Some Democrats refuse to back President Obama  —  Sen. Joe Lieberman was treated like an outcast back in 2008 when he broke from the Senate Democratic Caucus and openly opposed Barack Obama's bid for the White House.  —  Asked last week if he'd back Obama in 2012, the Connecticut independent said, “I don't know what I'm going to do.”

Deficit Panel Seeks to Defer Details on Raising Taxes  —  WASHINGTON — With a little over a week left to reach a deal, members of the Congressional deficit reduction panel are looking for an escape hatch that would let them strike an accord on revenue levels but delay until next year tough decisions about exactly how to raise taxes.

REVEALED: Nancy Pelosi Blocked Credit Card Reform While Investing Millions in Exclusive Visa Stock Offering  —  Former Speaker of the House-and current Minority Leader-Nancy Pelosi apparently bought $1 million to $5 million of Visa stock in one of the most sought-after and profitable initial public offerings …

Police arrest Chapel Hill ‘Occupy’ protesters  —  KATELYN FERRAL - KATELYN.FERRAL@NEWSOBSERVER.COM  —  Police brandishing guns and assault rifles entered a vacant Franklin Street car dealership and arrested a group of demonstrators who had taken over the building Saturday night.

Capitol Gains  —  Are members of Congress guilty of insider trading—and does it matter?  —  IN 1995, WHEN Alan Ziobrowski was an associate professor of finance at Lander University, in South Carolina, he found himself at home one night watching “one of those 60 Minutes-type shows.”

Bachmann Says CBS News E-Mail Shows Bias  —  It is not exactly a state secret that the news media tend to lavish more coverage on perceived front-runners in presidential campaigns.  —  But CBS News's political director, John Dickerson, made the mistake of saying basically that in an e-mail …

Gloria Cain speaks out about sexual harassment allegations  —  In her first televised interview ever, Gloria Cain, wife of Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain, sat down with her husband and said that the allegations of sexual harassment against him don't square with the man she knows.

Chelsea Clinton to Report for NBC  —  NBC is to announce on Monday morning that it has hired Chelsea Clinton to become a full-time special correspondent for NBC News.  —  The appointment is immediate.  Ms. Clinton will show up at the news division offices oon Monday morning, said Steve Capus …

The New Progressive Movement  —  OCCUPY WALL STREET and its allied movements around the country are more than a walk in the park.  They are most likely the start of a new era in America.  Historians have noted that American politics moves in long swings.  We are at the end of the 30-year Reagan era …

Debates take toll on Republican field  —  Televised debates have had an outsize impact on this year's Republican presidential race.  But the demands of the debating schedule — Saturday's event in South Carolina was the eleventh major clash — is taking its toll on the candidates, who find themselves constantly preparing for primetime.

3 men claiming to be Occupy Portland protesters arrested in Marion County for possession of explosives  —  Marion County authorities arrested three men, who claimed to be Occupy Portland protesters, during a traffic stop after officers found fireworks and marijuana inside.

Homework and Jacuzzis as Dorms Move to McMansions in California  —  MERCED, Calif. — Heather Alarab, a junior at the University of California, Merced, and Jill Foster, a freshman, know that their sudden popularity has little to do with their sparkling personalities, intelligence or athletic prowess.