Top Items:
Alexander Bolton / The Hill:
GOP's McConnell promises no more shutdowns over ObamaCare — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell says he will not allow another government shutdown as part of a strategy to repeal ObamaCare. — McConnell (Ky.) told The Hill in an interview Thursday afternoon that his party learned …
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Brian Beutler / Salon:
GOP's huge Tea Party mess has only just begun — The coming months could present him with even more headaches — Last night, Republicans stood aside as Congress increased the debt limit and reopened the government. In return, they got nothing. Or more accurately, they got something …
Discussion:
The Plum Line, New York Times and The Dish
Todd J. Gillman / Dallas Morning News:
Ted Cruz left with few friends after Obamacare fight fails, government shutdown ends, debt limit rises — Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he wouldn't try to block the Senate agreement. “There's nothing to be gained from delaying this vote one day or two days. The outcome will be the same,” Cruz said.
Discussion:
Boston Herald, Sky Dancing, The Reaction, Mediaite, Houston Chronicle and Althouse
Steve Almasy / CNN:
There's a little pork in that bill: The 5 most surprising provisions in the debt deal — (CNN) — So much for a “clean” bill. The measure passed by Congress to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling also contains some goodies and gifts tucked into the 35-page bill.
Discussion:
The Lead with Jake Tapper, Politico, Firedoglake, BizPac Review, The Fix and Senate Conservatives Fund
Tom Jensen / Public Policy Polling:
Grimes leads McConnell by 2
Grimes leads McConnell by 2
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Taegan Goddard's …
Abby D. Phillip / ABC News:
Ted Cruz Won't Rule Out Another Shutdown, But McConnell Does
Ted Cruz Won't Rule Out Another Shutdown, But McConnell Does
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, msnbc.com, National Review, Daily Kos and Business Insider
Todd Starnes / Fox News:
American taxpayers betrayed by chicken-hearted RINOs
American taxpayers betrayed by chicken-hearted RINOs
Discussion:
The Dish, Reuters, Twitchy and The Right Scoop
Rebecca Shabad / The Hill:
McConnell: ‘There was no earmark’
Bob Cusack / The Hill:
Winners and losers of the debt-limit fight
Winners and losers of the debt-limit fight
Discussion:
ThinkProgress, CNN, USA Today, TheBlaze.com, Taylor Marsh, Reuters, Politico and The Fix
Tal Kopan / Politico:
Eureka! Tea partiers know science — A finding in a study on the relationship between science literacy and political ideology surprised the Yale professor behind it: Tea party members know more science than non-tea partiers. — Yale law professor Dan Kahan posted on his blog this week …
Discussion:
Rush Limbaugh, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite, CANNONFIRE and Pew Research Center …
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The Atlantic Online:
The Conservative War on the GOP — What was once an uneasy alliance between Tea Partiers and Republican loyalists is increasingly marked by hostility—and many on the right now want a divorce. — On his radio show recently, Glenn Beck urged his listeners to “defund the GOP.”
Discussion:
Political Algebra, The Dish, NationalJournal.com, Outside the Beltway, Yahoo! News and Talking Points Memo
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
GOP Sen. Thad Cochran Gets Tea Party Challenger
GOP Sen. Thad Cochran Gets Tea Party Challenger
Discussion:
Hullabaloo
David Jackson / USA Today:
Obama to tap ex-Pentagon official for Homeland Security — President Obama plans to nominate former Pentagon attorney Jeh Johnson as the next secretary of homeland security, officials said Thursday. — Johnson, general counsel for the Defense Department during Obama's first term …
Discussion:
Weekly Standard, Pat Dollard and Washington's Blog
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ABC News:
Obama To Name Jeh Johnson Next Homeland Security Secretary … President Obama is expected to nominate former Pentagon lawyer Jeh Johnson as the next Homeland Security secretary, ABC News has learned. — The Department of Homeland Security has been without a Senate-confirmed leader for six weeks …
Daniel Klaidman / The Daily Beast:
Exclusive: Jeh Johnson Tapped to Lead Department of Homeland Security
Exclusive: Jeh Johnson Tapped to Lead Department of Homeland Security
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and New York Times
Kelly Kennedy / USA Today:
Tech experts: Health exchange site needs total overhaul — WASHINGTON — The federal health care exchange was built using 10-year-old technology that may require constant fixes and updates for the next six months and the eventual overhaul of the entire system, technology experts told USA TODAY.
