Paul Simon Public Policy Institute

(Reuters) - Presidential hopeful Newt Gingrich's tax return, dramatically released on Thursday during a candidates debate, shows that his wealth comes from a media and consulting empire he built after leaving government, but yields more questions than answers about how he earns his money.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's fortunes rallied on Friday as the U.S. jobless rate eased, his approval rating rose and his Republican rivals battled over harassment claims against presidential hopeful Herman Cain.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sarah Palin faces a dilemma.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama is getting hammered on all sides for a stumbling U.S. economy and his uneven response to it, raising pressure on him to take steps to create jobs or risk being ousted in next year's election.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The clock is ticking for Republican presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty. He has one month to prove he can break out of the 2012 also-rans and emerge as a viable contender.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Will this be the year that Republican Newt Gingrich finally steps into the presidential race, after years of talking about it?

White House sending Biden, other top names to Illinois to help in governor, Senate races. Even in this Democratic-leaning home state of President Barack Obama, the White House isn't taking anything for granted with an election that could mean big gains for Republicans just three weeks away.

White House sending Biden, other top names to Illinois to help in governor, Senate races. Even in this Democratic-leaning home state of President Barack Obama, the White House isn't taking anything for granted with an election that could mean big gains for Republicans just three weeks away.

NJ governor heads to Iowa _ but not because he wants to be president, staff says. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, already a tough-talking, budget-slashing, union-bashing regular on cable news talk shows, denies he's considering a presidential run whenever he's asked.

Illinois House approves deal that would cap most political contributions but not all. The Illinois House on Thursday passed a Democrat-driven compromise that would establish Illinois' first limits on campaign donations and avoid an embarrassing failure on one of the highest-profile ethics proposals to follow the Blagojevich scandal.