Gingrich takes the lead  —  Newt Gingrich has taken the lead in PPP's national polling.  He's at 28% to 25% for Herman Cain and 18% for Mitt Romney.  The rest of the Republican field is increasingly looking like a bunch of also rans: Rick Perry is at 6%, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul at 5% …

Court sets 5 1/2-hour hearing on health care (FINAL)  —  FINAL UPDATE at 11:09 a.m. A separate post, coming shortly, will provide further analysis of the grants.  (It is posted above this.)  —  Setting the stage for a historic constitutional confrontation over federal power …

‘60 Minutes’ Hit On Boehner, Pelosi Falls Short … 60 Minutes , Eric Cantor , John Boehner , Nancy Pelosi , Pelosi , Video , Boehner , Political Intelligence , Politics News  —  WASHINGTON — A “60 Minutes” investigation of stock trading by members of Congress singled …

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 …

Ex-cop boots OWS heckler from congressman's swearing-in  —  Meet New York's newest hero.  —  Kevin Hiltunen, a former NYPD officer, yesterday grabbed an Occupy Wall Street demonstrator by the collar and dragged him out of a Queens school where he'd been heckling US Rep. Bob Turner at the congressman's swearing-in ceremony.

A Pizza Party with Herman Cain  —  He's the funniest, most outrageous guy on the GOP stage.  And he's got a simple plan to save America.  Yes, that plan is more than a little nutty, and yes, his charm has taken a big hit lately.  But have you met his competition?

(11-14) 07:05 PST OAKLAND  —  Oakland police have arrested about 25 protesters at the sprawling Occupy Oakland encampment outside City Hall while hundreds of law-enforcement officers square off against demonstrators in the second such raid of the downtown tent city.

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.

Mr President, it's time to panic  —  A few weeks ago, James Carville, the legendary manager of Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign, had a choice word of advice for Barack Obama: “panic”.  The president was heading to disaster in 2012 with the same crew of advisers that had led him up this blind alley.

Why Is China Building These Gigantic Structures In the Middle of the Desert?  (Updated)  —  This is crazy.  New photos have appeared in Google Maps showing unidentified titanic structures in the middle of the Chinese desert.  The first one is an intricate network of what appears to be huge metallic stripes.

Ex-boyfriend of Cain accuser to tell his story at press conference  —  The former boyfriend of Sharon Bialek, the woman who accused Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain of sexual harassing her while she was seeking career advice, will hold a press conference with Bialek's attorney, Gloria Allred, Monday afternoon.

Occupy Protesters Interrupt Chamber Of Commerce Health Care Event  —  Protesters disrupted a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event on health care today, interrupting speaker Scott Serota, the CEO of Blue Cross & Blue Shield.  Chanting “we are the 99 percent,” the protesters stood at the luncheon event and used a …

Banks Quietly Ramping Up Costs to Consumers  —  Even as Bank of America and other major lenders back away from charging customers to use their debit cards, many banks have been quietly imposing other new fees.  —  Need to replace a lost debit card?  Bank of America now charges $5 — or $20 for rush delivery.

Listen Up, Boomers: The Backlash Has Begun  —  “Talkin' about my generation”: the Who song once expressed the hope and self confidence of the Baby Boomers as they reached biological if not emotional maturity.  It was an attack on the older generation, a defense of the young …