Now that the government is back in business and things have returned to normal, people are talking about the usual topics, which includes, of course…wait for it…filibuster reform. National Journal today carried a point-counterpoint feature examining whether or not Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid should pursue the nuclear option on presidential nominees.

National Journal: A Post-Nuclear Senate Wouldn’t Be So Bad Really

National Journal: A Post-Nuclear Senate Would Be a Wasteland

The Democrats might be frustrated with the filibuster in the Senate, but they are probably even more frustrated with Obamacare’s botched rollout. In fact, Democrats are urging the President to get the website fix just about two weeks ago. The mid-term elections are next year, and many are speculating whether the Republicans can re-take the Senate, so his party members are depending on decisive action from the Executive Branch.

The Hill: Dems Press Obama for Health Fix

Roll Call: Democrats Up in 2014 Vent Their Obamacare Anger in White House Meeting

One of the biggest news stories for today actually took place off of Capitol Hill: Twitter went public on the stock market. Although influential members of society may buy shares before the general public, Members of Congress are forbidden from doing so, since ethics regulations say they may not profit from public service (apart, of course, from the salary that they are legally entitled to).

CNN: Ethics Committee: Hey Congress, Don’t Buy Twitter IPO Shares

And for our latest blog post: What Happens When a Member of Congress Dies?