Obama mocks Perry, Republican debates  —  President Obama broadened his attack on Republicans Sunday night, firing an indirect shot at Texas Gov. Rick Perry and condemning audience members at recent Republican debates.  —  At a fundraiser in San Jose, Calif., Obama said that some in the audience might …

Shutdown looms: Spotlight now on Senate after Boehner wrangled House GOP votes  —  With time running out, Congress returns Monday to try to pass a short-term funding measure to avert a government shutdown and avoid yet another market-rattling showdown over the federal budget.

Euro Zone Death Trip  —  Is it possible to be both terrified and bored?  That's how I feel about the negotiations now under way over how to respond to Europe's economic crisis, and I suspect other observers share the sentiment.  —  On one side, Europe's situation is really, really scary …

Cain nearly quit campaign before Florida straw poll, calls Obama a ‘liar’  —  ORLANDO, Fla. — Not everyone needs to go to Disney World to have fun in central Florida.  —  After one of Herman Cain's strongest showings yet at a Republican presidential debate Thursday, and two days …

Videos Show Police Using Pepper Spray at Protest on the Financial System  —  For a few moments on Saturday, the confrontations between the police and the protesters just south of Union Square in Manhattan seemed fairly typical.  People pushed, the police shoved and arrests were made …

Americans Express Historic Negativity Toward U.S. Government  —  Several long-term Gallup trends at or near historical lows  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A record-high 81% of Americans are dissatisfied with the way the country is being governed, adding to negativity that has been building over the past 10 years.

Companies Get Gay-Rights Heat Over Christian Donations  —  The culture war over gay rights has entered the impersonal world of e-commerce.  —  A handful of advocates, armed with nothing more than their keyboards, have put many of the country's largest retailers, including Apple, Microsoft …

Roger's Reality Show  —  First, Ailes dialed back the Tea Party talk.  Now he's turning the GOP race into a political X-Factor—and steering the election agenda one more time.  —  It was part political spectacle, part American Idol, part YouTube extravaganza, a pure Roger Ailes production …

Review: Ron Suskind's Confidence Men  —  When I first learned in 2009 that Ron Suskind's next book was going to be about the making of a economic policy in the Obama administration, I looked forward to it.  Previous books about the making of economic policy had degenerated into unseemly hagiography …

Fla. GOP sweats over Social Security  —  ORLANDO -Florida Republicans want the GOP presidential field to tread lightly on the subjects of Social Security and Medicare.  Very, very lightly.  —  Even in senior-heavy Florida, there is a willingness this cycle to talk about finally reforming entitlement programs.

Eurozone rescue plan ‘emerging’ as IMF and Greece talk  —  The plan agreed by leaders reportedly envisages a “haircut”, or writedown, of Greece's sovereign debt  —  The outline of a large and ambitious eurozone rescue plan is taking shape, reports from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington suggest.

A Campaign Finance Ruling Turned to Labor's Advantage  —  WASHINGTON — Labor unions are seizing on last year's landmark Supreme Court campaign finance ruling to change how they engage in politics, developing ambitious plans to influence nonunion households in the 2012 election …

Spreading Freedom: Google And The War For The Web … WASHINGTON — You can't swing a dead cat video in Washington lately without hitting a lobbyist, consultant, attorney or adviser on retainer to Google or one of its tech rivals.  Google, whose top executives have long been a bottomless cup …

King Abdullah Gives Saudi Women Right to Vote for First Time  —  Sept. 26 (Bloomberg) — Saudi Arabia granted women the right to vote for the first time in its modern history as part of changes King Abdullah said will let them run in future municipal elections.

Maxine Waters: Obama remarks ‘curious’  —  Rep. Maxine Waters on Monday called President Barack Obama's comments to black Americans that they should stop complaining “a bit curious” and said she doesn't “know who he was talking to.”  —  The California Democrat told CBS's “Early Show” …

Trump blasts DNC ad, to meet with Romney Monday afternoon  —  Donald Trump slammed an ad by the Democratic National Committee that painted him and Mitt Romney - who Trump will be meeting with Monday afternoon - as elitist and out-of-touch.  —  “I think it's a pretty weak ad,” Trump said on Fox News.