Updated Nov. 10, 12:30 a.m. ET

In a cringe-worthy moment during Wednesday's Republican presidential debate, Texas Gov. Rick Perry couldn't remember the third federal agency he has pledged to eliminate.

Perry was discussing his jobs plan and his flat tax plan when he said: "And I will tell you, it is three agencies of government when I get there that are gone. Commerce, Education, and the... what's the third one there? Let's see."

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The sixth Republican presidential debate this year, which took place Thursday night in Orlando, Florida, left some candidates more prepared than others and gave some candidates some key standout moments. Here's our breakdown of the winners and losers:

Winners:

Mitt Romney: The former governor of Massachusetts was the clear winner of the Orlando debate hosted by Fox News and Google. He's run a presidential campaign before and it shows. His answers were polished and on message. When he didn't have an answer, he quickly went on to the main talking point of his campaign -- attacking President Obama. And he held his ground in a back and forth with front-runner Rick Perry over what each said in their respective books, telling the Texas governor "words have meaning."

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

Nearly three out of four Americans think the country is on the wrong track, the highest percentage since President Obama took office almost three years ago, a new CBS News/New York Times poll released Friday showed.

Just 23 percent think the country is currently headed in the right direction, compared to the 72 percent who think it is on the wrong track.

And more than half -- 53 percent -- think the country is either headed into or already experiencing another recession. About 39 percent say they it is not.

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

Just a month after jumping into the race, Texas Gov. Rick Perry already leads a crowded field of Republicans vying for the White House, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll released Friday.

Among voters who intend to vote in a Republican primary or caucus, Perry leads the pack of candidates nationally with 23 percent, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 16 percent. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann tie for third with 7 percent, followed by Texas Rep. Ron Paul (5 percent) and business executive Herman Cain (5 percent). Former Ambassador and Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Sen. Rick Santorum each receive 1 percent.

However, with months to go before the start of the primaries and caucuses, about one in five Republican primary voters is undecided on a candidate at this point. That is about twice as many compared to four years ago.

About one in ten said they would choose someone else, with three percent volunteering former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who has not yet publicly said whether she will even run.

For comparison, at a similar stage in the campaign in 2007, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was the leading choice of Republican primary voters (at 34 percent), followed by former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson (23 percent). The eventual nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, was in third place with 16 percent, according to a CBS News poll. Romney, who is undertaking his second bid for the GOP nomination, received the support of 9 percent in that poll.

In the poll, half of primary voters who pick a candidate for the nomination say they like their candidate but have reservations about him or her. As for the two leading candidate, six in 10 Perry and Romney supporters say they have reservations about their candidate. And Romney's support is somewhat weaker than Perry's - just 25 percent of Romney's supporters strongly favor him, compared to 33 percent of Perry's.

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CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto

As concerns about the struggling U.S. economy grow, a new CBS News/New York poll finds that President Obama's overall approval rating has dropped to 43 percent, the lowest so far of his presidency in CBS News polling. In addition, his disapproval rating has reached an all-time high of 50 percent.

Views of the president's job performance are marked by a striking degree of polarization along party lines -- the vast majority of Democrats approve (78 percent), while even more Republicans disapprove (89 percent) of how he's handling his job. But only 37 percent of independents approve, with 54 percent disapproving.

Except for a notable spike in approval after the killing of Osama bin Laden in May, President Obama's approval rating has been below 50 percent since the spring of 2010.

Not surprisingly, the down economy has had a clear impact on Mr. Obama's approval rating.

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Updated Aug. 1, 7:28 a.m. EST

President Obama announced on Sunday night that an agreement with Republicans has been struck to raise the debt ceiling, preventing what would have been a first-ever default by the U.S. government on its financial obligations. The agreement now awaits approval by Congress, which could happen as early as Monday.

The deal would increase the debt ceiling by more than $2 trillion in two stages which will last through the 2012 election, a key demand for Mr. Obama and Democratic leaders.

As for spending cuts, about $1 trillion over 10 years would be cut now from the federal budget, with a similar increase in the debt limit now. In addition, a new special congressional committee made up of members from both parties and both houses of Congress would be tasked with coming up up with $1.5 trillion in further deficit reductions by Thanksgiving, which can include cuts from entitlement programs (Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid) and tax reform. If the committee fails to reach that target, or Congress doesn't pass the recommendations by the end of 2011, the debt limit could also be increased if Congress sends to the states a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, a key demand for many conservatives in the debt fight.

