The Briefing 09-27-13

1) Real crisis isn’t looming fed shutdown – real crisis is unwillingness to deal with economic problems

House G.O.P. Leaders List Conditions for Raising Debt Ceiling, New York Times (Jonathan Weisman and Ashley Parker)

Boehner Weighs GOP Options on Spending Bill as Shutdown Looms, Wall Street Journal (Kristina Peterson and Janet Hook)

As government shutdown looms, Americans brace for possible disruption, disappointment, Washington Post (Lisa Rein)

2) New research reveals “nones” really are secular after all

College students divided on God, spirituality, USA Today (Bob Smietana)

3) Pakistan earthquake death toll over 300

Pakistan quake death toll rises to 356, CNN (Sophia Saifi)

4) To attend is to celebrate: George H.W. Bush official witness at same-sex wedding

George H.W. Bush is witness at same-sex marriage in Maine, Washington Post (Roxanne Roberts and Amy Argetsinger)

5) Brain scans show that porn and drugs have similar brain-altering effects

Brain scans of porn addicts: what’s wrong with this picture?, Guardian (Norman Doidge)

Hijacking the Brain — How Pornography Works, AlbertMohler.com

Pornography and the male brain: What’s really going on?, The Albert Mohler Program