Why Perry went there  —  The Texas governor went into Tuesday night's debate looking for a reaction — and he got one.

Real World: Occupy Wall Street?  MTV Issues Casting Call for Protesters  —  Is Occupy Wall Street ready to start being real?  Bunim/Murray Productions, the agency casting for MTV's Real World 27, appears to think the show Real World needs some real world drama: an ad appeared …

Student loan debt hits record levels  —  Students and workers seeking retraining are borrowing extraordinary amounts of money through federal loan programs, potentially putting a huge burden on the backs of young people looking for jobs and trying to start careers.

NBC Poll: Cain leads in S.C.; tight Fla. race with Romney  —  ‘The road to the convention is going to go through these two states’  —  Below:  —  Deputy political director  —  updated 2011-10-19T10:19:11  —  Former businessman Herman Cain holds a narrow lead in South Carolina's Republican primary …

Occupy Wall St. pepper-spray cop Anthony Bologna loses 10 vacation days for violating NYPD rules  —  NYPD Deputy Inspector Anthony Bologna was disciplined Tuesday for pepper-spraying two female protesters in the notorious YouTube video seen around the world.

President Obama's strategy on jobs is working — even if Americans aren't  —  It's certainly not pretty, but darn if it doesn't appear to be working.  —  President Obama's newfound message discipline on jobs and his two-pronged attack on the GOP are providing the beleaguered president …

The Question That Needs Asking  —  I only caught a little of the GOP debate last night, but I came away with two thoughts: first, the distinct impression that New Gingrich's “it's-so-crazy-it-just-might- work” strategy for this race is looking a little less crazy with every debate.

Protest mob is enjoying rich diet  —  They may sleep in the park, but they eat like kings.  —  Hundreds of grimy protesters laying siege to Wall Street and stuffed into the now-smelly Zuccotti Park dine each night on gourmet meals prepared by a former hotel chef using only the finest organic ingredients.

U.S. Capital Now Richer Than Silicon Valley  —  Federal employees whose compensation averages more than $126,000 and the nation's greatest concentration of lawyers helped Washington edge out San Jose as the wealthiest U.S. metropolitan area, government data show.

Reid looks to move Obama's $35 billion teacher, first-responder jobs measure  —  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) signaled on Tuesday that he and other Senate Democrats are looking to advance President Obama's proposal to spend $35 billion to shore up jobs for teachers, police and firefighters in the coming weeks.

Protesters get personal to embarrass city's titans  —  Advocates are making scenes at the restaurants and doorsteps of the rich and famous in increasingly edgy attempts to change policies or win labor disputes.  —  By Daniel Massey @masseydaniel  —  It's been a rough few weeks …

‘Occupy Cleveland’ Protester Alleges She Was Raped  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio (CBS Cleveland) - An “Occupy Cleveland” protester tells police she was raped in her tent over the weekend.  —  Cleveland police are investigating an alleged sexual assault incident Saturday at the “Occupy Cleveland” …

David Brooks Does Not Get the Moral Norm of Being Broke  —  It's Tuesday, and David Brooks is happy — nay, ecstatic — that all of you out there are using your encroaching poverty to rediscover your moral compass.  He calls it — and I am not kidding here — The Great Restoration …