Health insurance exchange launched despite signs of serious problems  —  Days before the launch of President Obama's online health ­insurance marketplace, government officials and contractors tested a key part of the Web site to see whether it could handle tens of thousands of consumers at the same time.

HealthCare.gov feeds doubts about rollout: Our view  —  President vows action, but where has he been?  —  CONNECT  —  Three weeks after it opened, the HealthCare.gov website — where millions of people are supposed to get insurance under the Affordable Care Act — remains plagued by problems.

Conservative group widens IRS lawsuit  —  A conservative group announced Monday that it was broadening out its lawsuit against the Obama administration for the IRS's singling out of Tea Party groups.  —  The American Center for Law and Justice, which first sued administration and IRS officials in May …

Republican Mega-Donors Quietly Celebrate Chris Christie's Marriage Surrender  —  Activists are angry, but GOP elites are praising Christie's step away from culture war.  “I mean, he's a rare guy who's been able to appeal to people with sincerely held beliefs on both sides of this issue.”

Why Obama Should Be Freaked Out Over Obamacare  —  It's worse than we know, this is the easy part, and millions of Americans could be hurt.  —  President Obama said Monday he's “frustrated” by the disastrous launch of an online computer marketplace for Obamacare.  Here are five reasons why frustration isn't enough.

Texas Judge Quits GOP Over Social Issues, Shutdown (VIDEO)  —  Carlo Key, a Republican judge in Bexar County, Texas, announced Monday in a campaign ad that he was leaving the Republican party and will run for re-election as a Democrat.  —  “I cannot tolerate a political party that demeans Texans based …

Poll: Major damage to GOP after shutdown, and broad dissatisfaction with government  —  Video: Will voters remember the shutdown next year?  Incumbents usually win elections.  But after a shutdown, near-default and historic lows in Congressional approval, voters are claiming they'll reverse that trend in 2014.

And that's a good thing.  —  See Slate's complete coverage of Obamacare.  David Auerbach explains what's gone wrong with healthcare.gov, and David Weigel explains why Republicans are calling for Kathleen Sebelius to be fired.  —  Last week Canada's Supreme Court ruled that doctors …

Marco Rubio: White House hiding ‘ugly things’  —  Sen. Marco Rubio on Tuesday hit the Obama administration for a lack of transparency on Obamacare, saying the White House is withholding information so people won't see the “ugly things” of the law.  —  “I think what they're worried …

Democratic Takeover of the House Is Still a Long Shot  —  Democrats will need Republicans to continue self-destructing, among other things, to return to the majority in 2014.  —  Those who already are saying that the House of Representatives is now “in play” are getting a little ahead of their skis—forgetting a few key factors.

At home in Houston, Cruz continues fight against Obamacare  —  Criticized by senior leaders in his own party and blamed by Democrats for inspiring a government shutdown they claim was a pricey, pointless and painful waste of time, Ted Cruz returned to his hometown Monday night …

Special PACs Spent Money at Resorts, Book Says  —  WASHINGTON — A new book from a conservative advocate of tighter campaign finance regulations seeks to draw attention to a number of questionable but legal fund-raising activities — some potentially damaging, others certainly embarrassing …

2 Dead, 2 Boys Hurt in Nevada School Shooting  —  Police say two people are dead and two more are injured in a shooting at Sparks Middle School in northern Nevada Monday morning.  —  Washoe County School District Police didn't immediately offer details of the identities of the dead.

Medicaid expansion funding gets approval  —  Ending months of debate, a legislative oversight panel approved spending $2.56 billion in federal money today to expand Medicaid coverage to about 275,000 low-income Ohioans.  —  Almost immediately after the bipartisan 5-2 vote …