An associate of Jerry Brown calls Meg Whitman a “whore” over pension reform (AUDIO)  —  In a private conversation that was inadvertently taped by a voicemail machine, an associate of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown can be heard referring to his Republican opponent Meg Whitman as a …

Cuts in Government Led U.S. Economy to Lose 95,000 Jobs  —  The economy shed 95,000 nonfarm jobs in September, the Labor Department reported Friday, with most of the decline the result of the layoffs by local governments and of temporary decennial Census workers.

Nobel Peace Prize Given to Jailed Chinese Dissident  —  BEIJING — Liu Xiaobo, an impassioned literary critic, political essayist and democracy advocate repeatedly jailed by the Chinese government for his writings, won the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in recognition of …

Federal judge upholds health care law  —  A federal judge in Michigan has upheld as Constitutional a provision in the health care reform bill requiring uninsured individuals to purchase insurance.  —  U.S. District Court Judge George Steeh ruled Thursday that the so-called individual mandate …

Lou Dobbs: ‘I have done nothing illegal’  —  Lou Dobbs is firing back against claims of hiring undocumented workers.  In an exclusive interview on Msnbc's Lawrence O'Donnell on Thursday, the radio host said, “The bottom line is I have done nothing illegal.”

A Florida Double Crist?  —  Kendrick Meek might drop out of the Florida senate race and thereby pave the path to victory for Charlie Crist.  —  TAMPA — Republican leaders in the Sunshine State are fretting that a deal may be in the works to get Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek …

Flawed Foreclosure Documents Thwart Home Sales  —  OCALA, Fla. — Amanda Ducksworth was supposed to move in to her new home this week, a three-bedroom steal here in central Florida with a horse farm across the road.  Instead, she is camped out with her 7-year-old son at her boss's house.

The Colbert Democrats  —  A president's first midterm election is inevitably a referendum on his two years in office.  The bad news for Democrats is that President Obama's “reelect” number is 38 percent — precisely Bill Clinton's in October 1994, the eve of the wave election …

Rory Reid: Healthcare reform could end up hurting Nevada  —  Gubernatorial candidate Rory Reid (D) said Thursday that the new health reform law could hurt Nevada.  —  During a televised debate, Rory Reid, the son of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), said he does not support the legal challenges against the health overhaul.

The End of the Tunnel  —  The Erie Canal.  Hoover Dam.  The Interstate Highway System.  Visionary public projects are part of the American tradition, and have been a major driver of our economic development.  —  And right now, by any rational calculation, would be an especially good time to improve the nation's infrastructure.

Donilon to Replace Jones as National Security Adviser  —  President Obama will announce on Friday that Gen. James Jones, the national security adviser, is resigning and will be replaced by Thomas E. Donilon, the principal deputy national security adviser, senior administration officials said.

Pete Rouse braces White House for GOP gains  —  Week One of the Pete Rouse era in the White House is in the books — and West Wingers already notice the difference from the Rahm Emanuel days:  —  The interim chief of staff emails when he wants to summon a staffer - no more hollering for them to get the hell in here right away.

BUSTED!  Video Documents Role of Democrat Consultant Neal Rauhauser in Smear Campaign Against Tea Party  —  WARNING: This video is filled with profanity.  What it documents — including pedophilia-inspired Twitter attacks against children of a Tea Party supporter — involves a network of …

Plouffe: For GOP, anything short of sweep would be ‘colossal failure’  —  Trying to reshape expectations for the midterm elections, David Plouffe said Thursday that the Republicans should be expected to make a full sweep of Congress - and key gubernatorial races - given the environmental advantages they have.

Rep. Adler campaign accused of propping up ‘Tea Party’ candidate in N.J.  —  The campaign of Rep. John Adler (D-N.J.), who faces a serious GOP challenge this fall, is being accused of manufacturing a Tea Party candidate in New Jersey's 3rd Congressional District to help the incumbent's reelection bid.

Can Terry McAuliffe Sell Electric Cars?  —  The Democratic political veteran says his MyCar will save American manufacturing and create jobs.  Skeptics see a strategy to win the Virginia statehouse  —  Photographers and tourists swarmed former President Bill Clinton as he admired …

Joe Miller Received Medicaid Benefits He Thinks Are Unconstitutional  —  Alaska GOP Senate candidate Joe Miller has repeatedly claimed that federal health care benefits violate the Constitution.  It turns out, however, that “Mr. Noun, Verb, and Unconstitutional” doesn't actually think that the Constitution applies to himself.

Caught Spying on Student, FBI Demands GPS Tracker Back  —  A California student got a visit from the FBI this week after he found a secret GPS tracking device on his car, and a friend posted photos of it online.  The post prompted wide speculation about whether the device was real …

RED ALERT: MAJOR CARL PALADINO CAMPAIGN T.V. ANNOUNCEMENT TOMORROW  —  ...But nobody knows what the hell it is!!!  —  You cannot make this stuff up!!!  —  Republican gubernatorial nominee Carl Paladino is planning to make some sort of major television announcement tomorrow at 5:13 p.m., my sources tell me.

Dems try to make Chamber the villain  —  President Obama led Democrats in a coordinated attack against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, painting the business lobby as a corporate interest standing against open elections and U.S. workers.  —  Obama criticized the Chamber …

Despite Anger At D.C., Dems Lead In All New York Races, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Women Propel Gillibrand To Double-Digit Lead  —  Democrats are surging in all New York statewide races as little-known Republican candidates struggle for name recognition, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Exclusive Bombshell of Foreclosure Fraud - Full Deposition of TAMMIE LOU KAPUSTA Law Office of David J Stern  —  HEY JUDGE COX, THIS IS WHAT THE MOTION TO QUASH IS PROTECTING!  —  MY GOD!  —  WHERE ARE THE FEDERAL AGENTS!!! … This just in and it is unbelievable!

Biden: 'You're the dullest audience I've ever spoken to'  —  Vice President Joe Biden got a laugh from his audience at a Wisconsin fundraising event Thursday when he tried to rile the crowd about the economic collapse of 2008.  —  “We want to reward people who manufacture things in the United States …

72,000 stimulus payments went to dead people  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - More than 89,000 stimulus payments of $250 each went to people who were either dead or in prison, a government investigator says in a new report.  —  The payments, which were part of last year's massive economic recovery package …

Today's Army: Smarter, Richer, Southern  —  If the strain of two wars wasn't enough, U.S. soldiers also face the unfair burdens of stereotyping: They're dumb; they're brutes; they're broke; they're joining up because they have no other career options.  But a new demographic study of who's joining …