Impressions of Tonight's Debate  —  The GOP presidential debate is coming to a close.  Here are some random thoughts:  —  * I doubt that many people saw it.  My wife wasn't able to find it on television, and finally tracked it down on the internet, when it was half done.  So the impact is likely to be slight.

Obama's jobs plan blocked in Senate  —  President Obama received a slap from members of his own party Tuesday as the Senate voted 50-49 to block his $447 billion jobs package.  —  The jobs plan, which the president has spent much of the last month touting on a cross-country tour, fell well short of the 60 votes it needed to proceed.

U.S. Says Iran-Tied Terror Plot in Washington, D.C. Disrupted  —  FBI and DEA agents have disrupted a plot to commit a “significant terrorist act in the United States” tied to Iran, federal officials told ABC News today.  —  The officials said the plot included the assassination …

Occupy L.A. Speaker: Violence will be Necessary to Achieve Our Goals  —  Citizen journalist Ringo captured this speaker at the Occupy Los Angeles camp a few days ago letting the cat out of the bag: After dismissing nonviolence as a dead end, he admits that for the Occupiers to achieve their goals …

Family of Al Qaeda's Samir Khan Gets ‘Condolence Call’ From U.S. State Department  —  The U.S. State Department made a phone call to the family of Al Qaeda propagandist Samir Khan to offer the government's condolences on his death during a U.S. drone strike in Yemen, a department spokesman confirms.

Slovakia Rejects Euro Bailout  —  WARSAW — Slovakia's Parliament rejected participating in a crucial euro rescue fund on Tuesday night in a vote that backfired on the prime minister, who had tied her government to the legislation through a confidence vote.  —  Negotiations to try to stave off …

Israel Reaches Deal With Hamas to Free Gilad Shalit  —  JERUSALEM — Israel and Hamas announced an agreement on Tuesday to exchange more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners for an Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza for five years, a deal brokered by Egypt that seemed likely to shake …

Heartbreak for Huma as new messages reveal how Anthony Weiner called her parents ‘backwards thinking’ and compared her to his ‘sextees’ in vulgar messages  — Accused his successor Bob Turner of being ‘just another rich businessman trying to buy himself an election’

Michelle Obama often unrecognized  —  Michelle Obama says when she takes a trip to Target or Petco, she is often surprised that people don't even recognize her.  —  “It's amazing how people don't recognize you,” the first lady said in an interview that aired on NBC Wednesday morning.

Does Anyone Have a Grip on the G.O.P.?  —  It wasn't that long ago that Republican moneymen and operatives in Washington were moping around K Street like Eeyore in the Hundred Acre Wood, lamenting their party's extremist image and casting about for a candidate with a chance of beating Barack Obama in 2012.

Facing Cuts, a City Repeals Its Domestic Violence Law  —  TOPEKA, Kan. — The startling vote came up at a City Council meeting here on Tuesday, provoked by a run-of-the-mill budget dispute over services that had spun out of control: decriminalize domestic violence.

Wall Street's Gullible Occupiers  —  The protesters have been sold a bill of goods.  Reckless government policies, not private greed, brought about the housing bubble and resulting financial crisis.  —  There is no mystery where the Occupy Wall Street movement came from …