House Leaders Float New Plan After Dissent Stalls Progress  —  WASHINGTON — Negotiations to reopen the government and avert a possible default just two days away were temporarily suspended Tuesday, and Senate Republicans emerged from a closed-door lunch saying they had to wait …

I, Rielle Hunter, Apologize  —  I behaved badly.  That may seem obvious to you but it's taken me a long time to admit that, even to myself.  For years I was so viciously attacked by the media and the world that I felt like a victim.  I now realize that the attacks are actually beside the point.

13 THINGS THAT DEFINE THE NEW AMERICAN CENTER  —  It is bigger than you think...  An exclusive Esquire-NBC News survey shows us that everything we are told about politics in America today—that there is no middle ground between left and right, blue and red, us and them—is wrong.

The default has already begun  —  The big question in Washington this week is whether, in the words of the NYT, we're going to see “a legislative failure and an economic catastrophe that could ripple through financial markets, foreign capitals, corporate boardrooms, state budget offices and the bank accounts of everyday investors”.

Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Guilty Plea by Former San Diego Mayor  —  SAN DIEGO - Attorney General Kamala D. Harris today announced that former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner has plead guilty to one count of felony false imprisonment and two counts of misdemeanor battery.

Hillary who?  Bloody-minded London traffic warden defies five furious secret service agents to give Hillary Clinton a ticket  —  This is the extraordinary moment that Hillary Clinton's security staff got into an argument with a traffic warden after he issued her car with a parking ticket.

What This Cruel War Was Over  —  It is not so much the behavior of the lone idiot that matters, but the tenor of the crowd around him.  —  On Sunday, a group of conservative radicals held a protest in Washington.  Eventually they walked to the White House.

'The Kelly File's' surge is legit, Nielsen says  —  MSNBC had questioned Fox News show's 100% ratings increase  —  Megyn Kelly hosts the Fox News Channel's new show “The Kelly File.”  —  Nielsen has conducted an investigation into the ratings for Megyn Kelly's new Fox News Channel show …

Exclusive: Glenn Greenwald Will Leave Guardian To Create New News Organization  —  The reporter who broke the NSA story promises “a momentous new venture.”  A “very substantial new media outlet” with serious backing, he says.  —  Greenwald in Rio de Janeiro in July.  —  Sergio Moraes / Reuters

As Debt Limit Deadline Nears, Concern Ticks Up But Skepticism Persists  —  Despite Image Problems, GOP Holds Ground on Key Issues  —  With just two days to go before an Oct. 17 deadline to raise the nation's debt limit, 51% of the public views a rise in the nation's debt limit as …

‘So much wrong’: Aetna CEO blasts Obamacare tech debacle  —  Aetna CEO: Convinced Obamacare was going to be difficult launch  —  Mark Bertolini explains why he was nervous about the Affordable Care Act rollout and his concerns about whether enough people will sign up to make the program work.

McAuliffe leads Cuccinelli by 7 points as Va. voters blame GOP for shutdown  —  Virginia voters looking for somebody to blame for the government shutdown impacting federal workers in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads have settled on gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli …

Mediaite's Tommy Christopher Grills Jay Carney: If Obamacare Delayed, Will GOP ‘Delay Heart Attacks?’  —  Mediaite's Tommy Christopher grilled White House Press Sec. Jay Carney on Tuesday over the status of negotiations between Congressional Republicans, Senate Democrats and the White House …

Dewhurst Calls for Obama's Impeachment … During an appearance at a Tarrant County Tea Party candidate forum, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called for President Obama to be impeached, a spokesman for his campaign confirmed Monday night.  —  Dewhurst's comments were first reported on Twitter …

FAST FOOD, POVERTY WAGES: THE PUBLIC COST OF LOW-WAGE JOBS IN THE FAST-FOOD INDUSTRY  —  Executive Summary  —  Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of enrollments in America's major public benefits programs are  —  from working families.  But many of them work in jobs that pay wages so low that their paychecks do