The Hill Articles: September 25, 2013

Under Contract Boxer: ‘Earth to Republicans: You lost’ Dozens of House members play hooky from Wednesday votes Cruz’s clarity on ObamaCare clouds his presidential ambitions for 2016 Inflation: House votes for higher helium prices Banana Republicans 2013 Cruz’s ruse Bill Clinton: Chelsea could be better president than Hillary Government faces grim choices during shutdown, default Jobs of the future require education, training and retraining Who’s that you say? The poor could be hit hardest by a shutdown Pentagon: Indiscriminate cuts go from bad to worse OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Breaking down ObamaCare’s premiums OVERNIGHT TECH: Senate Intel to examine NSA spying Grand bargain fades from view, but long-term crisis remains OVERNIGHT MONEY: Senate takes next step on CR Weyant’s World: Sept. 26, 2013 Report: IRS’s tracking of healthcare costs shoddy Lawmakers seek fix to extend visa program for Iraqi interpreters Clinton: Putin always kept his word Sudan: Obama administration deliberately stalling on UN visa for indicted president Levin: Cruz’s tactics are ‘inexplicable’ Camp presses IRS over donor lists OVERNIGHT DEFENSE: Military pay bill thrown in shutdown mix Senators repackage surveillance bills as comprehensive reform Pelosi: Obama shouldn’t have ruled out 14th Amendment option in debt fight Synthetic drug traffickers remain a step ahead of regulators Poll: Americans say two-to-one Putin more effective than Obama on Syria Lifesaver in the community OVERNIGHT ENERGY: State Dept. to unveil climate report, EPA vs. GOP on carbon regs, and more Former GOP congresswoman foregoes rematch with Rep. Maffei Top Nevada Republican: 2014 will be ‘a great year’ because of low minority turnout Kerry Washington tweets for ObamaCare McCain says he could survive a 21-hour filibuster Crash victim families meet with feds on flight safety rules House to hold hearing on driverless cars Somali bank embroiled in scandal inks contract with lobby firm DC delays key pieces of ObamaCare exchange DOT chief to attend public transit conference FHA may need $1 billion bailout DAY’S END ROUNDUP Senate sends bill assisting exploited children to the White House Anti-ObamaCare push could alienate Hispanics, Obama official says Tech groups want more from Goodlatte on patent reform Vitter: House could pass one-week funding bill Administration locks in premiums for ObamaCare as enrollment drive begins Lack of detail on Navy Yard shooter ‘jumped out’ at top Pentagon leaders Bill Clinton unveils Bono impression The Continuing Resolution conundrum McConnell downplays ObamaCare defund fight, says law will fail Scalia predicts NSA surveillance will be decided by Supreme Court ObamaCare activists face confusion over healthcare law Pentagon taps former special operations chief to lead Navy Yard review ‘Don’t shut down diplomacy,’ State Department employees urge Hoyer sees ‘highest risk’ of a shutdown Senate GOP presses White House on size of debt limit increase Dem says Cruz filibuster cost taxpayers ‘hundreds of thousands of dollars’ Looking to the past to combat cyberthreats Carney would ‘absolutely’ enroll in health exchanges if he didn’t have insurance More Senate Keystone pipeline backers oppose debt-ceiling link Boxer: Replace gas tax with wholesale oil fees to pay for transportation projects Cruz’s 21-hour speech fails to convince GOP colleagues Cruz derides Senate as full of theater and show votes DC mayor tries to shield city from shutdown FBI releases video of Navy Yard gunman Senate will move forward with vote to defund ObamaCare Hillary Clinton support for ObamaCare could help her in 2016 Congressman Yoder will soon become a dad DOD weighs cutting contractors out of security clearance process White House aide: State Department climate report to surface Thursday Hillary Clinton to review progress for women globally Senate funding bill won’t include ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ Bipartisan bill would add scrutiny to IRS regulations Carney: Obama not disappointed Rouhani turned down meeting TRANSCRIPT: Sen. Ted Cruz’s speech Obama didn’t watch Cruz: White House Senate advances stopgap spending bill defunding ObamaCare Rockefeller expands online privacy investigation to popular sites Holder seeks criminal charges in alleged rate-fixing scheme McCaskill touts efforts to convince FAA to ease electronic restrictions House Republicans to tie debt ceiling hike to GOP wish list Wind subsidies, déjà vu House Dem calls Cruz filibuster a ‘circus’ McCain criticizes Cruz for Nazi appeaser comparison SEIU elects new leadership Standards official defends collaboration with NSA Vatican official: Pelosi