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.

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.

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.

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.

Authorities looking into threat against Ted 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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

PLAYBOY INTERVIEW: BERNIE SANDERS  —  At a time when politicians—particularly members of Congress—are almost universally reviled and blind partisanship seems to dictate the fate of every piece of legislation, one U.S. senator stands out as a unique voice.  —  Bernie Sanders has been a senator from Vermont since 2006.

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.

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.

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 …

At Al Smith Dinner, Colbert Doesn't Spare Politicians  —  When the comedian Stephen Colbert took to the dais on Thursday for his keynote speech at the Al Smith white-tie charity dinner, the annual gathering of New York's Roman Catholic elite, he immediately flashed a sly glance at Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, sitting a few seats away.

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 …

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.

You Thought the Government Shutdown Was Over.  You Were Wrong.  —  It was an awful time.  Federal employees had to take unpaid furlough days.  Beneficiaries were thrown off of federal programs.  Courthouses had to be sold.  Federal agencies like the FBI, the Food and Drug Administration …

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 …

The China-Debt Syndrome  —  Matthew Yglesias notes an uptick in Very Serious People warning that China might lose confidence in America and start dumping our bonds.  He focuses on China's motives, which is useful.  But the crucial point, which he touches on only briefly at the end …

Here's a ‘grand bargain’ for ya: Tax cuts for $1 trillion in infrastructure spending  —  With the government shutdown over, the serious political discussion moves to the budget talks, already in progress.  But it's already obvious the talks are likely to go nowhere, because Republicans won't give any ground on new revenues.

Conservatives, Get a Grip on Reality!  —  Those who thought shutting down the government was a winning strategy should have their heads examined.  —  Here's a question for conservatives and Republicans: Going into the 2012 Election Day, or even in the last few days before Election Day, did you think Mitt Romney was going to win?

US drone strikes violate international law, says UN  —  Report says 33 CIA attacks led to civilian deaths and casualties and says US protocols are ‘hurdle to transparency’  —  A United Nations investigation has so far identified 33 drone strikes around the world that have resulted …

Walmart employee fired after trying to help assault victim in store parking lot  —  HARTLAND, MI (WXYZ) - “The last thing I expected was to not have a job,” said Kristopher Oswald, 30, who was fired from Walmart this week after he intervened to help a woman who was apparently being assaulted in the parking lot of the store.