Washington Post-Pew Research Center Poll  —  This poll was conducted for The Washington Post and the Pew Research Center by telephone October 13 to 16, 2011, among a random national sample of 1,007 adults, including users of both conventional and cellular phones.

U.S. Capital Now Richer Than Silicon Valley  —  Federal employees whose compensation averages more than $126,000 and the nation's greatest concentration of lawyers helped Washington edge out San Jose as the wealthiest U.S. metropolitan area, government data show.

West counters Obama: MLK would not have backed Wall Street protests  —  Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) rejected President Obama's comparison between Martin Luther King Jr. and what he called the “Occupy Wall Street gangs.”  —  “Martin Luther King Jr. would not have backed these types of protesters …

Student loan debt hits record levels  —  Students and workers seeking retraining are borrowing extraordinary amounts of money through federal loan programs, potentially putting a huge burden on the backs of young people looking for jobs and trying to start careers.

Transcript: ABC News' Jake Tapper's Exclusive Interview With President Obama  —  President Obama sits down with ABC News' senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper for an exclusive interview in Jamestown, N.C. (Courtesy the White House)  —  The following is a transcript …

GOP Rep. Asked Paper To Keep Town Hall Secret, Selected Residents Who Were Invited  —  Freshman Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA) told a town hall gathering Monday that “the whole purpose” of the meeting “is to hear from you.”  But apparently Herrera Beutler isn't interested in hearing from everyone.

What Percent Are You?  —  To get the full experience of this page, please upgrade your Flash Plugin  —  The Occupy Wall Street movement seeks to speak for the bottom 99% of the population by income, which includes pretty much everyone who makes less than $500,000 a year.

Animals Loose in Ohio: Town Under Lockdown  —  An Ohio town is under lockdown as dozens of wild animals including bears, wolves and tigers have escaped from a private preserve are and are on the loose after the owner of the preserve has been found dead.  —  Terry Thompson of Zanesville …

‘Too Big to Fail’ Is Simply Too Big  —  There is no evidence huge banks add sufficient value to offset the systemic risk they pose.  —  Is Dodd-Frank an appropriate regulatory response to the 2007 financial crisis?  Tragically, no. That legislation ignores the government's pervasive role …

Rick Santorum Pledges To Defund Contraception: 'It's Not Okay, It's A License To Do Things'  —  Rick Santorum pledged to repeal all federal funding for contraception, during a recent interview with CaffeinatedThoughts.com editor Shane Vander Hart, arguing that birth control devalues the act of procreation.

Man living as an ‘adult baby’ is cleared of Social Security fraud  —  The California man who lives part of his life as an “adult baby” and collects Social Security disability payments says the federal agency has cleared him of wrongdoing and will continue sending checks.

Protest mob is enjoying rich diet  —  They may sleep in the park, but they eat like kings.  —  Hundreds of grimy protesters laying siege to Wall Street and stuffed into the now-smelly Zuccotti Park dine each night on gourmet meals prepared by a former hotel chef using only the finest organic ingredients.

Grassley: “I'm not going to endorse anybody” (audio)  —  Senator Chuck Grassley will not directly involve himself in the contest amount the candidates seeking the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nomination.  —  “I've made a decision that I'm not going to endorse anybody,” …