HealthCare.gov brings 40,000 to 50,000 enrollees in private plans through last week, people familiar say  —  Initial reports suggest that fewer than 50,000 people successfully navigated the troubled federal health-care website to enroll in private health insurance plans as of last week, two people familiar with the matter said.

Left wants challenger for Hillary  —  Liberal leaders want Hillary Clinton to face a primary challenge in 2016 if she decides to run for president.  —  The goal of such a challenge wouldn't necessarily be to defeat Clinton.  It would be to prevent her from moving to the middle during the Democratic primary.

How France Scuttled the Iran Deal at the Last Minute  —  Western and Iranian negotiators were putting the finishing touches on a far-reaching nuclear deal.  Then, at virtually the last minute, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius joined in the talks.  It didn't take long for the negotiations …

Sen. Jim Inhofe's son dies in plane crash near Owasso  —  Plane crashed around 4 p.m. after reporting engine trouble  —  A source close to Sen. Jim Inhofe has confirmed that his son, Dr. Perry Inhofe, was on board a plane that crashed near Owasso, Okla. on Sunday.  Perry Inhofe was killed in the crash.

I've Got Whooping Cough.  Thanks a Lot, Jenny McCarthy.  —  At this writing, I have been coughing for 72 days.  Not on and off coughing, but continuously, every day and every night, for two and a half months.  And not just coughing, but whooping: doubled over, body clenched …

The Truth about Navigators  —  James O'Keefe, the guerrilla videographer who helped bring down ACORN (the “community organizing” group that Barack Obama worked for as a lawyer and trainer) and got NPR's president fired, is back.  —  This time, his undercover investigators focused on Obamacare's …

Virginia attorney general race: Herring takes lead, with a recount appearing likely  —  Democratic state Sen. Mark R. Herring took the lead in the extraordinarily tight Virginia attorney general race Monday evening, after he picked up more than 100 previously uncounted votes in Richmond.

One in 10 veterans lacks health insurance.  Obamacare could change that.  —  Welcome to Health Reform Watch, Sarah Kliff's regular look at how the Affordable Care Act is changing the American health-care system — and being changed by it.  You can reach Sarah with questions, comments and suggestions here.

CNN hires Brian Stelter as Reliable Sources host, media reporter  —  CNN has hired Brian Stelter, the New York Times media reporter, to serve as the new host of “Reliable Sources” its Sunday media program, and as a full-time media reporter on its digital side, POLITICO has learned.

State Obamacare exchanges enroll 3 pct of target so far -report  —  President Barack Obama's healthcare reform has reached only about 3 percent of its enrollment target for 2014 in 12 U.S. states where new online health insurance marketplaces are mostly working smoothly, a report released on Monday said.

Confessions of a Quantitative Easer  —  We went on a bond-buying spree that was supposed to help Main Street.  Instead, it was a feast for Wall Street.  —  I can only say: I'm sorry, America.  As a former Federal Reserve official, I was responsible for executing the centerpiece program …

Time to Start Considering Obamacare's Worst Case Scenarios  —  The saying goes that things have to get worse before they get better.  But with Obamacare, things just keep getting worse—and then they get worse still.  In private, even many critics of the law are at least a bit surprised by how poorly the rollout has gone.

Most Americans for Raising Minimum Wage  —  Tying minimum-wage increases to inflation is slightly less popular  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — With momentum building at the federal and state level to increase hourly base pay, more than three-quarters of Americans (76%) say they would vote for raising …

GEORGE CLOONEY'S RULES FOR LIVING  —  No one does the fame thing like Clooney.  He floats above it even as he uses it to embellish his influence.  He understands his place in the pantheon even as he remains hidden from the inquisitive lens.  He's the master.

Stop thanking the troops for me: No, they don't “protect our freedoms!”  —  Their claims are wrong in more ways than one  —  The millions of Americans who regularly watch nationally televised NBA games are, by now, familiar with the “NBA Cares” commercials that run quite frequently during the season.

Republicans Shouldn't Let Obama Pack the Courts  —  The fifth and sixth years of a presidency often end up being high noon for judicial politics.  This time the first confrontation concerns the powerful D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the venue for many important regulatory issues and a training ground for future Supreme Court justices.

Obama Nominating Treasury Official to Run CFTC  —  President Barack Obama is nominating a top Treasury Department official to run the independent agency that regulates the futures and options market.  —  The White House says Obama will announce the nomination of Timothy Massad to head …