Congress Takes Group Of Schoolchildren Hostage  —  WASHINGTON—Brandishing shotguns and semiautomatic pistols, members of the 112th U.S. Congress took a class of visiting schoolchildren hostage this morning, barricading themselves inside the Capitol rotunda, where they remain at press time.

Joe Biden: The economy belongs to us, not Bush  —  Vice President Joe Biden said in a live interview with Miami public radio station WLRN Thursday that the Obama administration - not the Bush administration - now has ownership of the struggling U.S. economy.

Anti-Obama sign in Uptown neighborhood draws controversy  —  NEW ORLEANS — There are several political signs attracting all kinds of attention in one Uptown neighborhood.  —  On Wednesday, crowds gathered at the corner of Calhoun and Coralie streets, looking at several signs depicting President Barack Obama …

Perry Slumps in Polls, but Not to Romney's Gain  —  There have been three scientific national polls released of Republican voters since the Sept. 22 debate: a CNN poll that was conducted over the last weekend, and polls by Fox News and Economist/YouGov released on Wednesday.

A Massive Union Just Voted To Side With The Wall Street Protesters  —  According to Daily Kos, The New York Transit Workers Union (TWU) voted to support the Wall Street Protestors at their meeting last night.  —  A member of TWU Local 100 told a reporter that they would join the protest Friday at 4PM.

Chris Christie: Is New Jersey Governor Too Overweight to Become President?  —  For Chris Christie, there was no way around it.  “In case you haven't noticed, I'm slightly overweight,” he said during a debate in his successful campaign for governor.  —  Two years later, Christie is the man …

Democrats Dispirited About Voting in 2012  —  Republicans' enthusiasm for voting matches 2004 and exceeds 2008  —  PRINCETON, NJ — In thinking about the 2012 presidential election, 45% of Democrats and independents who lean Democratic say they are more enthusiastic about voting than usual …

A ‘Furious’ revelation  —  This just might be the smoking gun we've been waiting for to break the festering “Fast and Furious” gun-running scandal wide open: the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives apparently ordered one of its own agents to purchase firearms with taxpayer money …

Fewer than 1 in 3 say Obama favors the ‘have-nots,’ but many say GOP helps the ‘haves’  —  Nearly half of all Americans say President Obama treats society's “haves” and “have-nots” about equally, perhaps blunting Republican criticism that he is engaged in “class warfare.”

Shocking video shows attempted murder of teen outside Brooklyn McDonald's  —  Three toughs pulled off a choreographed plan to pass a gun between them like a hot potato before one of them opened fire at a teen outside a Brooklyn McDonald's - and all of it was caught on camera.

Is This Man the G.O.P.'s Best Bet for 2012?  —  Gail Collins: David, are you reconciled to the fact that Mitt Romney is going to be the Republican presidential nominee?  —  David Brooks: Oh, I went through that phase a few weeks ago after the debate at the Reagan library.

Irony alert: Romney cites wrong Brit in defense of flip-flops  —  By NBC's Garrett Haake and Jo Ling Kent  —  Speaking to a New Hampshire Town Hall audience of more than 250 yesterday, Mitt Romney addressed perceptions that he is a flip-flopper by quoting from a political leader he often cites on the trail, Winston Churchill.

Obama may have more than five votes to uphold health-care law  —  The Obama administration's decision on Wednesday to seek review of a lower court's ruling on the constitutionality of its signature health-care program almost guarantees a Supreme Court decision by next June.  And the administration is predicting victory.

Gingrich chides reporter for asking him about campaign $$ (AUDIO)  —  During a Q&A session with reporters this afternoon, Seema Mehta of The LA Times asked Gingrich about his fundraising for the quarter.  —  AUDIO of Mehta & Gingrich … AUDIO: Q & A with reporters

California and Bust  —  The smart money says the U.S. economy will splinter, with some states thriving, some states not, and all eyes are on California as the nightmare scenario.  After a hair-raising visit with former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who explains why the Golden State has cratered …

More Than 300,000 Ohio Voters Submit Petition Suspending Gov. Kasich's Anti-Voter Law  —  Earlier this year, Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) signed a sweeping bill intended to make it harder to vote in his states' elections.  Kasich's anti-voter law drastically cuts back on early voting and erects …

Issa questions White House pressure in Ford's decision to pull ad  —  Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Thursday that he was “deeply concerned about undue political pressure exerted by the White House” in a letter to the Ford Motor Company on Thursday.  —  The House Oversight Committee …

UW-Stout Chancellor Doubles Down on Censorship of ‘Firefly’ and Anti-Fascism Posters  —  The chancellor of University of Wisconsin-Stout (UWS) has declared that he will not defend faculty First Amendment rights from censorship.  UWS censored theater professor James Miller's poster featuring …

Teacher penalizes students for saying “bless you”  —  FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A Northern California teacher says he doesn't want to hear a common courtesy in his classroom.  —  He's even lowering students' grades if they say “bless you” after someone sneezes.

Breaking: anti-gay N.C. Senator Forrester falsifies credentials - and an open letter to the lawmaker  —  NOTE FROM PAM: It's sad that a lawmaker, namely North Carolina State Senator James Forrester, is so blinded by ignorance and bigotry that he embarrasses himself — and his cause …