Must Reads

Morning Must Reads: October 8

In the News: Government shutdown continues, ObamaCare on the defense, Debt crisis threatens Puerto Rico, and why we should fear the debt ceiling

By Oct. 08, 2013
  • Share
  • Read Later
Nicholas Kamm / AFP /Getty Images

The US Capitol in Washington is seen on September 30, 2013 , a day before the government shutdown began.

  • Boehner Holds Weaker Cards In High-Stakes Political Poker:  “President Barack Obama says he will not pay House Republicans a ransom in exchange for re-opening the government or raising the debt ceiling. House Speaker John Boehner insists he doesn’t have the votes to do either without any White House concessions. Both men are bluffing. And while Obama’s play is a risky one, Boehner’s bluff is worse: it just doesn’t look very credible.”   [TIME]
  • Washington Isn’t Working: “There are two Americas, all right. There’s one that works — where new and creative things happen, where mistakes are corrected, and where excellence is rewarded. Then there’s Washington, where everything is pretty much the opposite. That has been particularly evident over the past week or so. One America can launch rockets. The other America can’t even launch a website.” [USA Today]
  • Obamacare Chief Defends Rocky Start on The Daily Show [TIME]
  • Five Reasons to Fear the Debt Ceiling [Bloomberg]
  • Worsening Debt Crisis Threatens Puerto Rico: “Puerto Rico has been effectively shut out of the bond market and is now financing its operations with bank credit and other short-term measures that are unsustainable in the long run. The biggest concern is that the territory, which has bonds that are widely held by mutual funds, will need some sort of federal lifeline, an action for which there is no precedent.” [NYT]
  • Will contractors receive backpay for government shutdown?: “The House on Saturday unanimously passed a bill to pay all federal employees retroactively for the government-shutdown period, however long it might last. If the Senate approves that legislation, hundreds of thousands of public servants will be compensated for time they were forced off the job during the funding lapse. But what about the army of contractors who provide a long list of services for the government ranging from safeguarding computer networks to building military machines?” [Washington Post]
  • Eric Holder’s 2014 Racial Politics [WSJ]
  • Government Shutdown, Canceled Asia Trip Leaves Obama Schedule Empty: “With his trip to Asia canceled, staffers furloughed and a declared refusal to negotiate with Republicans until the government reopens, the White House is left with a week-long hole in the president’s public schedule.” [Politico]
  • TV Ad in Wyoming Senate Race Hits Liz Cheney on Gay Marriage [LA Times]
  • California Governor Jerry Brown Vetoes Measure Allowing Non-Citizens on Juries: “The governor’s action runs counter to his recent approval of bills expanding the rights of immigrants, including legislation allowing those in the country illegally to apply for driver’s licenses and practice law. Brown said serving on a jury, however, was a high civic duty that should be exclusive to citizens.” [LA Times]

More on TIME.com: