Self-Sabotage: Democratic leaders have bowed to the Republicans, agreeing to a short-term hike in the debt ceiling and allowing government to operate into December.   Mike Lofgren, a Republican staff member for the House and Senate Budget Committees for 28 years, writes in The …

Messing With Texas: A federal judge in Texas has blocked enforcement of the state’s strict abortion law, which bars the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy.   US District Judge Robert Pitman in a 113-page order granted the Biden administration’s request …

Frozen: The East Coast is crippled by a snowy, icy storm that stretches all the way from Georgia to Maine. Atlanta and Washington are shut down. There’s snow and sleet in New York, turning to rain and snow. Nearly 5,800 …

Nation: After three years of budget confrontations, the Republican-controlled House voted to raise the national debt ceiling with no fight. Only 28 Republicans voted in favor, Speaker John Boehner among them. Boehner’s decision to let the debt limit pass set …

At The Br$nk: Day 16. Senate leaders are expected at mid-day to announce a deal to re-open the government and raise the debt ceiling, but they will have to put the bill on a fast track to avoid debt default …

Hope Springs: Day 11. Talks between White House and Congressional aides continued through last night and President Obama is scheduled to meet today with the entire Republican caucus. House Republicans have offered a deal to raise the debt ceiling through …

Shutdown: Day 10. House Republicans today are considering a short-term raise in the debt limit to prevent the financial markets from taking a suicide jump. The Dow Jones is up almost 200 points on the news.   Treasury Secy. Jack …

Econ 101: Stocks flirted with a record close yesterday after the Federal Reserve announced it will continue to prop up the economy with $85 billion a month in new treasury bonds. Analysts were expecting the beginning of “the taper”, with …

ChemWeps: The UN weapons report says chemical weapons have been used in the Syrian civil war “on a relatively large scale.” The report does not say which side used nerve gas in the Aug. 21 attack, but it does say, …

National: President Obama suggested this morning that he’s prepared to fight the Republican House when it comes to raising the national debt ceiling.  The debt ceiling does not actually raise the debt. It authorizes Congress to pay existing bills and …