Tea Party's Image Turns More Negative  —  Ted Cruz's Popularity Soars among Tea Party Republicans  —  The Tea Party is less popular than ever, with even many Republicans now viewing the movement negatively.  Overall, nearly half of the public (49%) has an unfavorable opinion of the Tea Party, while 30% have a favorable opinion.

Winners and losers of the debt-limit fight  —  The 2013 fiscal showdown was ugly, especially for Republicans.  —  Both parties have scoffed that there are winners and losers in the debate.  —  Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) recently said, “This isn't a damn game!”

Ryan breaks from Boehner, votes ‘no’  —  Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) split with his party's leadership and voted against the Senate fiscal agreement on Wednesday night.  —  In a statement, Ryan called the legislation to reopen the government and lift the debt ceiling “a missed opportunity” to reduce the federal debt.

Cory Booker makes history as he defeats Steve Lonegan in U.S. Senate election  —  NEWARK — Cory Booker's star-quality and his skill at surviving the roughhouse politics of New Jersey's biggest city took him from the mayor's office to the U.S. Senate today in a hard-fought victory over Republican iconoclast Steve Lonegan.

The Vote to Free the Hostages  —  It was a foregone conclusion that the bill to end the manufactured fiscal crisis would sail through Congress once Ted Cruz foreswore a filibuster and John Boehner abandoned the “Hastert Rule.”  The actual votes were anticlimactic, but still interesting.

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 …

Graham: Polls factored into GOP folding  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday that the polling backlash against the Republican Party was one of the reasons Senate Republicans were eager to cut a deal with Democrats.  —  “Well you can't let 20 or 30 polls cloud you're thinking apparently …

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 …

Norquist: Defunders Owe Conservatives an Apology  —  Grover Norquist isn't happy with the Defunders.  The Americans for Tax Reform president told reporters today that they have a lot of apologies to make and bridges to re-build.  —  “It'd be a good idea if they stopped referring …

House stenographer hauled from floor  —  A House floor stenographer was abruptly hauled out of the chamber after charging the dais and screaming during Wednesday's late night vote on raising the debt ceiling and funding the federal government.  —  As the bill sailed toward final passage …