Approval of Affordable Care Act Inches Up  —  More Democrats now approve of the law, while most Republicans still disapprove  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Despite the highly publicized technical issues that have plagued the government's health insurance exchange website that went live on Oct. 1 …

Texas Voter ID Law Discriminates Against Women, Students and Minorities  —  Texas's new voter ID law got off to a rocky start this week as early voting began for state constitutional amendments.  The law was previously blocked as discriminatory by the federal courts under the Voting Rights Act in 2012 …

HealthCare.gov pricing feature can be off the mark  —  (CBS News) CBS News has uncovered a serious pricing problem with HealthCare.gov. It stems from the Obama administration's efforts to improve its health care website.  A new online feature can dramatically underestimate the cost of insurance.

Saudi Arabia severs diplomatic ties with US over response to conflict in Syria  — Saudi diplomats now promise a ‘major shift’ in relations with the U.S. over inaction in the conflict in Syria  — Secretary of State John Kerry says he is committed to keeping a good relationship with the Saudis

The hidden room inside Mitt Romney's new Utah house  —  Holladay » The front door of Mitt Romney's soon-to-be-constructed Holladay house opens to a massive living room, and to your left, around the fireplace, lies a study.  —  If you look closely at the bookshelves there, you find something interesting: a secret door.

Why Not Medicaid For All?  —  My Sunday column on the potential consequences of Obamacare's botched rollout ended by sketching a scenario in which the program's Medicaid expansion is deemed a success while its reform of the individual market leads to much-higher-than-expected costs and much-lower-than-expected participation rates.

Seven ‘Solutions’ That Won't Save Obamacare  —  With Nov. 1 storming toward us and the health insurance exchanges still not working, we face the daunting possibility that people may not be able to sign up for January, or maybe even for 2014.  The possibility of a total breakdown …

Boehner, Cantor Spokesman Deny Durbin Account of White House Meeting  —  Spokesmen for both Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor say neither official said or remembers anyone else saying they couldn't stand to look at President Obama at a White House summit during the government shutdown …

Debbie Wasserman Schultz ‘disappointed’ by Alan Grayson email  —  DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said she is “disappointed in the use of that imagery” with regards to a controversial fundraising email sent by Democratic Rep. Alan Grayson that compared the tea party to the Ku Klux Klan.

‘HealthCare.gov is in de facto shutdown’  —  Robert Laszewski is president of Health Policy and Strategy Associates, a policy and marketplace consulting firm that has him working closely with many in the heath industry as they try to navigate the Affordable Care Act, as well as the author …

Not a Joke  —  By Joe Klein @JoeKleinTIMEOct.  22, 2013  —  The New Age spiritualist Marianne Williamson is thinking of running for Congress from Los Angeles as an independent.  —  There will be jokes about this.  She's been a glamevangelist, with a stable of celebrities swooning over her books and lectures.

The Cry of the True Republican  —  I AM a genetic Republican.  —  Five generations of Tafts have served our nation as unwaveringly stalwart Republicans, from Alphonso Taft, who served as attorney general in the late 19th century, through William Howard Taft, who not only was the only person …

Manchin Working On Bill To Delay Obamacare Individual Mandate  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is working on legislation to effectively delay Obamacare's individual mandate for one year, his office told TPM on Wednesday.  —  His spokesman, Jonathan Kott, said Manchin opposes a bill proposed by Sen. Marco Rubio …

14-year-old student held without bail in slaying of Danvers High teacher  —  A 24-year-old Danvers High School teacher has been found dead, and a 14-year-old boy is being held without bail on a charge of murdering her.  —  Math teacher Colleen Ritzer's body was found in the woods behind the school …

What Kind of Problem is the ACA Rollout for Liberalism?  —  “This massive IT launch sure came in on time, under budget, and without headaches” is a statement that nobody has ever said.  But even controlling for that, Healthcare.gov looks to be having a disastrous launch.

Adelson says Obama should fire ‘atomic weapon’ at Iran, not negotiate  —  Last night in New York, Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire supporter of Israel, said that the U.S. should fire a nuclear weapon at Iran rather than negotiate.  He said that if Obama fires a weapon into the desert …

In Utah, tea party favorite Sen. Lee faces GOP backlash over government shutdown  —  SALT LAKE CITY — When Mike Lee toppled longtime Republican Sen. Robert F. Bennett here in 2010, it was the tea party's first big triumph.  But now, after a 16-day government shutdown, it's Lee who faces a revolt within his own party.

Morgan Freeman Says WTF to GOP, Dishes on ‘Last Vegas,’ ‘12 Years a Slave,’ and Batfleck  —  Morgan Freeman can't believe the Republicans—and opens up to Marlow Stern about his new movie Last Vegas, out in theaters Nov. 1, and why he won't see 12 Years a Slave.  —  Morgan Freeman is a cool cat—on screen, and off.