Gingrich faces tough questions at SC campaign event with black church  —  GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich faced a round of tough questions in a campaign event before an African-American church in South Carolina on Saturday.  —  Gingrich spoke with members of the Jones Memorial …

The 1 Percent Paint a More Nuanced Portrait of the Rich  —  KINGS POINT, N.Y. — Adam Katz is happy to talk to reporters when he is promoting his business, a charter flight company based on Long Island called Talon Air.  —  But when the subject was his position as one of America's top earners, he balked.

Huntsman could bring us back together  —  AFTER MONTHS of flirting with candidates who considered inexperience an asset, obstinance and vitriol a virtue and extremism — even flakiness — a job requirement, Republican voters seem to be settling down.  Increasingly, they are rallying around …

‘Occupy’ art a stinker  —  It's political dis-scent: An olfactory artist has transported the stench of Occupy Wall Street from Zuccotti Park to a Staten Island art gallery.  —  “The Smell of a Critical Moment,” which opened yesterday at Doorways on Van Duzer Street, features 99 T-shirts …

Pakistan Taliban Leader Reportedly Killed in U.S. Drone Strike  —  ISLAMABAD - Intercepted militant radio communications indicate the leader of the Pakistani Taliban may have been killed in a recent U.S. drone strike, Pakistani intelligence officials said Sunday.  A Taliban official denied that.

With ‘angry black woman’ remark, Michelle Obama addresses race head-on  —  Michelle Obama finally went there.  —  The first lady jumped head first into a discussion about racial issues.  —  She and her husband, the first African-American president, have mostly avoided addressing race except …

Obama Administration Responds to We the People Petitions on SOPA and Online Piracy  —  The White House has responded to two petitions about legislative approaches to combat online piracy.  In their response, Victoria Espinel, Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget …

Sen. Reid blasts Republican lawmakers for ‘obstructionism on steroids’  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blasted Republicans for what he called “obstructionism on steroids” on Sunday and said he hoped that GOP lawmakers would return to Washington willing to “compromise” with Democrats.

Romney Gives Unemployed Woman Cash on Ropeline  —  SUMTER, S.C. — Amid shaking hands and signing campaign posters, Mitt Romney did something he has never done before on the ropeline: He took out his wallet and handed a wad of cash to a woman waiting to shake his hand.

White House signals more aggressive stance to protect homeowners  —  The Obama administration has signaled to allies that it will take a more aggressive role this year in protecting homeowners from foreclosure, a posture that fits with Obama's populist campaign stance.

S&P On Europe  —  S&P's downgrade of a bunch of European sovereigns was no surprise.  What was somewhat surprising — and which went unmentioned in almost all the news stories I've read — was why S&P has gotten so pessimistic.  From their FAQs: … And today we read about the response: