Prominent Pastor Calls Romney's Church a Cult  —  WASHINGTON — A Texas pastor introduced Rick Perry at a major conference of Christian conservatives here on Friday as “a genuine follower of Jesus Christ” and then walked outside and attacked Mitt Romney's religion, calling the Mormon Church …

CBO: Obama jobs bill reduces budget deficit  —  The Congressional Budget Office on Friday confirmed that President Obama's jobs bill would be fully paid for over ten years and also gave its seal of approval to Senate Democrats' version that includes a surtax on millionaires.

Wall Street Weeks  —  The Occupy Wall Street encampment in Lower Manhattan is covered with damp sleeping bags, interspersed among piles of wet, abandoned clothes.  Molding stuff is everywhere.  It looks like a scene from “Outdoor Hoarders.”  —  “How about one big cleaning day?” someone asks during a morning meeting.

ABOUT CHRIS BRENNAN AND CATHERINE LUCEY  —  Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999.  He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

Karl Rove, Erik Paulsen Glitter Bombed at Anti-Gay Conference [VIDEOS]  —  BLOOMINGTON, MN — At the Minnesota Faith and Freedom Coalition strategy session about the upcoming ballot measure seeking to re-write the state constitution to ban marriages for same-sex couples, Republican Party hit-man Karl Rove …

After a Rating Downgrade, U.S. Treasuries Turn a Profit  —  TWO months ago, Standard & Poor's downgraded the bond rating of the United States government.  So far, at least, the move has done wonders for investors in the very bonds that the rating agency disparaged.

U.S. State Dept. contacts Khan family  —  An official from the U.S. State Department has called the Charlotte family of al-Qaida propagandist Samir Khan to offer the government's condolences on his death in a U.S. drone attack last week in Yemen, according to a family spokesman.

Obama Fundraiser Pushed Solyndra Deal From Inside  —  An elite Obama fundraiser hired to help oversee the administration's energy loan program pushed and prodded career Department of Energy officials to move faster in approving a loan guarantee for Solyndra, even as his wife's law firm …

State Department readies Iraq operation, its biggest since Marshall Plan  —  The State Department is racing against an end-of-year deadline to take over Iraq operations from the U.S. military, throwing up buildings and marshalling contractors in its biggest overseas operation since the effort to rebuild Europe after World War II.

GOP lauds pro-trade proposals, ignores Obama's pitch for jobs bill  —  Washington (CNN) - This week's radio spokesperson for the Republican Party said he is “glad to see that President Obama finally” did something to his liking.  —  South Dakota Sen. John Thune during the weekly Republican address …

Meet the Contraption That Wants to Replace Central Park Horses  —  The faux-vintage electric car that horse advocates want to replace Central Park's carriage horses has classic white-walled tires, running boards, mahogany and an “ah-hoogah” horn.  —  On Thursday, in a fourth-floor conference room …