Here's how GOP Obamacare hypocrisy backfires  —  GOP base doesn't understand right wants to turn Medicare, Social Security and more into a very similar program  —  The smartest thing yet written about the botched rollout of the Affordable Care Act's federal exchange program is a post …

Obama unaware as U.S. spied on world leaders: officials.  —  The National Security Agency ended a program used to spy on German Chancellor Angela Merkel and a number of other world leaders after an internal Obama administration review started this summer revealed to the White House the existence of the operations, U.S. officials said.

Policy cancellations, higher premiums add to frustration over Obamacare  —  (CBS News) Nearly five weeks into the launch of HealthCare.gov, the management expert brought in to turn around the website says its issues are fixable.  But it's going to take weeks, not days.

Texas Abortion Restrictions Declared Unconstitutional By Federal Judge  —  AUSTIN, Texas — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal judge has determined that new Texas abortion restrictions violate the U.S. Constitution, a ruling that keeps open — at least for now — dozens of abortion clinics …

Right-wing Populism Could Hobble America for Decades  —  The tea party is going down.  Dysfunction is not.  —  In the Federalist Papers, James Madison promised that a large republic with a representative government would avoid the “instability, injustice and confusion” that had plagued many nations in Europe.

60 Minutes: Benghazi  —  The following script is from “Benghazi” which aired on Oct. 27, 2013.  The correspondent is Lara Logan.  Max McClellan, producer.  —  When Chris Stevens was killed in Benghazi, Libya, on the anniversary of September 11th last year, it was only the sixth …

McCain: Clinton ‘Very Strong Candidate’  —  Senator John McCain, a Republican from Arizona, right, and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton talk prior to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee nomination hearing in Washington, D.C.  —  Sen. John McCain knows a few things about presidential elections …

Is Glenn Greenwald the Future of News?  —  Much of the speculation about the future of news focuses on the business model: How will we generate the revenues to pay the people who gather and disseminate the news?  But the disruptive power of the Internet raises other profound questions …

Senate Conservatives fund backs Tea Party challenger Maness in Louisiana  —  The Senate Conservatives Fund is throwing its support to Tea Party-backed candidate Rob Maness (R) in Louisiana, potentially complicating Republicans' hopes of defeating Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).

Banksy rips New York Times for rejected op-ed  —  It isn't news that's fit to print.  —  Elusive British graffiti artist Banksy took a swipe at the New York Times today for denying him a spot on the newspaper's coveted op-ed page, where he was planning to trash the new World Trade Center tower.

Harry Reid Will Bring ENDA Up For Senate Vote  —  WASHINGTON — The Employment Non-Discrimination Act could come up for a vote in the Senate as early as next week, according to the office of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.).  —  ENDA would ban workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

‘Uncomfortable truth’ in Matthew Shepard's death  —  Stephen Jimenez didn't set out to be the most dangerous journalist on earth.  —  Or, more to the point, the most dangerous gay journalist.  —  But Jimenez unearthed a story that few people wanted to hear.

House leaders plot new fall GOP strategy  —  For the first time in months, House Republicans are facing no immediate cataclysmic deadlines, and GOP leaders are struggling to come up with an agenda to fill the 19 legislative days that are left in 2013.  —  Need evidence?

Embattled IQ Scholar Reemerges As National Review Writer  —  Jason Richwine, who parted ways with the Heritage Foundation over his research arguing Hispanics are intellectually inferior to whites, has quietly begun writing semi-regularly for the flagship conservative publication National Review.

Obama Takes Friendly Fire  —  Incoming from Democrats:  —  “Dem Party is F****d.”  That was the subject line of an email sent to me Sunday by a senior Democratic consultant with strong ties to the White House and Capitol Hill.  The body of the email contained a link to this Los Angeles Times story about Obamacare “sticker shock:”

Rude Awakening: Californians ‘Shocked’ by Premium Increases, Dropped Coverage  —  Barack Obama waltzed to victory in California last year, trampling Mitt Romney by 21 percentage points.  For many middle class families in the Golden State, Obamacare's chicken are coming home to roost.