ShutUp: Day 4. Some Republicans fearing damage to their own party may now be looking for a way out of the shutdown deadlock with a bargain that gives them something, anything, to say they won. House Republicans would have to …

Italy Disaster: A 66-foot boat loaded with African migrants caught fire and sank in the Mediterranean east of Tunisia yesterday. At least 94 people are dead and 250 missing. The boat was loaded with 500 Eritreans when it left Libya …

Shutdown, Day 2: President Obama this morning cancelled his planned trip to the Philippines and Malaysia because of the government shutdown. He’s still going to the Asian summit in Bali.   The Senate yesterday rejected a piecemeal House bid to …

It Happened Last Night: Major portions of the federal government are shutting down this morning, but the website Healthcare.gov is up and running. About 800,000 federal workers are being sent off on furlough, although the president signed a bill to …

Time’s Up. Unless there is a miracle of political agreement today, the federal government turns into a pumpkin at midnight.   The consequences:   More than half of all 1.2 million federal employees will be furloughed, including 400,000 who work …

Shutdown Countdown: House Republicans are still ready to shut down the government if the Senate does not agree to kill Obamacare. The Republicans passed a spending bill that calls for a one-year delay in implementing the Affordable Care Act, as …

Iran: President Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made a diplomatic breakthrough yesterday speaking to each other on the telephone. It’s the first time since 1979 that leaders of Iran and the US have spoken to each other. Obama said …

ChemWeps: The five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia and the US, have agreed on a resolution to require Syria to give up its chemical weapons. Because of Russian objections, the resolution will not include a threat …

Nuketalk: Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani told the Washington Post he would like to reach a quick agreement with the US over his country’s nuclear development. “If it’s three months that would be Iran’s choice, if it’s six months that’s still …

No Handshake: Despite recent hopes of improved relations, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani skipped a United Nations luncheon yesterday and a chance to shake hands with President Obama. But both expressed hope in their speeches to the UN. Rouhani said in …