Week In The News: Shutdown Showdown, U.N. Speeches And Obamacare

Locked horns and a shutdown. Health care rollout. Netanyahu at the U.N. Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.

It has been the week of shutdown, with no clear relief in sight, an unsettling soundtrack of gunfire, and a whole lot more risk ahead.  Republicans handed the reins to hardcore Tea Party opponents of the Affordable Care Act – and there we’re stuck.  Democrats say they won’t negotiate with hostage takers.  The country, looking like a hostage.  While Washington fought, an historic health reform rolled out.  Lots of glitches.  But it lives.  The woman who crashed into Capitol Hill barriers in her car does not.  Up next On Point:  Shutdown.  A shooting.  Our weekly news roundtable goes behind the headlines.
-- Tom Ashbrook

Molly Ball, staff writer covering national politics at The Atlantic. (@mollyesque)

Bob Cusack, managing editor of The Hill. (@BobCusack)

Jack Beatty, On Point news analyst.

The Atlantic: The Night The GOP Cracked Up — "Monday was a frantic day on Capitol Hill, though all the activity ultimately came to nought: A flurry of last-minute legislative feints failed to prevent the government from shutting down at midnight. But in the process, House Republicans' total crackup was on full, public display."

The Hill: Cracks Emerge In House GOP On Shutdown Strategy — "Wolf agrees with Rigell, a Wolf aide told The Hill. In a statement on the House floor Tuesday, Wolf said, “This is bad for America. It is bad for America. Enough is enough. It’s time to be leaders. It’s time to govern. Open up the government.'"

The Guardian: Author Tom Clancy Dies In Baltimore Hospital At Age 66 — "Though he had no military or espionage experience, he managed to sound absolutely authentic, making himself an expert on military hardware and tactics. He was often invited to lecture to military audiences and counted high-ranking US army and security services personnel among his friends; he was frequently consulted as a pundit on US military affairs. When asked about his research, he said: 'I read the papers, watch CNN and think … It's all in the open. You just have to know where to look." He kept an M4A1 tank on his lawn, and had a shooting range in his basement.'"