Cruz defiant on stopping ObamaCare  —  A defiant Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said in an interview broadcast on Sunday that he would “continue to do anything I can to stop the train wreck that is Obamacare,” hinting that he could again seek to complicate efforts to pass a long-term budget deal.

AP Sources: 476,000 Obamacare Applications Filed  —  Administration officials say about 476,000 health insurance applications have been filed through federal and state exchanges, the most detailed measure yet of the problem-plagued rollout of President Barack Obama's signature legislation.

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 …

Tentative Deal Hands JPMorgan Chase a Record Penalty  —  JPMorgan Chase and the Justice Department have reached a tentative $13 billion settlement over the bank's questionable mortgage practices leading up to the financial crisis, a record penalty that would cap weeks of heated negotiating …

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.

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 …

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.