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.

Rallier tells Obama to ‘put the Quran down’  —  Washington (CNN) - Angered by the closure of national landmarks due to the partial government shutdown, a crowd of conservatives removed barricades Sunday at the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial as they rallied against President Barack Obama …

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.

3 Reasons ‘Saving Face’ Is Overrated  —  There's a lot of talk now about how any resolution to the shutdown/default crisis will have to allow leaders to “save face”—particularly Speaker John Boehner, whose weakness in his own caucus precipitated the crisis and now prolongs it.

Debt Ceiling: China Calls for World to Be ‘De-Americanised’  —  Chinese government mouthpiece says ‘Pax Americana’ has failed on all fronts  —  China's official news agency has called for the creation of a “de-Americanised world”, saying the destinies of people should not be left in the hands …

Rand Paul: Sequester's the law of the land  —  Sen. Rand Paul said Sunday “the one thing” he could not accept as part of a deal to end the government shutdown is an increase in the sequestration caps.  —  “It's funny,” the Kentucky Republican said of Democrats.

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 …

Attorney General Gansler depicted as reckless passenger by Md. troopers who drove him  —  Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler regularly ordered state troopers assigned to drive him to turn on the lights and sirens on the way to routine appointments, directing them to speed …

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 …