The Briefing 09-30-13

1) The pseudo-event: Government functioning by threatening not to function

Government Heads Toward Shutdown, Wall Street Journal (Janet Hook and Kristina Peterson)

House pushes U.S. to the edge of a shutdown, Washington Post (Lori Montgomery, Paul Kane and Rosalind S. Helderman)

2) New Jersey judge rules denial of same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Is your state next?

New Jersey Judge Rules State Must Allow Gay Marriage, New York Times (Kate Zernike and Marc Santora)

Toward Marriage Equality in New Jersey, New York Times (Editorial)

3) Exxon Mobil extends benefits to same-sex spouses of employees

Exxon to Extend Health Care to Married Same-Sex Couples, New York Times (Tara Siegel Bernard)

4) Right to free speech doesn’t prevent your employer from firing you

Professor’s tweet was crass, but his right, USA Today (Ken Paulson)

Journalism prof placed on leave after anti-NRA tweet, Associated Press (Roxana Hegeman)

5) School suspends boys for playing with toy guns – in their own yard

Has zero tolerance gone too far?, WAVY (Andy Fox)