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.

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.

This Is the Single Most Ridiculous Thing That's Been Said During the Shutdown  —  On Sunday, Sarah Palin and Ted Cruz converged on Washington, D.C., to co-headline a protest against the federal government's closure of the World War II Memorial.  It is perhaps not surprising that one of the more cynical …

Shutdown releases 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.

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.

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 …

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 …

Feds reviewed only one bid for Obamacare website design  —  WATCHDOG OBAMACARE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT ACCOUNTABILITY GAO  —  Federal officials considered only one firm to design the Obamacare health insurance exchange website that has performed abysmally since its Oct. 1 debut.

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.”

Republicans Are Still Hoping Democrats Will Give In Due to the Default Threat  —  Mitch McConnell, leader of the Senate Republicans, approached Democrats with a new offer over the weekend: He and his colleagues would vote to open the government and increase its borrowing authority …

Alec Baldwin Betters MSNBC In Crowd But Costs In Demo, Trounced by Hannity  —  Alec Baldwin's premiere of his new MSNBC interview show Up Late With Alec Baldwin logged an average of 654,000 viewers on Friday - up 53% compared to the timeslot's take one week earlier.