Discussion:
National Review, Hot Air, “The Lid” and Washington Free Beacon
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Peter Suderman / Reason:
Administration Blows Its Credibility With Disastrous Obamacare Rollout
Administration Blows Its Credibility With Disastrous Obamacare Rollout
Discussion:
Health Care Policy …, Pat Dollard, Hit & Run, The Dish and CBS DC
Marshall Sella / GQ Magazine Online:
The Year of Living Carlos Dangerously — Anthony Weiner's sexting addiction nuked his political career (twice!), endangered his marriage (twice!), and turned him into a walking penis joke (forever!). — Marshall Sella tails Weiner through his doomed campaign for New York mayor …
Discussion:
TheBlaze.com, The Hill, Politico, Gawker, Talking Points Memo, Weasel Zippers, The Daily Caller, Politicker, Liberaland, Gothamist and Infowars
David Dayen / Salon:
Right-wing nuts nab new way to sabotage Obamacare — One low-profile component could prove costly — The final deal to avert a breach of the debt limit and end the government shutdown included what has been described as a “small concession” to Republicans: tightening the income verification measures …
Discussion:
Crooks and Liars and ThinkProgress
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Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
The GOP's income verification ‘concession’ is meaningless
The GOP's income verification ‘concession’ is meaningless
Discussion:
Washington Examiner, Talking Points Memo and The Week
Nick Gillespie / The Daily Beast:
The Abysmal, Pathetic Obamacare Rollout
The Abysmal, Pathetic Obamacare Rollout
Discussion:
Watchdog.org, Ed Driscoll, National Republican …, Weekly Standard, Infowars, Businessweek, Conservatives4Palin, Hit & Run and The Federalist
Louie Gohmert / CNN:
McCain, Gohmert spar over who's ‘intelligent’ — (CNN) - Sen. John McCain may be advising Republicans not to speak ill will of each other, but that's not stopping him from getting into a public exchange with fellow Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert. — Wednesday night, McCain charged that Gohmert …
Discussion:
Politico, Washington Monthly and GQ Magazine Online
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Ben Jacobs / The Daily Beast:
Gohmert Responds to McCain's Dimwit Dig
Gohmert Responds to McCain's Dimwit Dig
Discussion:
NBCNews, Talking Points Memo, Pat Dollard, Weasel Zippers, Mediaite and National Review
Fox News:
Stenographer dragged off House floor after protest — A House of Representatives stenographer was dragged off the floor during the vote to end the partial government shutdown and raise the U.S. debt ceiling after a bizarre protest in which she began ranting at members.
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Abby D. Phillip / ABC News:
House Stenographer Yanked From Chamber Ranting About God, Freemasons
House Stenographer Yanked From Chamber Ranting About God, Freemasons
Discussion:
Washington Monthly and ABC News
CNN:
Rep. Bill Young ‘gravely ill,’ family says — Washington (CNN) - Rep. Bill Young of Florida, the longest-serving Republican member of the House, is “gravely ill,” his family said in a statement Wednesday. — “[Young's] condition turned for the worse over night and he is gravely ill …
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Michael Hirsh / NationalJournal.com:
Hillary Clinton, Welcome to the White House — She has no Democratic challenger, and the Republican Party is no longer a credible opposition force. — Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton smiles as she waits to answer questions from an audience at Chatham House on October 11, 2013 in London, England.
Discussion:
Yahoo! News, Wonkblog, Hot Air and The Hinterland Gazette
Greg Miller / Washington Post:
Documents reveal NSA's extensive involvement in targeted killing program — It was an innocuous e-mail, one of millions sent every day by spouses with updates on the situation at home. But this one was of particular interest to the National Security Agency and contained clues that put …
Discussion:
The Long War Journal, The Daily Caller, Firedoglake, Shakesville, Mashable, The Raw Story, Hot Air, Liberaland, Techdirt and The Hill
Mental Floss:
Mental Floss Exclusive: Our Interview with Bill Watterson! … For the December issue of mental_floss magazine, Jake Rossen managed to do something we thought was impossible—he snagged an interview with the legendary Bill Watterson! Since we're guessing there are a few Calvin and Hobbes enthusiasts …
Discussion:
Guardian, ThinkProgress, Poynter, The Verge, Lawyers, Guns & Money and PopWatch
Evan McMorris-Santoro / BuzzFeed:
Design Firm Removes All Reference To Its Work On Obamacare From Its Website — Teal Media was founded by a former member of Obama's campaign design team. The firm says it took down all reference to its work on HealthCare.gov “in consultation” with the administration.
Discussion:
Hot Air and National Review
Associated Press:
Va. removes 40K from voter rolls over Democrats' objections — Democrats seek to have names restored; case to be heard Friday — Virginia elections officials say they have already purged nearly 40,000 names from the voter rolls, despite a lawsuit filed by Democrats seeking to keep those voters registered.
Discussion:
GovBeat and The Raw Story
Jeryl Bier / Weekly Standard:
Obamacare Website Violates Licensing Agreement for Copyrighted Software — Healthcare.gov, the federal government's Obamacare website, has been under heavy criticism from friend and foe alike during its first two weeks of open enrollment. Repeated errors and delays have prevented many users …
Discussion:
Pat Dollard, National Review and The Greenroom
Bruce Vielmetti / JSOnline:
Milwaukee man gets jail time for voting twice in presidential election — By Bruce Vielmetti of the Journal Sentinel — Chad Gigowski said he was not part of any organized election fraud effort, just high on alcohol and drugs when he voted twice in November's presidential election.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo
CBS News:
“Grenade-walking” part of “Gunwalking” scandal — New evidence in ATF's mysterious grenade smuggler case — Complete coverage of the gunwalking scandal — The gun battle took place last week in Guadalajara. Authorities say five members of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel used …
Discussion:
Weasel Zippers, Infowars and The PJ Tatler
Gautham Nagesh / Washington Wire:
Sen. Cruz Places Hold on Obama Nominee — The shutdown may be over, but Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) isn't done making trouble for the Obama administration. — A spokesman for Mr. Cruz said Thursday that he has placed a hold on the nomination of former telecom lobbyist and venture capitalist Tom Wheeler …
Discussion:
Politico and Talking Points Memo