Virginia Governor: McAuliffe (D) 50%, Cuccinelli (R) 33%, Sarvis (L) 8%  —  Democrat Terry McAuliffe has jumped to a 17-point lead over Republican Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia gubernatorial race following the federal government shutdown that hit Northern Virginia hard and Hillary Clinton's weekend visit to the state.

For First Time, Americans Favor Legalizing Marijuana  —  Support surged 10 percentage points in past year, to 58%  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — For marijuana advocates, the last 12 months have been a period of unprecedented success as Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize recreational use of marijuana.

House GOP demands ObamaCare briefing  —  House Republicans demanded a briefing on ObamaCare's rollout after news broke Tuesday that the administration would huddle on healthcare reform with House Democrats.  —  “This snub is all the more offensive after [Health] Secretary [Kathleen] …

Gov. LePage lets slip what he really thinks about Maine people  —  At a speech to a conservative audience in Falmouth last week, Governor Paul LePage made a statement that is deeply revealing.  —  Informed that the event was wrapping up, LePage said he had two more points to make.

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.

Liberal pundit fail: Rush to attack Obamacare site only aids unhinged right  —  Pundits breathlessly pivot from covering GOP extremism to Healthcare.gov glitches, with the backing of liberals  —  As predictably as night follows day, on Monday the media establishment pivoted away from obsessing …

Alan Grayson Ties Tea Party to KKK (Updated)  —  Grayson sent a controversial fundraising email.  (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo)  —  Updated 1:11 p.m. |  Rep. Alan Grayson, D-Fla., an outspoken liberal, is taking heat from Republicans for raising money off an email that associates the tea party with the Ku Klux Klan.

Fecundophobia: The Growing Fear Of Children And Fertile Women  —  Last week Deadspin ran six sentences and a picture under the headline “Philip Rivers Is An Intense Weirdo.”  The final two sentences about the San Diego Charger quarterback were blunt: … Ah yes.

Congress to close down, fly Air Force planes to Florida for funeral of Rep. C.W. Bill Young  —  Congress will shut down on Thursday, and leaders have told lawmakers the Defense Department will fly them to Florida for the funeral of Rep. C.W. Bill Young, who died late last week.

GLENN BECK PRESENTS ‘JUST THE BEGINNING’ OF WHY YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO GROVER NORQUIST  —  Glenn Beck on Monday began what he said is “just the beginning” of his work to reveal the background and motivations of Grover Norquist, the founder and president of Americans for Tax Reform.

Inside The Meeting Where Obama And Reid Vowed Not To Be ‘Taken In By These Crazy People’  —  WASHINGTON — Barack Obama and Harry Reid needed to clear the air.  The relationship between the president and the Senate majority leader had been deteriorating since 2011, with Reid losing respect …

Jeanne Shaheen calls for open enrollment extension  —  Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen is calling on the White House to extend Obamacare's open enrollment period amid continued frustration with the troubled HealthCare.gov.  —  “The difficulty that people in New Hampshire and in other states …

Confronted With Example Of Obamacare Success, GOP Rep Freaks Out  —  A CNN host confronted a Republican congresswoman on Tuesday for dismissing some of the successes uninsured people have has in signing up for Obamacare, accusing the GOP lawmaker of rooting for the law's failure.

Parent Accuses Football Coaches of Bullying After 91-0 Win  —  Parent files complaint with school district after Aledo defeats Western Hills 91-0  —  The parent of a North Texas high school football player has filed a bullying complaint against a rival team's coaching staff after a 91-0 loss.

Democratic Donors Surge Amid GOP Slump  —  It's hard to say which should trouble Republican Party leaders the most right now: the sour mood among GOP donors, or the money suddenly swelling Democratic campaign and super PAC coffers.  —  Not only have the Democratic campaign committees …

HHS brings in Verizon to help HealthCare.gov  —  You might think that a website needed to help over 40 million people would be ready to accommodate those 40 million people.  Apparently, it's a little more complicated than that.  VPC  —  CONNECT  —  WASHINGTON — The international …

Frexit fever reaches heart of French establishment  —  Calls for EMU break-up are spreading into the upper echelons of the French foreign policy establishment, and the pro-European core.  —  An astonishing new book by François Heisbourg - La Fin du Rêve Européen …