Wednesday, October 09, 2013   Published Weekday Mornings   To see the full version of today's cartoon, click on the preview graphic of the cartoon (below the Commentary) to be taken to the full version in your favorite web browser. Debt Ceiling Disaster Looms In press conference, Obama renews calls on Congress to end shutdown, raise debt limit House Speaker John Boehner's statement on shutdown & debt limit Democratic unity remains strong in face of debt ceiling crisis GOP unity frays, frustration builds, as pressures continue to mount Steve Benen: Default deniers complicate GOP extortion plan Liberals talk 'nuclear option' on debt hike Reasons To Worry? Interest Rate On Short-Term Treasury Bills Spikes Matthew Yglesias: Four Reasons Debt Ceiling Breach Means Default Kristin Roberts: Republicans Are Awfully Close to Violating the Constitution Brad Plumer: Many Republicans think breaching the debt ceiling is no big deal. They're wrong. Chris Hayes: Why the debt ceiling isn't your family budget Finance Ministers From Around The World Put Heat on Washington For Risks to Global Economy Greg Sargent: John Boehner needs a gimmick to "win", but one that Dems will agree to Brian Beutler: Right-wing nutjobs' last stand: The debt limit endgame arrives. Shutdown Showdown Shutdown shines spotlight on rift in Republican Party AP-GfK Poll: Republicans get most blame for shutdown, tea party is potent and divisive factor China is worried about the U.S. shutdown. And it should be. Tea Party's shutdown lunacy: Avenging the surrender of the South Sean Sullivan: Why John Boehner might have no choice but 'unconditional surrender' Leonard Pitts Jr: America held hostage by extreme tactics Markos Moulitsas: The GOP hostage holdup continues Ed Kilgore: Once Again, The Right's Actions Mean 'Heads You Lose, Tails I Win' Shutdown Effects Govt shutdown worst-case scenario realized: Salmonella outbreak Congressional Perks Deemed Essential During Government Shutdown While Public Sacrifices Shutdown Denies Death and Burial Benefits to Families of Dead Soldiers Military foundation steps up to cover 'disgusting' delay in payments for families of fallen Nations In Turmoil Rebels Attack Army Base in Northern Syria UN watchdog: Syria chem weapons cleanup deadline can be met Egypt sets November trial date for Morsi U.S. to curb military aid to Egypt as violence continues The War Over There Leader of Pakistan Taliban, Hakimullah Mehsud, now says he's 'open to talks' International News Iran Preparing Offer to Limit Its Nuclear Program Computer chemists win Nobel prize Rights Advocates Suing U.N. Over the Spread of Cholera in Haiti Bangladesh factory fire kills 9, underscores safety issues States Of Confusion Florida takes first steps toward tweaking 'Stand Your Ground' law Pennsylvania's GOP Gov. Corbett Wants To Be Released From Gay Marriage Lawsuit Republican Cuccinelli losing his long war against sodomy in Virginia  Democratic candidate McAuliffe now has solid lead in Virginia gov race Midwest Roundup Nebraska Court Rules Teen Too Immature for an Abortion, Fine to Raise a Kid Neb rancher's lobby pushing for legislators to lower property taxes Gas prices below $3 a gallon in Omaha; Near $3 in much of Eastern Nebraska  In Iowa, Grover Norquist says GOP progress hinges on compromise Demanding To Know While the extremist nutbags in the Republican Party continue to hold the nation hostage, the rest of the world seems to have gotten tired of their pointless jumping up and down, and seems to have moved on without them. President Obama has announced he's officially nominating Janet Yellen to be the next head of the Fed later today, a job few would wish on even their worst enemy right now. Major League Baseball's post-season continues, too, with a particular Atlanta Braves fan catching some notoriety with his topical way to complain about the way his team's season ended. The push for immigration reform also continued on Tuesday, with a massive protest on Capitol Hill that saw several members of Congress get arrested. An embarrassing and infuriating ruling in a Nebraska Supreme Court case also hit the media yesterday, that we may dig into deeper, later this week. It's not that Americans have stopped caring about either the Republican-caused government shutdown or the looming debt ceiling crisis. It's just that most sane Americans realize until Speaker Boehner decides act like a real leader, not much is going to change. Sure, we could act like the Nebraska Supreme Court or even that cheeky Braves fan, and demand something outrageous... To continue reading... click here. And now, for your Daily Felltoon preview for October 09, 2013 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) Jobs & The Economy Weekly Drop in U.S. Economic Confidence Largest Since 2008 FDIC Warns of Threats To Deposits Should Economy Severely Weaken As U.S. approaches debt ceiling, fears of global recession increase Global economic growth is slowing down at the worst possible time Wall Street Watch President Obama to Pick Janet Yellen as New Leader of Fed, Officials Say Nine amazing facts about Janet Yellen, our next Fed chair Neil Irwin: The biggest challenge Janet Yellen will face as Fed chair For Yellen, a Focus on Reducing Unemployment Health Care Checkup Uninsured Already Finding More Success Via Health Exchanges Run by States Obamacare Not the First Program to Have Opening Day Headaches | Juliet Eilperin: Why Obama's tech-savvy team couldn't make Obamacare glitch-free Sarah Kliff: Here's what Obamacare looks like when it works Immigration: Reform Coming? Marchers urge Congress to pass immigration reform; several congressmen arrested Stealing The Vote The Latest Voter Suppression Fad? Two Tiered Voting, Rolling Out In Kansas & Arizona Energy, Climate & Environment Oil, Gas Prices Still Falling, 46� Per Gallon Lower Than Last Year OK pipeline blast sparks huge blaze, spurs evacuations | U.S. Refiners Now Exporting More Fuel Than Ever World must eliminate fossil fuel emissions, OECD chief says Did You Miss It On Monday? Here It Is Again! Your HuskerNutz Preview for October 09, 2013 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) White House Update Obama to meet today with House Democrats over government shutdown, debt limit Pres. Obama Held Private Meeting With Several Conservative Journalists News From Capitol Hill Dog Poop, Hipsters Now More Popular Than Congress In Latest Public Policy Polling Survey Supercommittee II? Lawmakers pray they won't have to serve on it SCOTUS Brief Dana Milbank: The Supreme Court is now poised to legalize corruption | Elena Kagan, now in a robe, argues again for campaign finance limits On The Left House Democrats to House Repubs: Shut down the House gym Greg Sargent: GOP shutdown shenanigans giving Dems a big recruiting boost? Ezra Klein: The left thinks business controls the Republican Party. They're wrong. On The Right Republicans could lose their House majority because of the shutdown J. Podhoretz: Suicide of the Right Waterboarding A Big Joke At Cheney Roast NJ Gov. Chris Christie Won't Rule Out 2016 Presidential Run Mr. October MLB playoffs offer drama in multiple acts every 24 hours  | Applying government shutdown logic to the baseball playoffs We hope you enjoy "The Daily Felltoon" every business day. Thanks for continuing to be a member! Paul Fell Shawn "Smith" Peirce Paul Fell Cartoons, Inc.