Inside the Fox News lie machine: I fact-checked Sean Hannity on Obamacare  —  UPDATE I re-reported a Fox News segment on Obamacare — it was appallingly easy to see how it misleads the audience  —  I happened to turn on the Hannity show on Fox News last Friday evening.

Authorities probe threat against Cruz  —  Law enforcement officials are investigating a threat against Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who was vaulted into national prominence with his push to defund ObamaCare.  —  A person identifying himself as Troy Gilmore Jr., posted on Twitter Friday morning …

Texans Stick With Cruz Despite Defeat in Washington  —  HOUSTON — Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas and the face of the angry right, has been criticized, lambasted and lampooned for putting the nation through a 16-day government shutdown and the prospect of a financial default.

Kansas Supreme Court Suspends Ex-Attorney General Over Abortion Investigation  —  The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday indefinitely suspended former Attorney General Phillip Kline (R), who investigated abortion doctor George Tiller, from the practice of law in the state.

Sarah Palin Hints Mitch McConnell's 2014 Race Will Be Her Next Target  —  Hours after Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) played an integral role in brokering a deal to reopen the federal government, former Alaska Gov. and tea party favorite Sarah Palin hinted that his reelection race will be her next target.

Nate Silver previews site, hits POLITICO  —  Nate Silver, the statistician who recently joined ESPN from The New York Times, previewed his new website on Friday and dished out some criticisms of the current journalism environment, much of it directed at POLITICO.

Anatomy of a shutdown  —  House Speaker John Boehner just wanted to sneak out of the White House for a smoke.  —  But President Barack Obama pulled him aside for a grilling.  Obama wanted to know why they were in the second day of a government shutdown that the speaker had repeatedly and publicly pledged to avoid.

The Truthiness of Rand Paul  —  The junior senator from Kentucky could transform the GOP—if the facts don't get in his way.  —  LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Rand Paul was talking with University of Louisville medical students when one of them tossed him a softball.  “The majority of med students here today have a comprehensive exam tomorrow.

Docs worried sick over ObamaCare  —  New York doctors are feeling queasy about ObamaCare — and many won't participate in the new national insurance program because they fear they'll go broke, The Post has learned.  —  “ObamaCare is going to send me more patients to see and then cut …

NJ Supreme Court rules same-sex couples can marry beginning Monday  —  Same-sex marriages will begin Monday in New Jersey after the state Supreme Court ruled Friday that the state must begin granting same-sex marriage licenses, a rebuff to Gov. Chris Christie.

Jackson's stump stories of childhood deprivation challenged by acquaintances  —  E.W. Jackson, the Chesapeake preacher known for controversial rhetoric, is facing new challenges as his campaign for lieutenant governor of Virginia enters its final weeks.  —  According to interviews …

Video of men toppling rock formation in state park could have criminal consequences  —  HIGHLAND — Two men have come under scrutiny by the public and possibly by prosecutors after a video made the rounds online showing them pushing over an iconic rock formation.

Saudis Shock U.N., Quit Security Council Over Syria  —  Saudi Arabia took the extraordinary step Friday of refusing to take its seat on the U.N. Security Council — despite pursuing the position for years.  It's an unprecedented protest over the council's failure to take firmer action in Syria and Palestine.

Republican Rep. Bill Young, Florida's longest-serving member of Congress and a defense hawk who was influential on military spending during his 43 years in Washington, died Friday.  He was 82.  —  His chief of staff, Harry Glenn, said in an email that Young died at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda …

Are Private Schools Worth It?  —  A new book argues that public schools are actually academically superior.  —  Sarah Theule Lubienski didn't set out to compare public schools and private schools.  A professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she was studying math instructional techniques …

Family fights to include ‘Jesus’ on grave marker at city-owned cemetery  —  The family of a Colorado preacher's wife is still fuming after the director of the city-owned cemetery refused to engrave her final resting place with the name ‘Jesus’ because it might offend people.

Exclusive: NSA delayed anti-leak software at base where Snowden worked -officials  —  (Reuters) - The U.S. National Security Agency failed to install the most up-to-date anti-leak software at a site in Hawaii before contractor Edward Snowden went to work there and downloaded tens of thousands …

Uninsured Americans Still Unfamiliar With Health Exchanges  —  Seven in 10 not familiar with exchanges, unchanged since September  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Although federal and state health insurance exchanges opened on Oct. 1, 71% of Americans who lack health insurance — the primary target group …

Food Stamp Outage Highlights Problems With Privatization of Public Services  —  The government shutdown was not to blame for the crashing of the food stamp program for poor families in 17 states over the weekend, just the latest in a long line of snafus by private contractors hired by government.