Prospects slim to avert shutdown

Democrats and Republicans did little but blame each other as they dug in for an increasingly likely government shutdown set to begin at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

Senator John McCain of Arizona, who has called his Tea Party colleagues “wacko birds,’’ believes compromising to keep the government open is a prudent course for the GOP.

Jonathan Ernst/REUTERS

In GOP, no voices that can bring unity or compromise

Top leaders are fighting amongst themselves over the pending double-barreled threats of a government shutdown and debt default.

Bill de Blasio’s 1979 yearbook identified him as “future president of the U.S.A. — the Untied Sneakers Association.’’

NYC mayoral favorite Bill de Blasio has Mass. roots

Decades before his surprising political success, he was making his mark on a smaller stage, as a student activist in Cambridge.

“I am trying to get people to talk and ask me hard questions,” said Charlie Collier, who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Patient starts conversation on Alzheimer’s

Charlie Collier will speak Sept. 30 at the Boston Public Library about his journey through academia into Alzheimer’s.

Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib makes a game-saving play by breaking up a Matt Ryan pass intended for Falcons wide receiver Roddy White late in the fourth quarter.

BARRY CHIN/GLOBE STAFF

Christopher L. Gasper

Patriots’ defense is the real thing

The Falcons were able to move the ball against the Patriots, but the doubted defense clamped down like a vise in the red zone.

Tom Brady, shown celebrating a fourth-quarter scoring play with Kenbrell Thompkins, passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns.

Patriots 30, Falcons 23

Patriots hold on to beat Falcons, move to 4-0

The Falcons made things interesting, but a touchdown-preventing pass breakup from Aqib Talib helped the Patriots secure a 30-23 win.

Colleges try to meet needs of first-generation students

MIT’s First Generation Project is just one sign of a growing movement to carve out a recognizable identity for a largely invisible population.

Blood tests in minutes, not days or weeks

The Gene Radar device, created by Cambridge biotech firm Nanobiosym, could be a game changer, especially where labs are scarce.

Opinion

JAMES CARROLL

//c.o0bg.com/rf/image_90x90/Boston/2011-2020/2013/09/30/BostonGlobe.com/EditorialOpinion/Images/james_carroll_150px-2612.png Women are key to pope’s reforms

The church of justice for the poor must be the church of equality for women — inside the church as well as out.

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