Why Perry went there  —  The Texas governor went into Tuesday night's debate looking for a reaction — and he got one.

Reid says government jobs must take priority over private-sector jobs  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday said Congress needs to worry about government jobs more than private-sector jobs, and that this is why Senate Democrats are pushing a bill aimed at shoring up teachers and first responders.

Real World: Occupy Wall Street?  MTV Issues Casting Call for Protesters  —  Is Occupy Wall Street ready to start being real?  Bunim/Murray Productions, the agency casting for MTV's Real World 27, appears to think the show Real World needs some real world drama: an ad appeared …

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.

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 …

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.

Terror Link Downplayed in Courthouse Break-In  —  Five men in their twenties, described as French-Moroccan Muslims, are being questioned by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and by officials of the Department of Homeland Security after they were arrested inside the 120 year old Bexar County Courthouse …

Occupy Wall St. pepper-spray cop Anthony Bologna loses 10 vacation days for violating NYPD rules  —  NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna was disciplined Tuesday for pepper-spraying two female protesters in the notorious YouTube video seen around the world.

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.

President Obama's strategy on jobs is working — even if Americans aren't  —  It's certainly not pretty, but darn if it doesn't appear to be working.  —  President Obama's newfound message discipline on jobs and his two-pronged attack on the GOP are providing the beleaguered president …

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.

‘Occupy Cleveland’ Protester Alleges She Was Raped  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio (CBS Cleveland) - An “Occupy Cleveland” protester tells police she was raped in her tent over the weekend.  —  Cleveland police are investigating an alleged sexual assault incident Saturday at the “Occupy Cleveland” …

The Question That Needs Asking  —  I only caught a little of the GOP debate last night, but I came away with two thoughts: first, the distinct impression that New Gingrich's “it's-so-crazy-it-just-might- work” strategy for this race is looking a little less crazy with every debate.

Protesters get personal to embarrass city's titans  —  Advocates are making scenes at the restaurants and doorsteps of the rich and famous in increasingly edgy attempts to change policies or win labor disputes.  —  By Daniel Massey @masseydaniel  —  It's been a rough few weeks …