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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

Saudi Monarch Grants Women Right to Vote  —  King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Sunday granted women the right to vote and run in future municipal elections, the biggest change in a decade for women in a puritanical kingdom that practices strict gender separation, including banning women from driving.

RC Poll: Obama trails Republican front runners; Allen and Kaine in dead heat in Va poll  —  Jobs trump deficit; Virginians want political compromise  —  Conducted by The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College  —  With 14 months remaining until the 2012 election …

ObamaCare And The Supreme Court Schedule  —  Apparently Monday is a big day for Team Obama, which can decide whether to delay a Supreme Court decision on ObamaCare until after the 2012 election:  —  Reporting from Washington—  Obama administration lawyers face a decision by Monday …

Controversy erupts over Campus Republicans bake sale plans  —  (CNN) — Campus Republicans at the University of California Berkeley have cooked up a storm of controversy with their plans for a bake sale.  —  But it's not your everyday collegiate fundraiser they've got in mind.

Revenge of the Jews, or of the economy?  —  The American Jewish Committee's annual survey of its constituents (and this is American Jewish adults, not voters) is out today, and shows the sort of dramatic drop in support for Barack Obama that you've seen in a range of polls.

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 …

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” …

Cocaine ‘blow’ to economy  —  Here's another sign of the stalled economy — New Yorkers are ditching their coke habits.  —  Cocaine-related emergency-room admissions, overdoses and requests for rehab have declined since the economy started its 2008 decline, according to data obtained by The Post.