Thursday, October 10, 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 Deal? Sources: House GOP to unveil short term debt ceiling increase as soon as today Key Republicans signal willingness to back down on effort to defund health-care law Dana Bash: Senior House GOP source admits debt deal may require Democratic help Shutdown Standoff Shows Signs of a Thaw Treasury Secretary Lew: We spent 224 years building our credit. Only Congress can act to protect it. House Republicans Now Expect to Approve Short-Term Debt Deal How the debt standoff could end, in one flowchart "Loyal" GOP Allies Business Groups Urge Congress to Reopen as Shutdown Drags On Business Groups See Loss of Sway Over House G.O.P. Koch Industries Distances Itself From Obamacare Fight Molly Ball: The Kochs Can't Control the Monster They Created Heritage Action Also Bails On Debt Ceiling Fight GOP losing powerful business allies in hostage crises Getting Polled Public Policy Polling: Congress losing out to Zombies, Wall Street, and...Dog Poop Nate Cohn: One 2013 Poll With Bias Doesn't Presage A 2014 Landslide Gallup: GOP's favorability sinks into Clinton impeachment territory Gallup: Republican Party Favorability Sinks to Record Low AP-GfK Poll: Republicans get most blame for shutdown, tea party is potent and divisive factor Poll: Americans say 'dysfunctional government' is No. 1 problem, not deficit Cost Of The Showdown Shutdown Costs at $1.6 Billion So Far, With $160 Million More Each Day Shutdown will cost taxpayers more than if government stayed open Private charity to temporarily restore death benefits for U.S. military families The Government Shutdown's Hidden Cost to the U.S. Military Senate Democrats bring staffers back early, to handle backlog created by shutdown Government shutdown means paychecks for federal prisoners, not prison workers Risk to Food Safety Seen in Furloughs Good News on Salmonella Outbreak: CDC Is Back on the Job. Bad News: It's Antibiotic-Resistant. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Temporarily Closes Due To Shutdown Peter Weber:Will the govt shutdown also cost the GOP the House? Nations In Turmoil Egyptian soldiers killed by suicide bomber Egypt criticizes U.S. decision to halt aid due to violence Arab league, OIC call for Eid ceasefire in Syria Libyan PM briefly held by gunmen angry at U.S. Qaeda capture The War Over There Muslim Extremist Group Gains Foothold Among Kenyans International News Canadian Alice Munro wins Nobel Prize in Literature Malala Yousafzai wins European human rights prize Major oops: Azerbaijan releases election results before voting even begins National Politics Matt K. Lewis: Digital direct democracy is crushing representative democracy Norm Ornstein: Congress Must Stop Using Default as a Weapon Midwest Roundup Angry Nebraska tea partyer hits 'reset,' says run against GOP's Terry still possible First mountain lion lottery permit drawn in Nebraska StratCom deputy chief fired as nation's No. 2 nuclear commander after Iowa gambling allegations Iowa Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Enforcement installs computer shut off device in vehicles Iowa's private, parochial schools now pushing for "educational savings accounts" The Tea Party's Prize With the louder than normal bluster by both real and wannabe Tea Party Republicans over the past few days, and the flurry of major Republican op-eds on Wednesday, we figured something else was really behind all the political rustling in the bushes. Sure enough, yesterday afternoon, CNN's Dana Bash flushed out a report about the deal now floating around Capitol Hill, to potentially solve at least the debt ceiling fight. Not too long after that initial report, multiple other sources began confirming that multiple key Republicans in Congress now appear ready to send President Obama a clean debt ceiling bill, even as they may still keep the rest of the government closed. Since tea party Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana whined a week ago today that House Republicans just HAD to get something out of this fight, even if they didn't know what it was, the question hasn't really been IF Republicans would claim a prize before they dealt with the reality of the debt ceiling. It's mostly been a question of when. Still, like Ed Kilgore of Washington Monthly pointed out, the Tea Party extremists have fully expected to get a prize of some kind out of this whole affair. After looking at both the economic and political costs of the Tea Party shutdown so far, it appears their prize isn't coming from either President Obama or Democrats in Congress. Their prize appears to have come from Wall Street, at the expense of all Americans... To continue reading... click here. And now, for your Daily Felltoon preview for October 10, 2013 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) Jobs & The Economy U.S. jobless claims leap 66,000 to 374,000 Jobless Claims Surge on California Computer Problems, U.S. Federal Shutdown | Treasury Sec. Lew Says US Economy Hurt by 'Manufactured Political Crisis' IMF warns that further U.S. economic uncertainty could scramble world markets Wall Street Watch Optimism over Washington negotiations lifts stock futures Fidelity sells off short-term U.S. debt ahead of debt ceiling date Economic Inequality Food Stamp Recipients Prepare For Squeeze From Automatic Cuts Sasha Abramsky: How the Govt Shutdown Hurts the Poor Update From The Fed Who Is Janet Yellen & Why Does Her Nomination To Head The Fed Matter?  | 25 Other Government Jobs Never Held by Women Health Care Checkup How well is Obamacare working? Depends on where you live. Poll: Obamacare Defunding Leader Mike Lee Sees His Popularity Dip Sharply At Home | Health-care site's problems highlight flawed federal IT policies Sorry, we can't help you: How some (mostly Republican) states are undercutting Obamacare Ethics & The Media L.A. Times decided they will no longer publish letters from climate deniers AP retracts story on Terry McAuliffe lie claim Media Matters Financial Times to Consolidate Print Editions Pew Research Center: In print, newspapers cutting opinion sections Energy, Climate & Environment Alaska sinks as climate change thaws permafrost | Researchers say climate will shift in 2047; tropics will feel unprecedented change first It's Your Cap News Toon for October 10, 2013 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) White House Update White House: Obama orders military death benefits paid to families | Pres Obama disappointed all House Republicans not attending meeting with him today Legal Briefs NY Court rules unpaid interns not protected from sexual harassment News From Capitol Hill House OKs military death benefits, unanimously; Senate has yet to vote On The Left Greg Sargent: GOP shutdown shenanigans giving Democrats a big recruiting boost for 2014 E.J. Dionne: Obama can't cave in the face of GOP extremism On The Right Eric Boehlert: The Flawed Narrative of Safe Red Seats as Excuse for Radical Republicans Erick Erickson Predicts 'Real Third Party Movement' To Divide GOP States Of Confusion With Harsh New Abortion Restrictions, Ohio Walks a Narrow Legal Line | California moves to prevent more "Gosnells" as Gov. Brown signs 'Early Access to Abortion' bill into law 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.