TIME Poll: Obama Leads Head-to-Head Match-Ups with Republican Rivals  —  President Barack Obama speaks at the White House Forum on American Latino Heritage in Washington, Oct. 12, 2011.  —  Despite sweeping pessimism about the nation's fortunes and his own sliding approval ratings …

Lech Walesa, former Polish president, to visit New York in support of Occupy Wall Street  —  Solidarity hero Lech Walesa is flying to New York to show his support for the Occupy Wall Street protesters.  —  “How could I not respond,” Walesa told a Polish newspaper Wednesday.

Obama Surges Past Money-Making Goal  —  The Obama Campaign and Democratic National Committee raised a combined nearly $70 million for the 2012 campaign from July through September, the groups reported today in an email to supporters.  —  Obama for America brought in $42.8 million …

Jackson, Jr: Obama should ‘declare a national emergency,’ add jobs with ‘extra-constitutional’ action  —  Illinois Democratic Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. told The Daily Caller on Wednesday that congressional opposition to the American Jobs Act is akin to the Confederate “states in rebellion.”

Scott Brown web message mirrors 2002 Elizabeth Dole speech  —  WASHINGTON - A Democratic group has unearthed a bit of inspirational autobiography on Senator Scott Brown's official website that was lifted verbatim from a 2002 campaign speech by Elizabeth Dole.

Obama gets win as Congress passes free-trade agreements  —  Congress resoundingly approved long-stalled trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama late Wednesday, authorizing the most significant expansion of trade relations in nearly two decades.

Five questions for Rick Perry  —  Perry spoke to a large crowd at the Des Moines Register Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair last month.  (Justin Hayworth/The Des Moines Register)  —  1. You've been criticized over the racial slur that a rock once bore outside the hunting camp you leased …

Denied Veterans Benefits Over Same-Sex Marriage, Ex-Sailor Challenges Law  —  In what experts say is the first case of its kind, a disabled Navy veteran from Connecticut is challenging the constitutionality of two federal laws that define marriage as being between opposite-sex partners …

I Am Not Your Mirror Image  —  Russ Roberts tries to debunk my explanation of the reasons to believe in a broadly Keynesian view of the world — and reveals more than he intended.  —  First, a few points.  Roberts treats my statement that we have a lot of evidence on the effects of monetary policy …

New tax bill to watch - Splitsville for Yahoo, U.S. Chamber - Fed jobs site revamp gets panned - CTIA dispatch: USF, spectrum and more from San Diego - Barton, Frank team up on online gambling  —  With help from Michelle Quinn, Kim Hart, David Saleh Rauf and Eliza Krigman

Banks turn to demolition of foreclosed properties to ease housing-market pressures  —  View Photo Gallery — Demolition: Four years into this city's housing crisis, it has often become cheaper for banks to give away a home and pay to demolish it than continue to hold on.

How to Turn Republicans and Democrats Into Americans  —  An insider's six-step plan to fix Congress  —  ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED, American voters went to the polls in November 2010 to “take back” their country.  Just as they had done in 2008.  And 2006.  And repeatedly for decades …

We fabricated drug charges against innocent people to meet arrest quotas, former detective testifies  —  A former NYPD narcotics detective snared in a corruption scandal testified it was common practice to fabricate drug charges against innocent people to meet arrest quotas.

Nearly 8-in-10 Americans now see country on the wrong track  —  Somehow, 16% of likely American voters still believe the country is doing swell.  —  Rescue teams are out looking for them right now.  —  Sixteen percent is not much of a political base for President Obama to build a 2012 reelection campaign on.

Ben Nelson's Ads May Break New Ground  —  WASHINGTON — A new series of political advertisements on behalf of an embattled Nebraska senator could open the door to a flood of similar ads financed by outside groups and even businesses working directly with political candidates — a sharp departure from past practice.

Japanese Government Nixed Idea of Obama Visiting, Apologizing for, Hiroshima*  —  In September 2009, US Ambassador to Japan John Roos reported to the Obama administration that the Japanese government did not think it was a good idea for President Obama to visit Hiroshima to apologize …

9-9-9 Plan Would Almost Double Taxes on Middle Class  —  Herman Cain is running on three numbers: 9-9-9.  —  “Nine percent corporate business flat tax, nine percent income flat tax and a nine percent national sales tax,” he said, explaining the plan once again during Tuesday night's Republican presidential debate.

Solar Firm That Received $1.2 Billion Federal Loan Plagued by Financial Problems  —  With the Solyndra scandal still swirling, the Obama administration is under pressure to reveal the financial condition of the solar companies that received $4.75 billion in similar federal loan guarantees on the last day of the program.