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.

Carney has no answers on Obamacare ‘tech surge’  —  Want to know the names of the individuals and companies leading the “tech surge” called in to fix Obamacare's main website?  If you ask “the most transparent administration in history,” you're basically out of luck.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

How Much Did Healthcare.gov Actually Cost?  —  The new healthcare exchange site has been the topic of several news stories these past few weeks.  Many of them are quoting vastly different numbers for how much it cost to build.  You'd think that sites like USASpending.gov or the Federal IT Dashboard1 would be able to give us some idea.