Obama Administration to Delay New 15-Cent Christmas Tree ‘Fee’  —  The U.S. Department of Agriculture is going to delay implementation and revisit a proposed new 15 cent fee on fresh-cut Christmas trees, sources tell ABC News.  The fee, requested by the National Christmas Tree Association in 2009 …

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.

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 …

How Mississippi beat Personhood  —  Will this derail a movement aiming for Roe v. Wade?  —  If Mississippi can't pass a Personhood amendment, can any state?  Those who put major political and financial muscle behind Initiative 26 — rejected last night by an astonishing 58 percent of the state's voters …

GOP lawmakers want out of 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 to uphold …

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 …

BREAKING NEWS: DEMS WALK AWAY FROM SUPER COMMITTEE  —  Latest update on the lack of progress for Dems and Republicans to reach a tax deal.  Yesterday Democrats of the Super Committee rejected Republicans' offer to “raise federal tax collections by nearly $300 billion over the next decade.”

Eddie Murphy Drops Out of Oscars Telecast  —  LOS ANGELES — Eddie Murphy is dropping out as the host of the Oscars telecast, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences said Wednesday, just one day after the show's producer, Brett Ratner, stepped aside amid a storm of criticism over his use of an anti-gay slur. .

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.

Durbin, breaking with Dems, applauds GOP offer on taxes as a breakthrough  —  Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.) diverged from Democratic colleagues Wednesday and applauded the Republican offer to raise $300 billion in new taxes as part of a deficit-reduction deal.

Exclusive: French, Germans explore idea of core euro zone  —  (Reuters) - German and French officials have discussed plans for a radical overhaul of the European Union that would involve establishing a more integrated and potentially smaller euro zone, EU sources say.

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.

Emails tie Obama fundraiser to Solyndra push  —  Advisers to Obama fundraiser George Kaiser discussed Solyndra and other government contracts during their visits last year to the White House, according to internal emails released Wednesday by House Republicans.

Morning Jay: Mitt Romney's Perfect Storm  —  There is great consternation among many Republicans over the prospects of a Mitt Romney nomination.  I've heard various opinions, ranging from “I guess I can live with him” to “I really can't stand him!”  Among the latter camp …

Obama has lot to learn  —  Everyone should not go to college  —  In life, the three big lies are “The check's in the mail,” “The car was fine when I parked it” and “Honey, I swear I don't know whose thong that is in the glove box.”  —  In this political moment, the three big lies are …

Pressured to Name Leader, Occupy Denver Elects Dog  —  Denver Mayor Michael Hancock insisted that his city's occupation name a leader in order “to deal with City and State officials.”  And he got his wish!  Occupy Denver has elected Shelby, a border collie, as its leader.  Long live Shelby!

At Scene of Wall St. Protest, Rising Concerns About Crime  —  The arrest of a Crown Heights man last week on charges of sexually assaulting a protester at Zuccotti Park added to an already raucous public discussion of lawlessness at the site, where a revolving group of demonstrators has been camped for nearly eight weeks.

Florida Primary: Cain 30%, Romney 24%, Gingrich 19%  —  As he continues to battle media coverage over past sexual harassment allegations, businessman Herman Cain leads other Republican hopefuls in the first Rasmussen Reports look at the GOP primary race in Florida.

Former Ariz. US Attorney admits leaking memo smearing Fast and Furious whistle-blower  —  Former Arizona U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, who resigned in August, admitted late Tuesday that he leaked a document aimed at smearing Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent John Dodson …

World headed for irreversible climate change in five years, IEA warns  —  If fossil fuel infrastructure is not rapidly changed, the world will ‘lose for ever’ the chance to avoid dangerous climate change  —  The world is likely to build so many new fossil-fuelled power stations …