Occupy Oakland protester Scott Olsen awake ahead of brain surgery  —  Iraq veteran seriously injured by police projectile is lucid and responding but brain swelling still a risk, say doctors  —  Scott Olsen, the Iraq war veteran who suffered serious head injuries after being hit …

Americans' Migration Patterns Shifting  —  LOS ANGELES — The continuing economic downturn has drastically altered the internal migration habits of Americans, turning the flood of migrants into the Sun Belt and out of states like New York, Massachusetts and California into a relative trickle, an analysis of recent federal data confirms.

Exclusive: Bill Daley, unplugged  —  It is a sunny day at the White House with bright light streaming through the gauzy curtains that cover the patio doors and many windows of Bill Daley's corner office in the West Wing.  And so I try to find some underlying gloom.

‘Bundlers’ for Obama Have Active Ties to Lobbying  —  WASHINGTON — Despite a pledge not to take money from lobbyists, President Obama has relied on prominent supporters who are active in the lobbying industry to raise millions of dollars for his re-election bid.

Fox 5 News Reporter Assaulted At OWS  —  MYFOXNY.COM - A protester, angered by the presence of a news crew inside Zuccotti Park Friday morning, threatened to stab Fox 5 News reporter John Huddy.  —  What has been an otherwise violence-free period during his six weeks covering …

Perry's right: Republicans drowning in debates  —  Everyone knows why Texas Gov. Rick Perry wants to skip some of the coming Republican presidential debates.  He's a lousy debater, and the biggest single factor in his fall from front-runner to back-in-the-pack has been his poor performance in a number of high-profile debates.

The Path Not Taken  —  Financial markets are cheering the deal that emerged from Brussels early Thursday morning.  Indeed, relative to what could have happened — an acrimonious failure to agree on anything — the fact that European leaders agreed on something, however vague the details …

TRENDING: Tea party group to Bachmann: Quit the presidential race  —  (CNN) - A tea party group has a surprising and harsh urging for long-time tea party favorite Michele Bachmann: Quit the presidential race.  —  “It's time for Michele Bachmann to go,” reads the first line of a statement from American Majority President Ned Ryun.

Johnson rushes to file New Hampshire paperwork  —  Manchester, New Hampshire (CNN) - Heading off an embarrassing blunder, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson will file his paperwork for candidacy in New Hampshire's primary today - the day of the filing deadline.

Will Mitch McConnell's stiff-arm keep West Virginia out of the Big 12?  —  The most volatile issue in the Senate right now may not be the super committee's fight over budget cuts or the continued bickering over President Obama's jobs plan.  —  It's a subject far more personal …

Kaiser Health Tracking Poll — October 2011  —  The October health tracking poll finds a more negative overall public mood about the health reform law, driven largely by changes in support for the law among Democrats.  The poll also asked the public's impressions of the Massachusetts health …

Herman Cain Opposes All Federal Student Aid, Says It Should Be Left To The States  —  President Obama's announcement earlier this week that he would use executive authority to make some changes to the federal student loan program has elicited quite the negative response from the GOP.

Cain Campaign Hits the Brakes  —  After weeks of missteps, Herman Cain's strategists are slowing the pace to give their man a chance to focus.  Howard Kurtz on the downshift—and how Cain is defying political gravity.

Paul Ryan, Defender Of The Safety Net  —  Fundraising letter that went out last night under the signature of Paul Ryan, Ayn Rand acolyte and proponent of pushing domestic discretionary spending to its lowest level ever:  —  What's fascinating about this is that it's not propaganda aimed at the center …

Republicans Nationwide Are Similar in Composition to 2008  —  Remain more likely to be conservative, married, and religious  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The Republican Party in 2011 looks similar, demographically and ideologically, to the Republican Party that nominated John McCain in 2008.

Economy in U.S. Surpasses Pre-Recession Level  —  The value of goods and services produced in the U.S. surpassed its pre-recession level after 15 quarters, taking three times longer than the average for 10 previous recoveries since World War II.  —  Gross domestic product expanded …

In Ohio, praise and questions for Herman Cain  —  At one point, Hart asked the participants to think back to fifth grade and the types of students they had encountered.  From a list that included descriptions such as “teacher's pet,” “loner,” “hard worker,” “nerd” and “know it all,” …