GOP USA MIDDAY REPORT 09/24/2013

Ted Cruz makes his stand to defund Obamacare Sen. Ted Cruz has become a marked man in Washington, where his insistence that Republicans hold fast to defunding Obamacare -- even if it means flirting with a government shutdown -- has been derided from across the GOP political spectrum.

Opponents ramp up fight against Obama climate plan Republican lawmakers and industry groups are vowing to fight President Barack Obama's climate change plan and its first-ever emission limits on new power plants. But they're finding their options are limited - at least in the short term.

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Obamacare has a family glitch A "family glitch" in the 2010 health care law threatens to cost some families thousands of dollars in health insurance costs and leave up to 500,000 children without coverage, insurance and health care analysts say.

Americans' belief that government is too powerful hits record level A record level of Americans -- 60 percent -- say they believe the federal government has too much power, results of a Gallup survey indicated.

Obama's War on Coal Campaigning for the 2008 Democratic nomination for president in Oregon (a must-win state in the Democratic primaries), Barack Obama toadied to environmentally conscious voters. He said on May 17, 2008, "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times -- and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK."

Kenya mall gunmen may have included Americans All hostages held in a Nairobi mall by Islamic militants appear freed, officials said Tuesday, as Kenya's foreign minister said the gunmen included Americans.

Obama: 'Why is everybody fighting this so much?' 'Is everybody wrong?" That, in three simple words, was the question a reporter asked President Obama last week. "Yes, they are," the president said with a straight face."