From the Wires

USA Today: Top Senate leaders say they are close to a deal to end the government shutdown.

CNN: Safra Catz of Oracle again tops the list, with $43 million in total compensation.

BBC: Google is facing a backlash over plans to put people’s faces and comments about products and places into advertisements.

Twitter: Oregon Ducks cheerleaders released a photo of the creepy contacts they will wear this weekend at Washington.

CNN: JetBlue Airways will now allow members of its TrueBlue loyalty program to register as a family.

BBC: Over the past few years, a slew of chief executives have made verbal gaffes that even the most brilliant PR teams have had serious trouble spinning.

The Wall Street Journal: The government shutdown has eroded public support for Republicans more than Democrats and most think the showdown is not in the best interest of the country., according to a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

Reuters: The financial clouds that settled over U.S. cities during the 2007-09 recession are lifting.

NationalGeographic: It sounds like science fiction, but as much as 10 million tons of diamonds may be stored in Saturn and Jupiter, researchers announced this week.

The Washington Post: A chainsaw sculptor from Mount Pleasant, S.C., Chris Cox bought a used lawn mower and a leaf blower and set to work trimming lawns around Washington D.C.’s monuments starting with the Lincoln Memorial.