Government Shutdown Stretches Into Fourth Day (LATEST UPDATES)

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LIVE UPDATES: Government Shutdown Continues

House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican from Ohio, speaks to the media after a meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013. Boehner said Obama refused to negotiate in a meeting with top congressional leaders about the government shutdown, signaling a lack of progress on resolving the fiscal impasse. Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Day four of a partial government shutdown began Friday, as President Barack Obama and Congress remained apart on a budget.

The fiscal impasse brings the country one day closer to a potential collision between the shutdown and debt limit. HuffPost's Mike McAuliff and Sabrina Siddiqui report:

WASHINGTON -- The resolution of the government shutdown appeared headed for a showdown over the fast-approaching national debt limit Thursday as Democrats linked the two and House Speaker John Boehner reportedly pledged to Republican members he would not let the country default.
The joining of the shutdown and the debt limit -- expected to be reached Oct. 17 -- raised both the stakes and the chances of finding a resolution, because the consequences of a default are far worse than a closed government.

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Below, the latest updates on the shutdown: