Thursday, October 31, 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. The Spying Game The NSA's weak defense of its spying on European allies? Europeans were spying on each other too. Report says U.S. tapped Catholic cardinals' phones ahead of Papal conclave in 2012 NSA denies reports it targeted Vatican More Snowden Leaks: NSA has infiltrated links inside Yahoo, Google data centers worldwide How the NSA is infiltrating private networks PRISM already gave the NSA access to tech giants. Here's why it wanted more. NSA Bombshell Shocks Former Spooks: "Why in The World Would We Burn Google?" Everyone spies: Intelligence insiders shrug amid outrage over U.S. snooping allegations Eugene Robinson: The out-of-control NSA Ted Gioia: 65 Things We've Learned About the NSA Since June Max Fisher: Why America spies on its allies (and probably should) Adam Serwer: Former NSA supporters join critics in calling for reform Ryan Cooper: Right-sizing the security state Health Care Checkup At Congressional hearing, HHS Sec. Sebelius Says 'Hold Me Accountable' for Obamacare Flaws The futility of congressional self-indulgence was on display at Wednesday's health care hearing Sarah Kliff: From 'brosurance' to tricycles, the Sebelius hearing was pretty weird Dana Milbank: In Kathleen Sebelius hearings on Obamacare, she faced a GOP without a brain White House on Sebelius hearing: GOP 'did us a favor up there' Sarah Kliff: Sebelius said in hearing it would be illegal for her to buy Obamacare. That's not quite right. 8 Revelations From Wednesday's Obamacare Hearing Johnathan Cohn: Obamacare Insurance Cancellation Letters - The Cynical Republican Hypocrisy Another Obamacare horror story debunked - and that's a good thing Igor Volsky: Obamacare Is Radically Changing The Individual Insurance Market - And That's A Very Good Thing HealthCare.gov had a glaring security flaw that wasn't patched until last week Pres. Obama in Boston blames 'bad apple insurers' - correctly - for canceled insurance plans Julie Appleby: Why Insurers Cancel Policies, And What You Can Do When It Happens Greg Sargent: Memo to Democrats - Don't panic about Obamacare (yet) Economic Inequality Millions on food stamps facing benefits cuts When Veterans Get Their Food Stamps Cut, It's Time to Prioritize Our Budget Economists to Congress: It's Time for a "Robin Hood Tax" on the Rich Neil Irwin: Rich people think the economy is doing just fine. Here's why that matters. Equality in America Senate Democrats now unanimous on ENDA Hawaii Senate passes bill to legalize gay marriage Energy, Climate & Environment Lockheed signs deal to design largest ocean thermal electric plant - for an Asian resort Koch Pipeline Spills 400 Barrels Of Crude Oil In Texas Nations In Turmoil Syria meets deadline; All chemical production facilities now destroyed Syria's Assad: Foreign powers must end rebel support Congo army enters last major rebel stronghold The War Over There Pakistan says drone strikes killed only 67 civilians since 2008 International News Edward Snowden hired by major Russian website Russian President Putin tops Forbes most powerful people list Election 2014 Voters' Anger Over Shutdown Is Now Inspiring Democrats to Run In Secret Letter, Senate Democratic Women Rally Behind Hillary Clinton for 2016 States Of Confusion Florida city bans guns for neighborhood watch volunteers D.C.'s cab drivers join forces with the Teamsters Midwest Roundup OPPD testing Ft. Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant equipment for the first time in two-and-a-half years Iowa lawmakers urge bipartisanship amid farm bill discussions Big Stinkers If it seems like there's a lot going on in the news this week, it's not just your imagination. This is what it looks like when Congress actually sticks around DC to do some work. This week alone, the Senate confirmed Presidential appointments to the FCC and the NLRB. Democrats in the Senate also introduced a bill that would end debt ceiling brinksmanship, based on an idea from Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Republicans and Democrats from both the House and Senate also met officially, in a conference committee on the farm bill for the first time in years on Wednesday. The bipartisan conference committee on the budget also