Kidding around: Romney defends bet  —  Mitt Romney on Fox & Friends this morning, responding to controversy surrounding his offer of a $10,000 bet with Rick Perry during last weekend's GOP debate. … He then blamed Barack Obama for advancing a narrative that Romney is out-of-touch.

Depression and Democracy  —  It's time to start calling the current situation what it is: a depression.  True, it's not a full replay of the Great Depression, but that's cold comfort.  Unemployment in both America and Europe remains disastrously high.  Leaders and institutions are increasingly discredited.

I Was Wrong, and So Are You  —  A libertarian economist retracts a swipe at the left—after discovering that our political leanings leave us more biased than we think.  —  BACK IN JUNE 2010, I published a Wall Street Journal op-ed arguing that the American left was unenlightened, by and large, as to economic matters.

America's New Energy Security  —  Thanks to new technology, the U.S. has become less dependent on petroleum imports from unstable countries.  —  Every president since Richard Nixon has called for energy independence.  Nevertheless, U.S. reliance on imported oil long seemed to be headed …

Record 64% Rate Honesty, Ethics of Members of Congress Low  —  Ratings of nurses, pharmacists, and medical doctors most positive  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Sixty-four percent of Americans rate the honesty and ethical standards of members of Congress as “low” or “very low,” tying the record “low” …

Opposition grows to Occupy's port shutdown plan  —  Occupy Oakland's plan to shut down the city's bustling port on Monday for the second time in as many months is facing a complicating wrinkle nowhere in sight last time - opposition from several unions and some within the Occupy movement itself.

Newt Gingrich condemned for calling Palestinians ‘terrorists’  —  Palestinian officials say Republican frontrunner's claim children are taught to kill in textbooks is based on Israeli propaganda  —  Leading Palestinian officials have rounded on the Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich …

A Romance With Risk That Brought On a Panic  —  Soon after taking the reins of MF Global in 2010, Jon S. Corzine visited the Wall Street firm's Chicago offices for the first time, greeting the brokers, analysts and sales staff there.  —  One broker, Cy Monley, caught Mr. Corzine's eye.

Voting Rights?  It All Depends  —  Yesterday a motley coalition of left-wing groups operating under the name Stand For Freedom marched in New York City, ostensibly to support voting rights.  A large number of groups were represented, almost more organizations than people: the NAACP, the ACLU …

Iowa audience members yell at Rick Perry after Ames appearance [includes video]  —  Ames, Ia.  - A packed coffee house where Rick Perry spoke this afternoon turned into a bit of a ruckus that left the candidate heading out the back door and straight to his vehicle after several Iowans screamed questions about his views on gays.

No One Says Who Took $586B in Fed Swaps  —  For all the transparency forced on the Federal Reserve by Congress and the courts, one of the central bank's emergency-lending programs remains so secretive that names of borrowers may be hidden from the Fed itself.