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.

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 …

Animals Loose in Ohio: Town Under Lockdown  —  An Ohio town is under lockdown as dozens of wild animals including bears, wolves and tigers have escaped from a private preserve are and are on the loose after the owner of the preserve has been found dead.  —  Terry Thompson of Zanesville …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

‘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” …

TPC Does Herman Cain  —  The Tax Policy Center has the distributional analysis of 9-9-9.  It's awesome:  —  Howard Gleckman summarizes:

Are You Smarter Than a Wall Street Occupier?  —  Over the past month, the crusaders at Zuccotti Park have braved the elements, tussled with police, and stood their ground against Mayor Bloomberg.  But how much do the protesters actually know about the economic system that they're fighting to change?