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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.”

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!

GOP takeover of Congress would mean ‘hand-to-hand combat,’ Obama warns  —  A Republican majority would threaten policies to stabilize the economy, the president says during a radio interview, part of an effort to rally key Democratic constituencies.  —  Reporting from Washington …

Some in G.O.P. Find Soft Spot for Bill Clinton  —  WASHINGTON — Many Republicans with a deep animus for President Obama find their hearts aflutter with the memory of a former leader.  He was a compassionate conservative, a guy who cared about free trade, a man who reached across the aisle.

Christie Halts Train Tunnel, Citing Its Cost  —  The largest public transit project in the nation, a commuter train tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey to Manhattan, was halted on Thursday by Gov. Chris Christie because, he said, the state could not afford its share of the project's rising cost.

Christine O'Donnell's Second Ad Debuts  —  I liked Christine O'Donnell's opening ad line of “I'm not a witch,” for lumping all of the criticism of O'Donnell together and labeling it with the wackiest and most ridiculous one.  —  Here's the follow-up, which . . . well, decide for yourself.