McCarthy: ‘We are not shutting the government down’  —  House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy said Sunday that several options are on the table for House GOP leaders if the Senate tosses the government funding bill back to the chamber without two anti-Obamacare changes approved by the House.

GOP adds ‘conscience clause’ to spending bill  —  Washington (CNN) - House Republicans have added a measure aimed at limiting contraceptive coverage to the spending bill coming up for a vote Saturday night, a spokesman for Rep. Tim Huelskamp, R-Kansas, told CNN.  —  A senior House leadership aide confirmed that development.

Children and Guns: The Hidden Toll  —  The .45-caliber pistol that killed Lucas Heagren, 3, on Memorial Day last year at his Ohio home had been temporarily hidden under the couch by his father.  But Lucas found it and shot himself through the right eye.  “It's bad,” his mother told the 911 dispatcher.

As government shutdown looms, Obamacare exchanges still set for launch  —  It's looking more and more like Tuesday will be a split-screen day: The government will shut down, and Obamacare will open for business.  —  That's going to annoy a lot of Republicans —because the ones who are pushing …

Federal workers demanding back pay if government closes  —  Federal worker unions are lobbying lawmakers for back pay in the event of a government shutdown.  —  They say government employees have suffered enough under the cutbacks from sequestration, and are putting pressure on President Obama …

Five Things Former President Clinton Took Away From the 2008 President Election  —  During an interview with ABC News, former President Bill Clinton was asked by “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos about the biggest lesson he learned from the 2008 presidential campaign, in which his wife …

11 Pieces of Obamacare Conventional Wisdom That Shouldn't Be So Conventional  —  As we approach the Great Unveiling next week, you're going to see a lot of these talking points repeated as if they're facts.  Most of them aren't dead wrong — they could be true.

American Way: US debt ceiling debacle as Congress threatens to go nuclear  —  You know things are bad when President Obama thinks he can negotiate with Iran but not Republicans in Congress, writes John Avlon.  —  For decades, the key question when dealing with the murderous mullahs …

White House: Obama Will Veto House Shutdown Bill  —  The White House says President Barack Obama would veto House Republican legislation that would delay much of the president's health care overhaul for a year and cancel a tax on medical devices.  —  The White House statement comes …