met this week. And immigration reform is definitely not dead yet. The House also held a hearing on the federal healthcare website and the rollout of Obamacare on Wednesday, with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Let's just say that didn't exactly go the way tea party Republicans thought it would. In short, Congress this week - for the most part - looks like an organization that mostly has its stuff together and seems to have a decent idea of where it's headed. That's a disturbing contrast from the stink that began leaking out last weekend over the actions of the NSA and other intelligence agencies. From tapping the cell phone of Germany's Angela Merkel - and 34 other world leaders - to spying on the Papal Conclave at the Vatican, the list of the NSA's gaffes, mistakes, and serious failures is long and frightening. Even after the explosion of information earlier this year, the skunkworks groups of our national security apparatus appear to have their heads shoved so far into their spycraft they have no idea of how badly they've stunk things up for the government they claim to serve... To continue reading... click here. And now, for your Daily Felltoon preview for October 31, 2013 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) Reigning In The Stinkers Lawmakers propose USA Freedom Act to curb NSA's powers USA Freedom Act: Read the NSA bill co-written by James Sensenbrenner, co-writer of the Patriot Act. | NSA Reform Bill Introduced In Congress, Even As Agency Remains On The Defensive ACLU: The USA FREEDOM Act is Real Spying Reform Jobs & The Economy U.S. jobless claims decline by 10,000 last week, to 340K ADP: Government Shutdown Helps Weaken October Jobs Growth David Atkins: The Dow hit another record high yesterday. So where are all the jobs? Kevin Drum: Our Economy Is Suffering From an Investment Drought, Not Low Treasury Rates Wall Street Watch Fed maintains strong stimulus as U.S. growth stumbles Inflation Stays Tame, Supporting Fed on Easy-Money Strategy Bank of America says U.S. government may sue it over mortgage-backed securities Major Investment Advisor: "The era of taxing 'capital' at lower rates than 'labor' should now end." Five Years Of Obama Steve Benen: Federal budget deficit shrinks to five-year low | U.S. Budget Deficit Below $1 Trillion For First Time In Five Years Budget Battles Budget talks to ward off another government shutdown begin Budget talks start with low expectations for fiscal deal Beneath conference committee's sweet words lurks old sticking point: Taxes | After years of delay, House and Senate negotiators finally meet on farm bill Farm Subsidies to User Fees Said to Be on Budget-Cut Menu Why You Should Care About the Farm Bill, Even If You're Not A Farmer War on Women Irin Carmon: 'I'm showing my son mercy' Immigration: Reform Coming? Greg Sargent: Immigration reform is definitely undead Ethics & The Media Jon Stewart rightfully rips CNN on 'The Daily Show' for overly simplistic coverage | Three ex-Murdoch journalists plead guilty to phone hacking Communications Breakdown Brian Fung: The price of Internet in America is too high Media Matters Poynter: Digital subscriptions up 24% at Financial Times It's Your Cap News Toon for October 31, 2013 (Click the preview cartoon above to see the full version of the cartoon) National Politics Poll: Both Obama & GOP approval hit new lows Money in Politics Group Led By Billionaire Adelson Pushing Congress To Undermine Talks With Iran White House Update President Obama at address in Boston, on health-care law: 'We are going to see it through' Obama correctly blames 'bad apple insurers' for canceled insurance plans News From Capitol Hill House Republicans Skip Obamacare Briefing They Furiously Demanded After busy week, House leaves for two weeks, GOP promises Obamacare scrutiny on return On The Left Ta-Nehisi Coates: Homecoming at Howard University On The Right E.J. Dionne: Americans are fed up with the far right Sporting News The Red Sox Win the World Series: Big Papi By the Numbers FAU's Carl Pelini resigns after drug allegations Other Notable News N.D. woman to hand out "fat letters" to obese kids during Halloween For some Wiccans, Halloween can be a real witch 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.