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.

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.

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.

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 …

White House Defends Drone Strikes After New Report  —  The White House says it strongly disagrees with any assertions the U.S. violated international law by using drone strikes in Pakistan.  —  White House spokesman Jay Carney says the U.S. is reviewing a new report from Amnesty International …

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.

Meet the New Hillary  —  Back on the campaign trail for the first time since 2008, the former secretary of state has a new celebrity and gravitas—but some of the same old flaws.  —  FALLS CHURCH, Virginia — On Saturday, Hillary Clinton was a campaigner again.

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.

Take this, conservatives: Criticism only makes Obamacare stronger!  —  Ignore most conservatives attacking Healthcare.gov — but it's a mistake to assume Obama's got it under control  —  Let's stipulate that the conservatives crying crocodile tears for uninsured Americans who've …

The Tea Party: “No More Popular Than the Klan”  —  Now You Know What the ‘T’ Stands For. … Rev. Al Sharpton: So is it going to be easy for the Tea Party to bounce back from this defeat?  I'm going to channel the President here: “No."Joining me now is Congressman Alan Grayson, Democrat of Florida.

Issa investigating OMB over ObamaCare site  —  Republican members of the House Oversight Committee on Monday sent a letter to two Obama administration officials demanding information on a feature of the ObamaCare online healthcare portal they say was implemented to “mask the sticker shock” …

McCain considering seeking reelection in 2016  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Tuesday that he is considering running for another term in 2016, when he would be 80 years old.  —  “I'm seriously thinking about maybe giving another opportunity for you to vote for or against me in a few years from now …