U.S. Edition
Washington (CNN) - A federal agent will be allowed to write a book with an insider's account of Operation Fast and Furious, reversing an earlier government attempt to block publication for "morale" reasons. However, John Dodson, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, won't be allowed to make money on the book.
A U.S. law enforcement official familiar with the matter says the Justice Department, ATF and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will review Dodson's manuscript and, after making redactions to protect sensitive law enforcement information, will clear it for publication. However, federal employee guidelines prohibit Dodson and other active agents from making a profit from their work in law enforcement, the official said.
Washington (CNN) - Sen. Kelly Ayotte said Wednesday she hopes her Republican colleague Sen. Ted Cruz doesn't try to hold up a Senate vote to end the government shutdown and raise the debt limit before Thursday's deadline to avoid default.
"It's up to him. I would hope he wouldn't," the New Hampshire Republican said on CNN's "New Day." "Senators can cause to you run out the clock, but what's he trying to gain at this point? I would hope that whatever comes forward, that we would allow a vote on it as soon as possible." FULL POST
Washington (CNN) - The U.S. government taps out its credit cards at midnight, and there is no deal yet in Washington.
The wearyingly difficult process of trying to make a deal resumes Wednesday, as the government enters day 16 of the partial shutdown.
New York (CNNMoney) – Thursday, October 17, is now just hours away.
And Congress still has not raised the country's debt ceiling.
At this point, there's a very good chance it won't make the Thursday deadline.
Washington (CNN) - Republican Rep. Steve King said he doubts any vote in the House to end the government shutdown and raise the debt limit will include legislation he can support, and reiterated his stance that Thursday's deadline to avoid default is nothing more than a date "picked on a calendar."
In an interview on CNN's "New Day" Wednesday, King said conservatives must continue to dig in and insist that any deal include long-term entitlement reform and a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, two requests that are highly unlikely to make it into any agreement. FULL POST
(CNN) – New Jersey voters head to the polls on Wednesday in a special U.S. Senate election that's become a proxy fight over the federal government shutdown and the bitter partisan battle in the nation's capital over the rollout of the national health care law.
Wednesday's election between two-term Democratic Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Republican nominee Steve Lonegan will also result in a slight shift in the current balance of power in the Senate.
Washington (CNN) – As the House makes its next move in the ongoing fight to end the government shutdown and avoid a default, the House Democratic campaign arm will target Republicans in 60 districts on Wednesday, blaming them for a possible downgrading of the government's rating with a Wall Street bond-firm.
Rating agency Fitch on Tuesday warned of a downgrade of gold-plated U.S. bonds, citing "political brinkmanship" as the reason for the default risk. FULL POST
(CNN) - President Barack Obama on Tuesday expressed disappointment with glitches in the Obamacare website, more than two weeks after the launch of HealthCare.gov.
“I am the first to acknowledge that the website that was supposed to do this all in a seamless way has had way more glitches than I think are acceptable and we’ve got people working around the clock to do that,” Obama told KCCI, a CNN affiliate in Des Moines, Iowa. “We’ve seen some significant progress but until it’s 100% I’m not going to be satisfied.”
A high volume of visitors to the health insurance exchange portal contributed to the technical problems that have plagued the website, making it more difficult for individuals to begin the enrollment process. FULL POST
(CNN) - In their final face-to-face meeting, New Jersey's candidates for governor held nothing back. The nationally known incumbent, Republican Chris Christie, and Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono, traded personal and political barbs in a heated exchange three weeks before election day.
The 90-minute debate was interrupted twice by audience members and featured dueling narratives. Christie described himself as a bipartisan governor with overwhelming public support who has brought New Jersey out of the depths of the recession. Buono, on the other hand, pitched herself as a fierce underdog who has fought for the working class all her career. FULL POST