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.

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 …

Senate to vote on FEMA funding as government shutdown looms  —  Partisan squabbling over a fraction of the federal budget has tied up a short-term spending bill, but the Senate returns to work tonight to vote on a bill in the hopes of avoiding a government shutdown this week.

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 …

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 …

U.S. Government Used Taxpayer Funds to Buy, Sell Weapons During ‘Fast and Furious,’ Documents Show  —  Not only did U.S. officials approve, allow and assist in the sale of more than 2,000 guns to the Sinaloa cartel — the federal government used taxpayer money to buy semi-automatic weapons …

‘Firefly’ and Anti-Fascism Posters Get Professor Threatened with Criminal Charges on University of Wisconsin Campus  —  A professor has been censored twice, reported to the “threat assessment team,” and threatened with criminal charges because of satirical postings on his office door.

Audience Member Asks Obama: ‘Would You Please Raise My Taxes?’  —  President Obama is currently fielding questions from a town hall audience in Mountain View, California, hosted by LinkedIn.  At one point, a man stood and asked Obama, “Would you please raise my taxes?”

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 …

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.

Kean Confirms Christie Boomlet: 'It's Real'  —  Former New Jersey governor Tom Kean, who has known Chris Christie since he was a teenager and remains an informal adviser, tells National Review Online that the governor is “very seriously” considering a presidential bid.  —  “It's real,” Kean says.

Mearsheimer responds to Goldberg's latest smear  —  Ever since John Mearsheimer and I began writing about the Israel lobby, some of our critics have leveled various personal charges against us.  These attacks rarely addressed the substance of what we wrote — a tacit concession that both facts …

Facebook to form its own PAC to back political candidates  —  Facebook confirmed it filed paperwork on Monday to start its own political action committee.  —  “FB PAC will give our employees a way to make their voice heard in the political process by supporting candidates who share our goals …

Barack Obama Does The Impossible  —  Matt Miller continues to advocate for a third party in America: … Isn't Miller's position on this exactly the position of President Obama?  It seems to me that 15 months ago, Miller was touting “the exciting reform energy unleashed across the country …

A MORNING CALL INVESTIGATION  —  The Morning Call interviewed 20 current and former Amazon warehouse workers who offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it's like to work in the warehouse, where temperatures soar on hot summer days, production rates are difficult to achieve …

UC Berkeley student senators respond to bake sale  —  BERKELEY — UC Berkeley student senators voted Sunday to condemn discriminatory behavior on campus - even if done in satire - in response to a Republican student group's plans for an “Increase Diversity Bake Sale,” with pastries labeled according to race and gender.

The bogus ‘third party’ dodge  —  Calling for a third party is a quick and easy way to get yourself booked for a round of cable TV appearances.  But many of those calling for a third party are refusing to reckon with an inconvenient fact: One of the two parties already occupies …

Scalia: Duquesne should strive to retain Catholic identity  —  He is one of the most outspoken, influential and controversial justices in the recent history of the Supreme Court, and on Monday, Antonin Scalia marks his 25th anniversary on the nation's highest court.

‘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 …

Banking and Finance  —  Related articles, background features and opinions about this topic.  —  Going Rogue  —  Share Traders More Reckless Than Psychopaths, Study Shows  —  UBS trader Kweku Adoboli, shown leaving a London court on Sept. 22, allegedly made unauthorized trades that cost the Swiss investment bank billions.

Why Gay Rights Activists Are Winning—And What the Left Can Learn  —  Nothing seems to provoke President Obama more than being challenged by the progressive base.  Maybe that's why it's a tactic that works.  —  Remember when you believed that if we just elected enough Democrats to Congress …

Could This Be the Week Sarah Palin Gets in the Race?  —  It's an exciting week in politics because this is the week Sarah Palin will tell the world her 2012 intentions.  Or not.  —  At least that's what she indicated to ABC News' Jake Tapper at the Iowa State Fair last month …