- Sen. Mitch McConnell to Robert Costa: "I don 't have any observations to make on [Ted Cruz]." (National Review)
- "Despite presiding over a chamber that nearly drove the country to a debt default, John A. Boehner still has the enduring support of a group that would have been most harmed by that event: the business community." (Washington Post)
- Sen. Marco Rubio is fading into the background... (The Week)
- Compared to the vocal antics of Ted Cruz, Rand Paul has been showing a softer side lately (Politico)
- Your Affordable Care Act questions, answered (Wonkblog)
- President Obama will nominate attorney Jeh Johnson to lead the Department of Homeland Security--if the Senate confirms that nomination (Reuters)
- Could New Jersey be preparing to legalize same-sex marriage? Yes and no. (BuzzFeed)
- Right-wing voters are turning against the GOP: "It's stupid that you shut down the economy just to get Obamacare off the list. Get Obama out of there, and get your candidate in there." (NY Times)
- Stephen Colbert brought laughs to the Al Smith white-tie charity dinner Thursday night (NY Times)
Top Links: October 18
Jimmy Kimmel's got a(nother) confusing question for Americans.