should be denied communion for ‘grave sin’ on abortion Rep. Shuster visits Savannah, Ga. port CISPA author Rogers: Snowden ‘hurt our chances’ for cyber bill Lessons from Clinton’s ‘third way’ Poll: Majority concerned about congressional inaction on fiscal issues Reid: Cruz’s speech ‘a big waste of time’ Timberlake: I didn’t steal from the president Cruz ends marathon ObamaCare protest after more than 21 hours Senate Dems demand energy drink companies stop marketing to kids Cruz finishes 21-hour speech on ObamaCare We need tough questions on climate change Holder: US hasn’t verified Americans involved Kenya mall attack Poll: Christie crushing Democratic opponent in NJ gubernatorial race USPS pushes 3-cent stamp increase Sen. Heller: Lawmakers shouldn’t receive pay if they can’t pass budget New home sales pick up pace in August Cruz proposes speeding up Senate process for CR, Reid objects Poll shows Obama favorability underwater for first time State Department watchdog finds no bias in Benghazi audit Senators push bill to continue military pay during shutdown TV ad blasts GOP for ObamaCare vote, possible shutdown Energy and Environment rules to watch SEC charges ‘Left Behind’ game CEO with cooking books NSA chief pleads for public’s help amid push for spying restrictions MSNBC’s Matthews: Who will put ‘Princeton cowboy’ Cruz in his place? Zen, Green Eggs and Ham, and the Tea Party Perry: ObamaCare defunding effort ‘a bit nonsensical’ Accreditation and higher education White House official says shutdown wouldn’t stop ObamaCare enrollment Regulators prepare to be ‘handcuffed’ in shutdown Thursday’s meeting announcements: Legal aid panel to meet Former Obama opposition researcher launching research firm Bolivian president to address UN after filing complaint over US ‘kidnapping’ Obama campaign manager to advise alt-fuels company Cruz: Obama will fix ObamaCare for unions if Senate fails to defund the law Kerry signs arms trade treaty opposed by Senate and the NRA The Hill’s managing editor lands speaking role on ‘Veep’ Congress needs to fix the helium program now Obama opposition researcher launches private research firm Poll: Public opposes shutdown threat in negotiations New regs for Thursday: Preventing human trafficking Romney headlining Cuccinelli fundraiser EPA chief hits road to sell climate change rules News bites: Air ACORN Vitter: Hard to win anything in Harry Reid Senate Treasury sets Oct. 17 debt limit deadline Obama to headline October DCCC fundraiser in Boston Regulator levels $65 million fine over LIBOR rate rigging Obama: ‘My afro was never that good’ News bites: France probes Apple’s deals with carriers Report: Hundreds of government background checks falsified News bites: Plan B Public health groups back Obama’s 94-cent cigarette tax hike Dire consequences of defunding ObamaCare Cruz sees GOP vs ObamaCare as rebel alliance vs Darth Vader News bites: Inside the White House climate sales pitch, US trade official pushes oil sands, and more ObamaCare premiums cheaper than expected, says White House Wednesday: Congress to… wait, is Cruz still talking? Byrne, Young advance to runoff in Alabama 1st District special election News bites: Going down Graham: If ObamaCare succeeds Hillary will win presidency Late-night smash: UN meetings, Obama raising debt limit Roberts offers to buy Cruz breakfast The House and Senate farm bills don’t make the grade News bites: Twenty-five rules that will help shape Obama’s legacy Cruz questions if ObamaCare is more like Freddy or Jason NRSC launches Instagram account, takes swipe at Reid over coal In defense of regulation President’s climate plan is bad bet for America Terror strike at Kenya mall stirs worries of al-Shabaab domestic attack Conservatives eye challengers to former Gov. Mike Rounds in SD Senate race Opinion: More regs, more problems Bill, Hill, Barack’s ObamaCare schmooze 25 Regulations to Watch Opinion: Common-sense rules keep us safe and prosperous Within Senate GOP, frustration with Cruz K Street suffers from identity crisis Obama turns to Iran for an elusive second-term victory Administration sued over missed car safety rule deadline Cruz surpasses Paul’s filibuster time Cruz begins quoting ‘Duck Dynasty’ during 10th hour of filibuster Lee compares ObamaCare to a Barry Manilow album MORNING READ Cruz predicts Obama will grant union waiver to ObamaCare Durbin mixes it up with Cruz in seventh hour of filibuster Cruz zings DC reporters as wannabe Hollywood gossip writers While Cruz talks, Graham says he is trying to grow the party Seeing thaw, Obama seeks Iran nuke deal Reid unites grumbling caucus, has votes to pass spending bill Cruz reads his daughters bedtime stories during his filibuster