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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

HISTORIANS PUT AN ASTERISK ON US DEBT CLAIM  —  You are here  —  Home » United States Congress » Historians put an asterisk on US debt claim  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — You hear a perfect record cited over and over in the debt limit debate: The United States has never defaulted.

The Life of a Newspaper  —  This is the last time you will be reading The International Herald Tribune; as of tomorrow, it is The International New York Times.  But weep not:  —  This is not the first name change for what was popularly known in its early years as the “Paris Herald,” …

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!