CNN Poll: Perry still at top but Romney stronger vs. Obama  —  Washington (CNN) - Despite his performances in the two most recent Republican presidential debates, a new national survey indicates that Texas Gov. Rick Perry remains on top of the field in the race for the GOP nomination.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

New gaffe: Obama confuses Jews with janitors  —  President Obama spoke to the Congressional Black Caucus awards banquet over the weekend.  —  Those folks will stick with him in 2012, of course.  —  But they've been somewhat miffed in recent months that the first post-partisan president …

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 …

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 …

Powerful lobbying  —  Beyond being listed as a creditor, the state Democratic Party's ties to Solyndra aren't clear, but a fuller picture could emerge as the bankruptcy case unfolds.  What is clear, based on public records, is that despite its well-known business failings, Solyndra was no novice when it came to politics.

‘Outrageous’  —  A Rick Perry spokesman pushed back on President Obama's use of the Texas wildfires in a fundraising speech last night to criticize the GOP frontrunner as a climate-change critic.  —  “It's outrageous President Obama would use the burning of 1,500 homes, the worst fires in state history …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

DA looking at voter bribery accusations  —  Milwaukee County prosecutors have opened a John Doe investigation into voter bribery allegations stemming from last month's state Senate recall elections, according to sources.  —  Details of the secret investigation are sketchy …

TPM2012  —  Romney, Harvard Grad With Harvard Advisers, Rips ‘Harvard Faculty Lounge’  —  Mitt Romney once again criticized President Obama for taking his advice from the “Harvard faculty lounge” in a speech in Florida on Thursday.  He's repeated the line on the campaign trail despite …