Rick Perry slips, Herman Cain rises in bid for GOP nomination, poll finds  —  After a quick rise in the race for the Republican presidential nomination, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has experienced an almost equally dramatic decline, losing about half of his support over the past month, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

On Wall Street, a Protest Matures  —  “I think a good deal of the bankers should be in jail.”  —  That is what Andrew Cole, an unemployed 24-year-old graduate of Bucknell University, told me Monday morning in Zuccotti Park, the epicenter of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

ESPN yanks Hank Williams for comparing Obama to Hitler  —  Hank Williams Jr., the voice famous for asking millions of viewers if they're ready for some football, has been pulled from Monday's broadcast of “Monday Night Football” over a comment he made on Fox News this morning.

White House kept Democratic senators hanging on the phone  —  President Obama's relations with Senate Democratic leaders are deteriorating along with his poll numbers.  —  With Obama's approval ratings at record lows and the 2012 electoral map favoring Senate Republicans …

Mitt Romney's risky immigration play  —  Mitt Romney has finally found a groove on the right.  But he could find himself stuck there if he wins the GOP nomination.  —  With Romney's recent move to wield the immigration issue as a club against Rick Perry — painting him as “soft” …

Testimony  —  Economic Outlook and Recent Monetary Policy Actions  —  Before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, Washington, D.C.  —  Chairman Casey, Vice Chairman Brady, and other members of the Committee, I appreciate this opportunity to discuss the economic outlook and recent monetary policy actions.

After Ruling, Hispanics Flee an Alabama Town  —  ALBERTVILLE, Ala. — The vanishing began Wednesday night, the most frightened families packing up their cars as soon as they heard the news.  —  They left behind mobile homes, sold fully furnished for a thousand dollars or even less.

‘Durbin fee’ will cost bank customers billions  —  U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) conducts a news conference in the Rock Island Country Market grocery store in Rock Island, Ill. on Sept. 30, 2011 to discuss reforms to the debit interchange system that will go into effect on Oct. 1, 2011.

E-Mails Show Obama Was Warned; Bitter OMB, DOE Divide Over Solyndra  —  President Obama tours Solyndra's California headquarters in 2010 to tout investment in renewable energy.  New emails show the White House was warned before the visit about Solyndra's long-term viability …

Docs show Holder was informed of Fast and Furious in 2010  —  Attorney General Eric Holder was issued multiple memos from senior Justice Department officials about a controversial gun-tracking operation months before he said he first became aware it, according to documents.

Romney Can't Bring Himself To Condemn Jeering Of Gay Soldier  —  Mitt Romney couldn't bring himself to condemn the booing of a gay soldier serving in Iraq during an interview with the the editor and publisher of the Union Leader yesterday.  The former Massachusetts governor admitted that he heard …

Wonkbook: The jobs bill is dead  —  It's not much of a surprise, I guess.  The American Jobs Act never had a particularly good chance of passing the House.  But as of yesterday, it's officially dead.  Majority Leader Eric Cantor isn't even pretending the two sides will work something out.

Stupid Answers to Stupid Questions  —  Appearing on Fox News Sunday yesterday, Herman Cain had this exchange with host Chris Wallace about Cain's “9-9-9” tax plan, which involves a 9 percent income tax, a 9 percent sales tax, and a 9 percent corporate tax: … I don't know who's being dumber here.

Facebook is fine with hate speech, as long as it's directed at women |  Cath Elliott  —  The social network's ‘jokes in the pub’ analogy, defending its decision not to take down pro-rape pages, is offensive  —  It doesn't matter how hard I study Facebook's terms and conditions …