Politics & Diplomacy | ANALYSIS Oct 2, 2013

U.S. shutdown damages political system, but Republicans seen at greater risk

by Dan Balz

There will be plenty of collateral damage from the government shutdown that began early Tuesday — from federal workers to ordinary citizens — but the most serious effects are likely to be felt inside a Republican Party that appears divided and in need of ...

Politics & Diplomacy Oct 1, 2013

Federal government shuts down amid stalemate over 'Obamacare'

For the first time in nearly two decades, the U.S. government staggered into a partial shutdown at midnight Monday after congressional Republicans stubbornly demanded changes in the nation’s health care law as the price for essential federal funding and President Barack Obama and Democrats ...

World Oct 1, 2013

11 pieces of not-so-conventional wisdom on Obamacare

by Megan Mcardle

As we approach the Great Unveiling of Obamacare, Americans are going to see a lot of these talking points repeated as if they’re facts. Most of the talking points are not dead wrong — they could be true. But they’re considerably more uncertain than ...

Science & Health Oct 1, 2013

Swap red meat for tomatoes to cut prostate-cancer risk

by Simeon Bennett

A set of six healthy habits, including eating more tomatoes and less processed red meat, helped men reduce their risk of dying from prostate cancer, a study found. Researchers analyzed information gathered from almost 46,000 men for 25 years and found that those who ...

World Oct 1, 2013

Germany admits chemical exports to Assad in '11

The German government admits it had approved as recently as 2011 the export to Syria of chemicals that could be weaponized, and in larger quantities than previously known.

Politics & Diplomacy Oct 1, 2013

World perplexed by U.S. shutdown

As the U.S. government creaked toward a shutdown Monday, the world looked on with a little anxiety and a lot of dismay, and some people had trouble suppressing smirks. “To be honest, people are making a lot of jokes,” said Justice Malala, a political ...

World Oct 1, 2013

Venezuela expels top U.S. diplomat

President Nicolas Maduro announced Monday the expulsion of the top U.S. diplomat in Venezuela and two other embassy employees for allegedly conspiring with “the extreme right” to sabotage the economy and power grid. The U.S. Embassy said it had not yet received notification, but ...

World Oct 1, 2013

Syria foreign minister likens civil war to 9/11

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem on Monday pledged to cooperate with international inspectors charged with dismantling Syria’s chemical weapons program, but he vowed to crush a rebellion that he said has drawn strength from al-Qaida and other internationalist jihadists. Addressing a gathering of world ...

World | ANALYSIS Oct 1, 2013

Sudan president losing allies amid crackdown

When longtime Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir introduced drastic austerity measures, he berated the public for being ungrateful over how his regime had improved their lives, boasting that before he came to power, Sudanese never ate hot dogs, talking as if they were a strange, ...

Politics & Diplomacy | Focus Oct 1, 2013

'Not-so-conservative' Republicans may be key to solving U.S. fiscal drama

The most conservative tea party-backed members of the House GOP have been the center of attention in the ongoing fiscal drama, but the key to a solution in the coming days may be a different Republican bloc altogether. It’s a group of a few ...

World Oct 1, 2013

U.S. Marine generals fired for Afghan security lapses

The commandant of the Marine Corps on Monday took the extraordinary step of firing two generals for not adequately protecting a giant base in southern Afghanistan that Taliban fighters stormed last year, resulting in the deaths of two marines and the destruction of a ...