GOP ad casting call: ‘hicky’ W.Va. look  —  A Republican ad that shows a couple of regular-looking guys commiserating in a diner about West Virginia Gov. Joe Manchin (D) turns out to have been shot with actors, from a script, in Philadelphia.  —  But not just any actors …

Bank foreclosure cover seen in bill at Obama's desk  —  (Reuters) - A bill that homeowners advocates warn will make it more difficult to challenge improper foreclosure attempts by big mortgage processors is awaiting President Barack Obama's signature after it quietly zoomed through the Senate last week.

Lou Dobbs, American Hypocrite  —  Research support for this article was provided by the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute.  —  In Lou Dobbs's heyday at CNN, when he commanded more than 800,000 viewers and a reported $6 million a year for “his fearless reporting and commentary,” …

Waivers Address Talk of Dropping Health Coverage  —  As Obama administration officials put into place the first major wave of changes under the health care legislation, they have tried to defuse stiffening resistance — from companies like McDonald's and some insurers …

Gingrich Can't Figure Out Why Food Stamps Are Stimulative: 'I Don't Understand...Liberal Math'  —  Newt Gingrich's new messaging strategy has been to tell Republican candidates to label Democrats “the party of food stamps,” while, claiming the GOP is in turn “the party of paychecks.”

RNC circulates study that shows Dem tax plan is better for poor than GOP one  —  Okay, this is a bit in the weeds.  But it's worth it.  —  This morning the Republican National Committee blasted out a story from The Hill about a new nonpartisan study finding that the poor will be hit hardest …

Gov. Christie to kill N.Y.-N.J. rail tunnel project  —  TRENTON — Two senior officials say Gov. Chris Christie today will kill the controversial $8.7 billion Hudson River rail tunnel project, which he says the state cannot afford to build.  —  According to the sources …

Vargas Llosa Is Awarded Nobel Prize in Literature  —  The Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa, whose deeply political work vividly examines the perils of power and corruption in Latin America, won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Literature on Thursday.  —  Announcing the award in Stockholm …

Dem candidate fires back after racy photos surface  —  Democratic Virginia House candidate Krystal Ball (yes, that's her real name) went on the offensive Wednesday after racy photos of her surfaced online this week.  —  The photos, which were taken at a costume party, show Ball wearing …

REPUBLICANS STILL JUST DON'T LIKE THE UNEMPLOYED.... That Republican officials seem to actively dislike unemployed Americans isn't exactly new.  We're talking about a party that's waged war against jobless benefits and tried to kill jobs bills during a recession — which should tell the public quite a bit about the GOP's priorities.

The Man Who Never Was  —  Desperate to keep his Senate seat, John McCain repudiated his record, his principles, and even his maverick reputation, entrenching himself as the anti-Obama.  Which raises the issue of whether the leader so many Americans admired—and so many journalists covered—ever truly existed.

Southern Baptist leader on yoga: Not Christianity  —  LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A Southern Baptist leader who is calling for Christians to avoid yoga and its spiritual attachments is getting plenty of pushback from enthusiasts who defend the ancient practice.  —  Southern Baptist Seminary President Albert Mohler …

New York Asks to Bar Use of Food Stamps to Buy Sodas  —  Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg sought federal permission on Wednesday to bar New York City's 1.7 million recipients of food stamps from using them to buy soda or other sugared drinks.  —  The request, made to the United States Department of Agriculture …

O'Donnell: I've been character assassinated  —  Newark, Delaware (CNN) — Delaware Republican Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell is asking voters to give her a second look.  At a candidate forum sponsored by a group of local Republicans, O'Donnell blamed her campaign's recent troubles on unfair coverage in the “liberal media.”

Maybe You Can Take It With You: Stimulus Checks Sent to the Dead  —  The Social Security Administration sent about 89,000 stimulus payments of $250 each to dead and incarcerated people — but almost half of them were returned, a new inspector-general's report has found.

U.S. Department of Justice visitors tell Muslims they have their back in the Murfreesboro mosque dispute  —  Danger Zoning  —  Over the summer months, Muslims in Murfreesboro — for three decades a virtually silent minority and a sliver of the city's population — have endured challenge …