Senate leaders nearing a deal  —  Senate leaders are closing in on a deal to reopen the government and extend the U.S. debt ceiling until next year, marking a major breakthrough in an impasse that has paralyzed Washington for the last two weeks, according to several sources familiar with the talks.

Sarah Palin: Barack Obama flirts with impeachment  —  President Barack Obama is risking “impeachable” offenses with the way he is handling the debt limit debate, former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said in a post on her Facebook page Monday.  —  “Defaulting on our national debt is an impeachable offense …

Five thoughts on the Obamacare disaster  —  1. So far, the Affordable Care Act's launch has been a failure.  Not “troubled.”  Not “glitchy.”  A failure.  But “so far” only encompasses 14 days.  The hard question is whether the launch will still be floundering on day 30, and on day 45.

Poll: Republicans losing no-win game  —  All of Washington's elected leaders earn negative marks for handling budget negotiations, but the public's ire toward Republicans in Congress has hardened quicker than disapproval of President Obama and Democrats through a fortnight of failed negotiations.

Government shutdown unleashes racism  —  Question: If Ted Cruz and John Boehner were both on a sinking ship, who would be saved?  —  Answer: America.  —  Harsh?  Look around you at what is happening to America and you will see harsh.  I am not talking about closed parks and monuments.

What Republican Suicide Would Look Like  —  As most are now aware, the Republican Party is taking a beating at the polls.  GOP favorability is now at historic lows and they are taking the brunt of the blame for the government shutdown.  —  These numbers are bad enough for Republicans.

North Andover High Punishes Teen For Giving Drunken Pal Ride Home From Party  —  NORTH ANDOVER (CBS) — It's tough for Eleanor Cox to talk about how heartbroken her daughter Erin is over the punishment she received for doing what she thought was right.  —  “She's very fragile and I'm worried about her.

Walmart shelves in Springhill, Mansfield, cleared in EBT glitch  —  Shelves in Walmart stores in Springhill and Mansfield, LA were reportedly cleared Saturday night, when the stores allowed purchases on EBT cards even though they were not showing limits.  —  The chaos that followed ultimately …

Obama Makes Sandwich  —  A break from the shutdown to help out the needy.  —  President Obama visited Martha's Table in Washington D.C. Monday.  The food bank helps low-income families.  Obama met with furloughed federal workers who were helping out, according to the White House pool report.

This Video Of Republicans Tightening Control Of House Is As Unusual As It Seems  —  The video of an exchange between Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen and GOP Rep. Jason Chaffetz over Republican rule changes spread like wildfire this weekend.  GOP leaders are hanging on by their fingernails.

This Republican Congressman Wants To Put The US Through Chapter 13 Bankruptcy  —  This weekend, Business Insider politics reporter Brett LoGiurato went to Gainesville, Florida to interview Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) who has insisted that hitting the debt ceiling would “bring stability to the world markets.”

Neighbors: Cory Booker never lived in Newark  —  As Cory Booker looks set to win the junior Senate seat in New Jersey Wednesday, his supposed neighbors in Newark say Mayor Booker doesn't live in the Gateway City.  —  Multiple residents of Newark told The Daily Caller that the longtime mayor …

NBC host Bob Costas: Washington Redskins nickname ‘an insult, a slur’  —  Bob Costas of NBC Sports waded into the controversy over the Washington Redskins nickname Sunday night, devoting a commentary to the topic at halftime of the nationally televised game between the Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys.

UPDATED: Alec Baldwin's MSNBC Talker Premieres Up In Viewers, Mixed In Demo  —  UPDATED, 4 PM: The premiere of Up Late With Alec Baldwin, Alec Baldwin's interview show on MSNBC, logged an average of 654,000 viewers on Friday — up 53% compared with the time slot's take one week earlier.

GOP won't win Senate if they ‘pussyfoot’ through negotiations, says GOP rep.  —  Rep. Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) predicted Senate Republicans will never win back control of the chamber if they continue to “pussyfoot” around in budget negotiations.  —  Labrador said the problem …

6 Questions For Niall Ferguson  —  Niall Ferguson has produced a devastating chart showing that, compared to me and the rest of Paul Krugman's claque of vicious bloggers, he is very good at Twitter.  —  His index is a simple calculation of followers divided by tweets, and voila, he comes out on top!