1. Obama urges vote on ending the government shutdown
President Obama on Monday challenged House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to hold a vote on a spending bill to reopen the government, without conditions. Boehner has said there are not enough votes to pass a measure to finance the government without provisions delaying the president's controversial health-care law. Obama said if that's the case, the GOP should prove it: "Let the bill go to the floor and let's see what happens." [New York Times]
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2. "God particle" theorists win the Nobel for physics
Two European scientists — retired University of Edinburgh professor Peter Higgs and French researcher François Englert — won the Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday for their 1964 work describing the Higgs boson, the theoretical "God particle" that might explain what gives matter its mass and how the universe was built. Last year, scientists using the Large Hadron Collider in Cern said they believed they had confirmed the existence of the Higgs boson. [Bloomberg]
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3. California governor says no to non-citizens on juries
California Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday vetoed a bill that would have made the state the first in the nation to let noncitizens serve on juries. Brown, a Democrat, has backed several recent measures expanding immigrants' rights, but he said that jury service, like voting, is a civic duty reserved for citizens. The bill would have allowed legal residents with green cards to serve on a jury. "I don't think that's right," Brown said. [Los Angeles Times]
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4. Egyptian troops are killed after dozens of protesters die
Militants killed six Egyptian soldiers near the Suez Canal on Monday, underscoring fears that an Islamist insurgency is blooming as the military cracks down on the Muslim Brotherhood and other supporters of ousted president Mohammed Morsi. The violence followed the deaths of more than 50 people in clashes between Morsi's backers and supporters of the military-backed government on Sunday, one of the deadliest days since the army took over in July. [Reuters]
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5. American adults fail education tests
U.S. students aren't the only ones lagging behind their overseas counterparts. Americans from 16 to 65 scored below average in literacy, math, and computer skills in a first-ever comparison with adults in 21 other democracies, according to a study released Tuesday. Even the best-educated Americans did poorly in most of the skills needed to compete in a global economy. "These findings should concern us all," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said. [Washington Post]
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6. Court says hospital can treat girl over parents' objections
An appeals court ruled Monday that an Ohio hospital can force a 9-year-old Amish girl with leukemia to resume chemotherapy, despite the objections of her parents. The family decided to end the treatment in June after an early round of chemo made her ill, opting for "natural medicines" instead. Doctors say the child has an 85 percent chance of survival with chemotherapy, but will die within a year without it. [Reuters]
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7. North Korea restarts its nuclear reactor
North Korea has reportedly restarted its controversial Yongbyon nuclear reactor in the latest sign that tensions, which had eased recently, are rising again on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea also warned Tuesday that joint U.S.–South Korea naval drills this week would have "disastrous consequences." North Korea also is accusing Switzerland of "serious human rights abuse" for refusing to sell the nation ski lifts for its first ski resort. [Bloomberg, Washington Post]
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8. Western South Dakota digs out of record early snowfall
Tens of thousands of people remained without power on Monday after a record-breaking blizzard covered parts of western South Dakota with four feet of snow. Some ranchers were believed to have lost half of their herds of cattle. "It's the worst early season snowstorm I've seen in my lifetime," said rancher Gary Cammack, 60, who lost 70 cows, about 15 percent of his herd. [Associated Press]
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9. The NFL will talk with tribe protesting the Redskins
National Football League officials said Monday they would meet with the Oneida Indian Nation to discuss its campaign to get the Washington Redskins to "stop using a racial slur" as the team's name. The New York tribe held a symposium on the issue near the site of the NFL's fall meeting on Tuesday. President Obama said three days ago that the team should think about finding a new name, but Redskins owner Dan Snyder has said he will never do it. [CNN]
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10. Scarlett Johansson is the sexiest woman alive...again
Esquire magazine has declared that Scarlett Johansson is the sexiest woman alive. The actress first won the honor from Esquire seven years ago, when she was 21. Johansson says getting this kind of attention as a woman in Hollywood gets tougher every year, so she's "gotta hustle" more to keep her career strong. "Pretty soon the roles you're offered all become mothers," she says. "Then they just sort of stop." [Los Angeles Times]
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