While defending himself, Perry steps in it again  —  (CNN) - Rick Perry sought to defend a recent gaffe in an interview Wednesday, but in the same appearance made another.  —  On Tuesday, the Republican presidential candidate incorrectly said the voting age in the U.S. is 21 instead of 18 …

Herman Cain's campaign a study in ineptitude  —  Herman Cain is in the midst of “reassessing” whether to continue his 2012 bid, but its legacy is already settled: His campaign will go down as one of the most hapless and bumbling operations in modern presidential politics …

Gingrich Gave Push to Clients, Not Just Ideas  —  Newt Gingrich is adamant that he is not a lobbyist, but rather a visionary who traffics in ideas, not influence.  But in the eight years since he started his health care consultancy, he has made millions of dollars while helping companies promote …

For release at 8:00 a.m. EST  —  The Bank of Canada, the Bank of England, the Bank of Japan, the European Central Bank, the Federal Reserve, and the Swiss National Bank are today announcing coordinated actions to enhance their capacity to provide liquidity support to the global financial system.

GOP Set to Back Payroll-Tax Cut  —  Republican leaders said Tuesday they would join Democrats in supporting an extension of the 2011 payroll-tax cut despite some reluctance within the GOP, virtually assuring that American wage-earners will continue to receive the benefit next year.

Ruth Marcus reveals another journalistic value  —  The Post columnist demands an apology from a high school student for harshly criticizing her governor  —  Yesterday, The New York Times' Roger Cohen displayed a core value of American political journalism — love of government secrecy …

Netanyahu Government Suggests Israelis Avoid Marrying American Jews  —  The Netanyahu government's Ministry of Immigrant Absorption is sponsoring advertisements in at least five American communities that warn Israeli expatriates that they will lose their identities if they don't return home.

Movers And Sheriff's Deputies Refuse Bank's Order To Evict 103-Year-Old Atlanta Woman  —  103-year-old Vita Lee.  (Photo credit: WSB TV)  —  Yesterday, a Deutsche Bank branch in Atlanta had requested the eviction of Vita Lee, a 103-year-old Atlanta woman, and her 83-year-old daughter.

Happy Meal Ban: McDonald's Outsmarts San Francisco  —  On Thursday, Dec. 1, the city's de facto ban of the Happy Meal commences.  San Francisco has accomplished what the Hamburglar could not.  Or has it?  —  In order to include a toy with a meal, restaurants must now comply with city-generated nutritional standards.

Police clear Occupy encampment, dozens arrested  —  Police swarmed around City Hall and rousted Occupy Philadelphia protesters from their encampment overnight, more than two days after a deadline passed for them to leave.  —  The occupiers responded by roaming around Center City …

Teacher was a porn star  —  BOSTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Kevin Hogan is an English teacher and crew coach at a top-rated Massachusetts public high school, but he brings some unusual experience to the job: until recently, he was starring in pornographic movies.

Does Obama Know the Difference between Great Britain and England?  —  It is gratifying to see President Barack Obama condemn the disgraceful storming of the British Embassy in Tehran by thugs acting at the behest of the Iranian regime.  After all, Obama has been notoriously slow in the past …

The Receding Democratic Majority?  —  Obama has a “path to 270.”  Republicans hope he makes it even farther.  —  Back in 2002, John Judis and Ruy Teixeira published a book titled “The Emerging Democratic Majority,” in which they argued that demographic trends were the Democrats' friends …

A second Iranian nuclear facility has exploded, as diplomatic tensions rise between the West and Tehran  —  SHEERA FRENKEL - … AN IRANIAN nuclear facility has been hit by a huge explosion, the second such blast in a month, prompting speculation that Tehran's military and atomic sites are under attack.

Despite earmark ban, lawmakers try to give money to hundreds of pet projects  —  Members of the House and the Senate attempted to pack hundreds of special spending provisions into at least 10 bills in the summer and fall, less than a year after congressional leaders declared a moratorium on earmarks, congressional records show.