What we're watching today

1) The Shutdown: Day 3. No deal in sight as Republican and Democratic lawmakers dig in and President Obama goes on the offensive, blaming the House GOP and Speaker John Boehner for the partial government shutdown. He told a crowd in Maryland that "there's one way out" of the stalemate. "Congress has to pass a budget that funds our government with no partisan strings attached."

2) GOP donors slam Republicans over shutdown. Some of the party's benefactors are withholding funds because they're upset about tea party lawmakers' control over the Republican agenda. "When you have a small segment who dictate to the rest of the party, the result is what we have seen in the last two days, " Republican fundraiser Bobbie Kilberg told the Daily Beast. "People need to stand up and not be afraid of the tea party.

3) Congress still getting paid. That’s a constitutional requirement despite the shutdown.  But some lawmakers are giving away their salaries in solidarity with the 800,000 federal workers who aren’t getting paychecks.  A CNN count finds 31 Senators are donating their checks to charities or the Treasury Department, while four aren’t accepting their paychecks.  In the House, 44 Congress members are donating their salaries to charity or the Treasury and 54 aren’t taking a check.

4) Senator Ted Cruz surfaces.... in the Virginia governor's race. A campaign ad for Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe links the Texas freshman to Republican candidate Ken Cuccinelli and of course, the government shutdown.

5) Tropical Storm Karen. It is expected to be at or near hurricane strength by Friday and hit the U.S. gulf coast this weekend. FEMA is recalling some of its furloughed workers to help with storm preparation efforts.