Dems slam Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) for dismissing the S&P downgrade and for asserting that the U.S. economy remains strong — which is pretty much the same line taken by President Obama, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), and many other Dems.

We’ll have complete coverage of tonight’s GOP presidential debate in Ames, Iowa, which gets underway at 9 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, here’s what to watch for.

Nancy Pelosi has announced her picks for the debt super-committee. Here’s what you need to know.

This morning DARPA launched its second hypersonic Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle (HTV-2,) and promptly lost contact with it.

Jon Huntsman’s spokesman piles on, tweets to Romney’s aide “Was American Pad & Paper Company a person/friend?”

Probably not the way he wanted that to come out. Romney tells Iowa audience: “Corporations are people, my friend.” Watch. Read More

Big GOP debate tonight in Iowa. Here’s what to look for.

The solar power industry says they’re now creating more jobs for the energy produced than any other energy source in the USA. And two new studies seem to back them up.

Tea-partying Georgia congressman: How dare my bank loan me $2.2 million it knew I couldn’t repay!

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) says his Ohio colleague and now GOP supercommittee member Sen. Rob Portman is open to closing the deficit with tax hikes.