Poll: Rick Santorum takes slight lead in GOP race  —  CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.  —  Rick Santorum has pulled slightly ahead of Mitt Romney in Republican primary voters' preference for the presidential nomination …

Media Matters memo called for hiring private investigators ‘to look into the personal lives’ of Fox employees  —  A little after 1 p.m. on Sept. 29, 2009, Karl Frisch emailed a memo to his bosses, Media Matters for America founder David Brock and president Eric Burns.

Apple, Suppliers Test Tablet With Smaller Screen  —  By By LORRAINE LUK in Taipei and JESSICA E. VASCELLARO in San Francisco  —  TAIPEI-Apple Inc. is working with component suppliers in Asia to test a new tablet computer with a smaller screen, people familiar with the situation said …

House GOP leaders drop demand that payroll tax cut be offset  —  House Republicans said Monday that they would offer a measure to extend the current payroll tax cut for the rest of the year, dropping a previous demand that the tax break be offset.  —  The move marks a sharp turnaround for GOP leaders …

WBUR Poll: Brown, Warren Running Neck And Neck In Senate Race  —  BOSTON — A new WBUR-MassINC poll shows U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren running neck and neck.  Forty-six percent of people polled said they would vote for Warren compared to 43 percent for Brown.

Political Punch — “Dogs Against Romney”?  Democrats Say Unleash the Hound!  —  Tomorrow outside the Westminster dog show at Madison Square Garden at noon the group “Dogs Against Romney” will protest “to ensure pet lovers are aware that Mitt Romney is mean to dogs,” according to the group's press release.

Romney op-ed: Taxpayers should get GM shares' proceeds  —  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney campaigns in Portland, Maine.  The candidate contends that the Obama administration should sell its ownership in GM and return the money to taxpayers.  (Robert F. Bukaty / Associated Press)

Thank you! … Rating Action: Moody's adjusts ratings of 9 European sovereigns to capture downside risks  —  As anticipated in November 2011, Moody's Investors Service has today adjusted the sovereign debt ratings of selected EU countries in order to reflect their susceptibility …

Republican Women Senators Breaking Ranks With Party, Come Out In Favor Of Obama Contraception Rule  —  While GOP senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has pledged to fight the Obama's administration's modified regulation requiring health insurers and busnisses to offer contraception …

TPMDC  —  How Obama's Budget Throws A Big Punch At The GOP  —  President Obama's fiscal year 2013 budget envisions the economy healing steadily after years of hemorrhaging and stagnation — and key government services surviving mostly despite the violence done to the federal ledger by the Bush tax cuts …

Norquist: Romney Will Do As Told  —  Is Mitt Romney so weak he won't be able to stand up to Congress?  —  Grover Norquist, head of the Americans for Tax Reform advocacy group, speaks at a session entitled “Scrap the Code: Towards Pro-Growth Tax Reform” at the conservative Americans for Prosperity …

Clinton: We need Assad's consent to put troops in Syria  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had a clear and unified message coming out of their meeting in Washington, D.C. Monday: They are looking for a political solution in Syria …

House Republicans Yield on Extending Payroll Tax Cut  —  WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans backed down on Monday from a demand that a payroll tax rollback be paid for with reductions in other programs, clearing the way for an extension of the tax cut for 160 million Americans through 2012.

The Bishops' Obsession With The Sex Lives Of Others  —  They've been dominating the news, haven't they?  And they are prepared to go down screaming over contraception in health insurance plans handled between patient and insurer.  Letters were read recently in every parish.