Cain aide wrongly insists they've ‘confirmed’ accuser's son works for POLITICO  —  Herman Cain campaign manager Mark Block, in an appearance with Sean Hannity on Fox News just now, insisted that a relative of the second woman to publicly accuse the candidate of sexual harassment in the 1990s works at POLITICO.

A Very Good Night for Democrats  —  In state elections across the country Tuesday, voters rejected Republican attempts to pursue a far right-wing agenda  —  Democrats had a very good election night on Tuesday.  —  Their cherished causes prevailed, they kept their statehouses …

Obama up big in Ohio  —  One person who should be feeling particularly good about last night's election results in Ohio is Barack Obama.  On our weekend poll, which got the final result of Issue 2 correct to within a point, Obama led all of his Republican opponents in the state by margins ranging from 9-17 points.

Obama Couldn't Wait: His New Christmas Tree Tax  —  President Obama's Agriculture Department today announced that it will impose a new 15-cent charge on all fresh Christmas trees—the Christmas Tree Tax—to support a new Federal program to improve the image and marketing of Christmas trees.

Occupy Oakland makes $20K deposit at Wells Fargo  —  Last week, one or more Occupy Oakland protesters smashed the windows of a Wells Fargo branch.  —  This week, the group's general assembly agreed — in a near-unanimous vote Monday — to temporarily place $20,000 of the group's money …

Va. elections: GOP Senate takeover hangs on 86 votes  —  Virginia Democrats' hopes of maintaining their party's hold on the Commonwealth's upper house were very much in doubt late Tuesday, hinging on a razor-thin count in a single Senate district.  —  When the ballot-counting ended for the night …

Anti-abortion ‘personhood’ amendment fails in Mississippi  —  A constitutional amendment that would have defined a fertilized egg as a person failed on the ballot in Mississippi on Tuesday, dealing the so-called “personhood” movement another blow.  —  Amendment 26 supporter Sandy Comer puts …

House Republican lawmakers want out of Norquist tax pledge  —  Grover Norquist's grip on the House Republican Conference is loosening.  —  A growing number of GOP lawmakers have disavowed Norquist's pledge against supporting tax increases in recent days, telling The Hill they no longer feel bound …

Man found dead in Occupy New Orleans encampment  —  A 53-year-old man was found dead Tuesday inside a tent pitched at the Occupy New Orleans encampment at Duncan Plaza across from City Hall.  He appears to have been living in the tent inside the occupation zone, said John Gagliano …

Generation Jobless: Students Pick Easier Majors Despite Less Pay  —  Biyan Zhou wanted to major in engineering.  Her mother and her academic adviser also wanted her to major in it, given the apparent career opportunities for engineers in a tough job market.

Barclays Says Italy Is Finished: “Mathematically Beyond Point Of No Return”  —  Euphoria may have returned briefly courtesy of yet another promise for a resignation that will likely not be effectuated for weeks or months, if at all, and already someone has done the math on what the events in the past several days reveal for Italy.

Obama nixes federal swag  —  As a part of President Barack Obama's efforts cut down on spending, here's what you'll be seeing less of: swag.  —  On Wednesday, Obama will sign an executive order that will direct government agencies to, among other things, “stop using taxpayer dollars to buy swag.”

Anti-Obamacare Measure Sweeps All 88 Counties in Ohio  —  A ballot measure that StateImpact Ohio (a creation of local public media and NPR) describes as “a referendum on a constitutional amendment...aimed at keeping the national health care reform law from taking [e]ffect” won in all 88 counties in Ohio.

David Gregory: No “Grand Wizard” In GOP To Force Cain Out  —  On Wednesday's “Today” show, host of NBC's “Meet the Press” David Gregory says there is no “Grand Wizard” right now in the GOP to “force” Cain out of the primary.  Transcript below: Ann Curry, NBC News: “He's not stepping down …