Romney and Perry Clash, Drawing Lines in G.O.P. Sand  —  SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — The fight for the Republican presidential nomination began narrowing into an intense and ideological battle at a debate here Wednesday night, with Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and Mitt Romney sharply clashing over Social Security …

REPUBLICANS CHEER DEATH PENALTY at Reagan Library Debate (Video)  —  Republicans Cheer Death Penalty-  —  Republicans cheered the death penalty tonight at the GOP debate at the Reagan Library.  They cheered again when Governor Rick Perry defended his state's laws.  —  Brian Williams: Governor Perry a question about Texas.

Romney adviser: Perry ‘has lost’  —  Mitt Romney's campaign leapt just now on Rick Perry's restatement of his view that Social Security is a “Ponzi scheme” and that promising to maintain it in its current form is a “monstrous lie.”  —  “PERRY DOES NOT BELIEVE SOCIAL SECURITY SHOULD EXIST,” read the headline of Romney's press release.

Perry Leads  —  This was a very successful debate debut for Rick Perry.  It confirms his position as the leader of the field.  As of now, this race is a Perry-Romney duel, but Perry's the one to beat.  Romney and Perry were well matched tonight, but Perry's appeal to the base means he's got …

Jobless Claims in U.S. Unexpectedly Rose  —  Claims for U.S. unemployment benefits rose last week, a sign the labor market is struggling to gain traction more than two years after the recession ended.  —  Jobless claims rose by 2,000 to 414,000 in the week ended Sept. 3, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington.