Kick Butt: President Obama came out from the government shutdown yesterday to give Congress a scolding. In a morning speech he said, “to all my friends in Congress, understand that how business is done in this town has to change.”

  The President set out an agenda to agree on a federal budget, pass a farm bill and immigration reform. But in a moment in which he stomped his beaten Republican opposition he said, “You don’t like a particular policy or a particular president, then argue for your position.  Go out there and win an election.  Push to change it. But don’t break it.  Don’t break what our predecessors spent over two centuries building.”

Congressional representatives held their first meeting yesterday to begin budget and spending talks and the basic conflict is still there. Republicans want budget cuts and reductions in federal programs while the Democrats want to balance cuts with new taxes. But Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said, “We believe there is common ground.”

Kentucky Kickback: Three cryptic sentences in the resolution to re-open the government revealed an authorization to spend an additional $2 billion on a Kentucky dam project. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Republican point man who negotiated the final deal and who has been a loud advocate for cutting federal spending, represents Kentucky. McConnell says he had nothing to do with it but he also promises not to let the government shut down again.

National: Florida authorities are scrambling after two prisoners serving life sentences walked out of prison with forged release documents. While the manhunt goes on, the prison system is going over its records to find whether it’s happened before. The documents had the signature of the same judge and prosecutor.

• ØIt’s a transit nightmare in San Francisco today. Workers for the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) went on strike this at midnight.

Panda Cam: The cameras have been turned on and the eyes of the nation are back on the panda cub at the National Zoo. The unnamed cub came out of the government shutdown at 5 lbs., up almost two.

We Are Family: A 1.8 million year old skull dug up in the Republic of Georgia suggests to scientists that humans may have evolved from one species, not several as currently thought. “Skull 5” was found near the location of four other skulls of the same age and scientists say the variations between them are about as great as what have been thought to be separate species of early humans. They theorize that maybe only one species of Homo came out of Africa and evolved for different climates.

Sleep It Off: Scientists at the University of Rochester say the brain uses sleep to clean itself of toxins built up by a day of use. The theory is that we sleep because the brain can either work or clean house, but it can’t do both.

ArtBeat: New York police are on the lookout for the elusive British graffiti and installation artist known as Banksy, who’s been spray-painting his art all over city walls this month. The NYPD and Mayor Bloomberg think art belongs in a museum. Their problem; they don’t know what he looks like. Banksy keeps his art public and his identity secret. 

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