Romney's ‘huge freaking deal’  —  At this point in the morning yesterday, it looked like the biggest political screw-up of the day would be Rick Perry's latest Birther flirtations.  As it turns out, though as ridiculous as this was, it was eclipsed rather easily.

Police Fire Tear Gas at Occupy Protesters in Oakland  —  Last Updated 9:48 a.m. Riot police in Oakland dispersed hundreds of protesters with tear gas on Tuesday night as crowds tried to re-enter a plaza outside of City Hall that the authorities had cleared of an encampment earlier in the day.

New Poll Finds a Deep Distrust of Government  —  With Election Day just over a year away, a deep sense of economic anxiety and doubt about the future hangs over the nation, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, with Americans' distrust of government at its highest level ever.

Pizza Magnate Leads GOP Presidential Pack In Ohio, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Romney Stalled As Perry Vanishes  —  Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain has jumped to the front of the line among GOP presidential contenders with 28 percent support among Ohio Republicans.

Rick Perry: Obama is an American citizen  —  ST PETE BEACH - Texas governor Rick Perry clarified Wednesday that he has no doubt that Barack Obama was born in the U.S., saying that he was only kidding around when he voiced doubts in a TV interview earlier this week.

Obama education chief: student loan reform to address income inequality  —  President Obama's education reform efforts will address growing income inequality in the U.S., Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Wednesday.  —  Speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe on Wednesday …

Gupta to Face Criminal Charges  —  For decades, Rajat K. Gupta was the face of business success, leading global consulting giant McKinsey & Co. and serving on the boards of several prestigious American companies, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc.  —  Now, prosecutors say …

Obama: If We Lose in 2012, Government Will Tell People 'You're on Your Own'  —  At a million-dollar San Francisco fundraiser today, President Obama warned his recession-battered supporters that if he loses the 2012 election it could herald a new, painful era of self-reliance in America.

The next front in the abortion wars: Birth control  —  Mississippi debates a “Personhood” initiative that could ban the pill — but ultimately aims at Roe v. Wade  —  Dr. Freda Bush has a warm, motherly smile.  In her office just outside Jackson, Miss., she smiles as she hands me a brochure …

Record-Low 26% in U.S. Favor Handgun Ban  —  Support for stricter gun laws in general is lowest Gallup has measured  —  PRINCETON, NJ — A record-low 26% of Americans favor a legal ban on the possession of handguns in the United States other than by police and other authorized people.

Health cases set for Nov. 10  —  The Supreme Court will take its first look at the challenges to the new federal health care law at its Conference on Thursday, November 10.  Five of the six pending petitions (the sixth is not ready yet) were distributed to the Justices' chambers on Wednesday, for consideration at that private session.

Obama on Libya: ‘We led from the front’  —  President Obama said Tuesday the often-repeated idea that the U.S. led from behind in the ouster of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi was incorrect.  —  “We led from the front,” Obama said in a pre-taped interview for “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

As the Data Show, There's a Reason the Wall Street Protesters Chose New York  —  When the federal income tax was first imposed in 1913, the richest 0.1 percent of households reaped 8.6 percent of the nation's income.  In 2007, as the recession began, the share going to that sliver of megarich Americans was 12.3 percent.

Fox Hires “Serial Liar,” “Laughingstock,” “Early Brain Donor” As Contributor  —  On Friday, Fox News confirmed that they had hired former Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) as a paid contributor.  The move that could make things slightly awkward at the network.  During their coverage of the affair …

Exclusive: Democrats seek up to $3 trillion in budget savings  —  (Reuters) - Democrats are proposing $2.5 trillion to $3 trillion in measures to reduce the budget deficit, including revenue increases and significant cuts to Medicare, congressional aides told Reuters.

President Obama Holds Secret Meet-and-Greet With Hollywood Execs and Influencers (Exclusive) … Before he left Los Angeles for San Francisco on Tuesday, President Barack Obama stopped for an undisclosed meeting with some of the entertainment industry's high-level executives …