TRENDING: Romney says his effective tax rate is 15%  —  Florence, South Carolina (CNN) - Mitt Romney said Tuesday he pays roughly a 15% effective tax rate on his income - an acknowledgment that the multi-millionaire pays a smaller percentage of taxes on his income than many middle-income Americans.

Romney Admits His Tax Rate Is About 15 Percent, Lower Than Many Middle Class Families  —  Citizens for Tax Justice a few months ago estimated that Mitt Romney, due to most of his income coming from investments, pays a tax rate of around 14 percent, a far cry from the 35 percent top income tax rate.

TRANSCRIPT: Fox News Channel & Wall Street Journal Debate in South Carolina  —  Here's a full transcript from tonight's GOP debate in South Carolina:  —  BAIER: Thanks, Bill, and welcome to the Myrtle Beach Convention Center and the Republican presidential debate.

Romney, Dewhurst lead in Texas  —  Rick Perry's Presidential campaign is doing about as bad in Texas now as it is everywhere else in the country.  When PPP last polled the state in September he was at 49%, leading Mitt Romney by 39 points.  Now Perry's support has declined by 31 points, leaving him in 3rd place at 18%.

Obama warns left: You won't like budget  —  Top White House officials are warning liberal and labor leaders to brace themselves for President Obama's budget proposal.  —  Gene Sperling, director of the National Economic Council, sought in meetings last week to lift the left's gloom …

‘Occupy Congress’ protester arrested  —  One man was arrested for assault on a police officer Tuesday during day-long 'Occupy Congress" protests on Capitol Hill.  —  Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider confirmed the arrest, but did not have a name for the man, who was being processed at Capitol Police headquarters.

Santorum Staffer Says Women Shouldn't Be President Because It's Against God's Will  —  In an article about the reasons Rep. Michele Bachmann's campaign fizzled, the Des Moines Register points to “sexism among conservatives,” singling out an offensive email written by a staffer to Rick Santorum:

Democrats to file 1 million signatures for Walker recall  —  By Patrick Marley and Jason Stein of the Journal Sentinel  —  Madison - Democrats and organizers will file petitions with more than a million signatures Tuesday afternoon as they seek to force a recall election against Gov. Scott Walker …

An Economic Recovery Is Not Fated for 2013  —  Can this be fixed by 2013?  - Calculated Risk job loss chart  —  I've seen a spate of stories recently suggesting that a economic recovery is fated to happen by 2013, and whoever wins the Presidential election will be able to claim the mantle of the “recovery President.”

GOP debate audience boos Romney's Mexican heritage  —  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney may be in the lead in the Palmetto state, but that doesn't mean South Carolinians necessarily like him.  —  During a Fox News debate at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center on Monday …

SOPA protest: 7,000 and growing, say organizers  —  An estimated 7,000 websites are planning to go dark Wednesday as part of a mass protest against a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills — and opponents of the measures say the number is likely to increase.

New Polls Show Signs Of Serious Vulnerability For President Obama  —  There are plenty of Democrats and even some Republicans who view the Republican primary as a gift to President Obama.  Sixteen debates, web videos and “you can't even make this up” candidate behavior …

Search form  —  How PIPA and SOPA Violate White House Principles Supporting Free Speech and Innovation  —  Over the weekend, the Obama administration issued a potentially game-changing statement on the blacklist bills, saying it would oppose PIPA and SOPA as written, and drew an important line …

Obama to speak at Bank of America stadium  —  On the final night of this fall's Democratic National Convention, President Barack Obama will deliver his acceptance speech at Bank of America stadium, party sources told the Observer on Monday night.  —  Convention officials are expected …