is Democrats who are demanding changes to current law as a condition for ending the impasse. — With the two sides now negotiating …

Discussion: Outside the Beltway, Wall Street Journal, Taylor Marsh and Politico

New York Times:
Senate Leaders Talk; G.O.P. Blames Obama for Gridlock

Discussion: Gawker and Washington Post

New York Times:
Senate Takes Lead as House Republicans' Talks With White House Fail

Discussion: The Caucus, Washington Monthly, Politico and Roll Call

Keith Laing / The Hill:

Paul ‘cannot accept’ sequester increase — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday that he is not willing to support any deal to raise the federal debt ceiling that includes increases in government spending that rise above the levels that have been in place since the implementation of the sequester budget cuts.

Discussion: Politico

Nick Gass / Politico:
Rand Paul: Sequester's the law of the land

Discussion: Business Insider

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

A Mad Tea Party — WASHINGTON — HOW awful are Ted Cruz and his Cruzettes? — They have done the impossible. They have made Americans look back at the Bush II era, the most reckless wrecking ball in American history, with relative nostalgia. — With 78 percent of Americans feeling blue …

Discussion: Daily Kos

Robert Pear / New York Times:

From the Start, Signs of Trouble at Health Portal — WASHINGTON — In March, Henry Chao, the chief digital architect for the Obama administration's new online insurance marketplace, told industry executives that he was deeply worried about the Web site's debut.

Discussion: The Strata-Sphere, Power Line, Business Insider, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Weekly Standard

WTOP.com:

Crowd storms World War II Memorial … WASHINGTON - Thousands of people converged on the World War II Memorial on the National Mall on Sunday morning and tore down the barricades blocking it off, protesting the closure of the memorial during the federal government shutdown.

Discussion: Associated Press, AMERICAblog News, Scared Monkeys and The Raw Story

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

G.O.P.'s Hopes to Take Senate Are Dimming — WASHINGTON — Next year was supposed to be a prime opportunity for Republicans to retake the Senate. And for a while, everything seemed to be breaking their way: a wave of Democratic retirements, a fluke in the electoral map that put a large number …

Discussion: Hullabaloo

Kyle Balluck / The Hill:

McCain: Get Biden out of ‘witness protection’ — Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Sunday that President Obama should be more engaged in talks to reopen the federal government and avoid default on the nation's debt, adding that “maybe we need to get Joe Biden out of the witness protection program.”

Discussion: Politico