Obamacare figures leave a lot unsaid  —  About a half million people have taken the first step toward enrolling in Obamacare health coverage, creating applications on the exchanges, administration officials said late Saturday.  —  The “almost half million” figure the officials reported …

Cruz Warns Senate GOP: ‘Consequences’ for Supporting ‘Lousy Deal’  —  According to Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, it's his colleagues, more than anyone, who should be blamed for the failure of the defund-Obamacare campaign — and he expects conservatives to remember come primary season.

Obamacare, Failing Ahead of Schedule  —  THIS is not the column about the Obamacare rollout I expected to write.  —  If you had told me, months ago, that weeks after the health care law's coverage expansion went into effect I would be writing about the problems its launch had exposed …

Four Things We Think We Know About Obamacare  —  I've been seeing a few things floating around the blogosphere about Obamacare that aren't true.  They're not really conservative or liberal talking points; they're just misconceptions that people may have about how the health-care law works.

Tyrone on why the government shutdown and the debt ceiling crisis were brilliant Republican strategy  —  Tyrone, my evil twin brother, was in town visiting the other day, after a long absence.  He was upset that I gave so little space to the recent machinations in Washington …

Clinton decries ‘scorched-earth politics’ in Washington  —  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton decried the “scorched-earth politics” that led to the government shutdown at a campaign event for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe on Saturday.

This Should Be Fun: Sen. Bernie Sanders Will Be On Budget Conference Committee  —  In what can only be seen as good news for people who like traditional earned-benefit programs like Social Security and Medicare, here's one name that appears on the list of Senate conferees …

After Bill de Blasio, Joe Lhota vow to add Muslim holidays to school calendar, other groups seek recognition  —  The leading mayoral candidates vowed to close school for the Muslim holidays Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.  Now advocates for other religious and ethnic groups would like their days to be recognized as well.

Pot Legalization Effort Moves Eastward To Maine  —  PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Advocates of recreational marijuana use are looking to an upcoming vote in Maine as an indicator of whether the East Coast is ready to follow in the footsteps of Colorado and Washington by legalizing cannabis.

Now, lead from the front  —  Let us hear no more about President Obama leading from behind.  —  Since a White House adviser uttered that phrase to the New Yorker's Ryan Lizza in 2011 to describe Obama's leadership in Libya, “leading from behind” has become a favorite refrain of Republicans trying to portray Obama as weak.

Armed gun rights activists rally at the Alamo  —  SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Several hundred gun rights activists armed with rifles and shotguns rallied outside of the Alamo on Saturday in a demonstration that broke a longstanding tradition of not staging such events at the enduring symbol of Texas independence.