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The Last Conference — At the last GOP conference meeting of the two-week government shutdown, no lawmakers went to the microphones to give their take. — Instead, after Speaker John Boehner told Republicans they had “fought the good fight,” they all rose up to offer a standing ovation.
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The Gateway Pundit, Ricochet Conversations Feed and The Lonely Conservative
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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.
Discussion:
Politico and The Reality-Based Community

GOP Congressman Rips Tea Party Colleagues: 'I'm Not Sure They're Republicans' — Intra-party tensions are running high as end to shutdown nears. — Boustany (right): The tea party's allegiance is to outside interest groups, not conservative values. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Washington Examiner, Hot Air and Guardian


Obama signs bill ending partial shutdown, raising debt ceiling — President Obama early Thursday signed a short-term bill ending the partial government shutdown and raising the debt ceiling, capping one of the most bitter and brutal political fights in recent memory.
Discussion:
The Right Scoop, Weasel Zippers and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion


John Boehner to Willie: 'We Just Didn't Win'
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The Week, Weasel Zippers, Roll Call and Talking Points Memo

Boehner Safe — Speaker John Boehner may be preparing to bring …
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The Hill, Mediaite, FreedomWorks, Hot Air, The Week, The Plum Line, The Federalist and Politico

Matt Drudge Predicts Pelosi Will Be Next Speaker
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The Hinterland Gazette, The Moderate Voice and The Raw Story

GOP Rep. Mulvaney: Boehner ‘Hundred Percent Stronger’ Now
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Mediaite

Boehner says House will take up Senate budget plan
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NBCNews, The PJ Tatler, RIA Novosti, The Gateway Pundit, CNN, The Right Scoop and American Spectator


Republicans Back Down, Ending Budget Crisis — WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans conceded defeat on Wednesday in their bitter budget fight with President Obama over the new health care law as the House and Senate approved last-minute legislation ending a disruptive 16-day government shutdown …
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Fox News, WFPL, Business Insider, Politicker, Scared Monkeys, The Hill, Mediaite, ACS Blog, ataxingmatter, Firedoglake, The Week, Dealbreaker, The Hinterland Gazette, Washington Times, Corrente, Taegan Goddard's Wonk Wire, Towleroad News #gay, Balloon Juice, Washington Free Beacon, The Raw Story and CNN
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Senate Votes To Re-Open Government, Raise Debt Limit — In the first step of a two-step process, the Senate voted Wednesday night to re-open the federal government and raise the debt ceiling. — The bill passed 81-18. Among the senators who voted against the bill: Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn …
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his vorpal sword


Republicans Shut Down the Government for Nothing — After two weeks of closed government and a debt-limit freakout, a deal is on the horizon—and the GOP has little to show for the crisis caused by its demands. — With a deal to reopen the government apparently imminent Wednesday …


House to vote first on Senate plan
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Congress sends Obama bill to end shutdown
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The Moderate Voice, PostPartisan, Wonkblog, Post Politics, Business Insider, The Fix and The BLT

Senate and House pass bill to re-open the government, raise the debt ceiling
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Weekly Standard and The Gateway Pundit

CONGRESSMAN: ‘CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS’ IF GOP CAVES ON DEBT CEILING
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit and protein wisdom


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.
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Hume: Tea Party pushed budget stand-off because GOP ‘utterly failed’ to restrain bloated gov't
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Ace of Spades HQ, Mediaite, The Dish and Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion

Limbaugh: GOP Most ‘Irrelevant’ Political Party I Can Remember
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The Raw Story

The Tea Party and the GOP Crackup
Discussion:
Doug Ross, CNN and FOX News Radio


Cory Booker wins New Jersey Senate seat — Democrat Cory Booker won the special election for New Jersey's Senate seat on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported. The Newark mayor and heavy favorite in the race defeated Republican and former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan.
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Power Line, NewsBusters, Talking Points Memo, OpenSecrets.org and National Review
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Booker wins New Jersey Senate race — Newark Mayor Cory Booker won the New Jersey Senate special election on Wednesday night in an unsurprising finale to a surprisingly contentious race. — The Associated Press called the race for Booker, who led Lonegan 56 percent to 43 percent, with 52 percent of precincts reporting.

McConnell Deal Includes Kentucky Kickback — The Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) criticized U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) Wednesday for allowing a $2 billion Kentucky earmark to be added to the debt deal he negotiated with U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV). SCF Executive Director Matt Hoskins made the following statement:
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The Hill, Talking Points Memo, Politico, Liberaland, Washington Post, ThinkProgress, National Review and Conservatives4Palin
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McConnell-Reid Deal Includes $3 Billion Earmark for Kentucky Project — A proposal to end the government shutdown and avoid default orchestrated by Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and Democratic Leader Harry Reid includes a nearly $3 billion earmark for a Kentucky project.


Shutdown Deal Includes Nearly $3 Billion For Kentucky Dam Project — “According to the Army Corps of Engineers, 160 million taxpayer dollars will be wasted because of canceled contracts if this language is not included,” said Sen. Lamar Alexander, one of the authors of the language.
Discussion:
Washington Post, The Daily Beast, Power Line and National Review

Bridge Burning and Bridge Building
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The Daily Beast, The New Republic, BillMoyers.com, Hullabaloo, Hot Air, Liberaland, The Dish and A plain blog about politics

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 …
Discussion:
C-SPAN Video Library

S&P: Shutdown cost economy at least $24B — The government shutdown cost the nation's economy at least $24 billion and shaved 0.6 percent off the nation's economic growth, according to new analysis from Standard & Poor's. — With a deal seemingly headed for the finish line …
Discussion:
Econbrowser, PoliticusUSA and The Hinterland Gazette
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S&P: The Shutdown Took $24 Billion Out Of The US Economy
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ThinkProgress, Talking Points Memo and Wonkblog


Meet CGI Federal, the company behind the botched launch of HealthCare.gov — Over the past few weeks, if you've been paying attention at all to the unfolding disaster of people trying and failing to sign up for Obamacare online, one name keeps coming up: CGI Federal, the IT contractor …
Discussion:
Forbes, Doug Ross, ProPublica and The Daily Caller


U.S. eavesdropping agency chief, top deputy expected to depart soon — (Reuters) - The director of the U.S. National Security Agency and his deputy are expected to depart in the coming months, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, in a development that could give President Barack Obama a chance to reshape the eavesdropping agency.
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