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 …

Ex-boyfriend of Cain accuser backs her story  —  Dr. Victor Zuckerman said today he backs ex-girlfriend Sharon Bialek's allegation that Herman Cain “touched her in an inappropriate manner.”  —  Zuckerman, a pediatrician, came forward after Cain last week denied knowing Bialek.

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.

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 …

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?

‘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 …

Future Recession Risks: An Update … Gathering storms across the Atlantic threaten a U.S. economy not yet recovered from the last recession.  The September Economic Outlook from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) indicates that growth prospects have significantly dimmed …

Quan's top legal adviser resigns over raid  —  (11-14) 08:51 PST OAKLAND — Mayor Jean Quan's chief legal adviser resigned early this morning after what he called a “tragically unnecessary” police raid of the Occupy Oakland camp.  —  Dan Siegel, a civil rights attorney and one of Oakland's …

Cain stumbles on Libya question  —  Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain, in the midst of a Midwestern campaign swing, stumbled Monday when answering a question about whether he agreed or disagreed with President Barack Obama's approach to handling the Libyan crisis.

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.

A candidate can only fake it for so long  —  There was a BBC reality show I used to find interesting called, “Faking It.”  The show would have someone take a crash course in a professional field that is not their own, help them try to master it, and then try to fool a panel of experts.

The Manager In Chief  —  I have this sense that when history looks back on 2009-2010 in American political history, it's going to come away with the conclusion that a larger-than-currently-understood share of the problems had to do with poor handling of routine managerial issues.

NBA players reject owners' offer  —  NEW YORK — The NBA players rejected the league's latest offer Monday and have begun the process to disband the union.  —  The decision likely jeopardizes the 2011-12 NBA season.  —  “We're prepared to file this antitrust action against the NBA,” union executive director Billy Hunter said.

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.

GOP sen.: Feds send checks to millionaires for not working  —  A leading Senate conservative is taking aim at tax breaks that he says amount to welfare for millionaires, a line of critique that usually comes from liberal Democrats.  —  Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) released a report detailing special tax breaks …