If the amendment also fails, the deal calls for automatic spending cuts to defense and domestic programs totaling $1.2 trillion, with an accompanying debt limit increase. According to the White House, these cuts "would be unacceptable to many Republicans and Democrats alike" which would create pressure for Congress to come to agreement.

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Updated 3:50 p.m. ET

President Obama and congressional leaders met at the White House Saturday morning to discuss ways for the U.S. to avoid default on its loans in 10 days, a day following the breakdown in talks between the president and House Speaker John Boehner on the so called "grand bargain" to raise the debt limit, cut spending and raise government revenue.

Today's meeting included House Speaker John Boehner; House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi; Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid; Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell; and Vice President Joe Biden.

There was no new deal following the meeting, which lasted about an hour, according to the White House. A statement from the White House said the leaders agreed to to talk to their respective members to continue discussions throughout the day.

Following the White House meeting, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said the congressional leaders were committed to working on a new bill to "prevent default while substantially reducing Washington spending."

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Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin wants to change the mission in Afghanistan, just as President Obama prepares to address the nation tonight on his plan to withdraw 33,000 troops from Afghanistan by September of next year.

In an interview with "CBS Evening News" anchor and managing editor Scott Pelley, the freshman senator from West Virginia said it's time to "go back to the war on terror."

"I'm looking at changing the mission," he said. "I truly have thought about this very long and hard. I think we have a war on terror, that is how we began in 2002, that's what we should go back. Staying there and to trying to build a nation that does not have an economy, does not have an infrastructure, and by all accounts have a corrupt government. How long would we have to be there and how many troops would it take in order to be successful?"

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In a story that gets weirder by the hour, the ongoing saga of Rep. Anthony Weiner has a new twist. His wife is pregnant.

Weiner and his wife, Huma Abedin, a top aide to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have told close friends she is in the early stages of pregnancy, the New York Times reported.

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The news that Osama bin Laden had been killed in a U.S. strike in Pakistan was met by jubilant crowds in front of the White House and across the U.S.. That sentiment was expressed by members of Congress, former and current officials from both parties who all released statements once the news broke late Sunday night.

Full CBSNews.com coverage of bin Laden's death

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he was "overjoyed" with the news of the al Qaeda's leader's death. Former President George W. Bush said it was a "momentous achievement" and a "victory for America." Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York called the operation a "thunderous strike for justice." Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney called it "great victory for lovers of freedom and justice everywhere."

But many the celebratory statements also included a warning that the fight against al Qaeda and terrorism is not over with bin Laden's death, echoing what President Obama said in his nationally televised addressed on Sunday night.

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Updated 4:30 p.m. ET

President Obama called former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton ahead of his address to the nation late Sunday night to announce that al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was killed

by U.S. forces in an operation in Pakistan.

Mr. Bush, who started the War on Terror in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, released a statement shortly following Mr. Obama's remarks in which he called bin Laden's death a "victory for America."

"This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001," Mr. Bush said.

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Updated 1 a.m. ET

President Obama called the killing of al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden the "most significant achievement to date" of U.S. efforts to defeat al Qaeda since the 9/11 attacks 10 years ago, but added it does not mark the end of the fight.

"For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda's leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda," Mr. Obama said in a statement late Sunday night from the White House soon after news broke that Bin Laden had been killed in Pakistan.

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President Obama has sent a message to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak urging him not to run for re-election, the New York Times reports, citing U.S. diplomats in Cairo and Washington.

The statement, which the Times reports was delivered by former diplomat Frank G. Wisner, would represent the hardest line taken by the administration against Mubarak over the course of eight days of protests in Egypt.

The news comes on a day when at least a quarter million people joined a protest against the longtime Egyptian leader in Cairo. Egyptian state television says Mubarak plans to address the nation later Tuesday, and Al-Arabiya is reporting there are unconfirmed reports that he would say he will not be running in the next presidential elections, which are slated for September.

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President Obama hosts his third state dinner tonight in honor of Chinese President Hu Jintao. The White House just released the full guest list for the occasion. Here are some of the notable names included from the worlds of media, business and entertainment:

• ABC News' Christiane Amanpour
• Microsoft CEO Steven Ballmer
• Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein
• Actor James Brolin
• Actor Jackie Chan
• JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon
• New York Times' Thomas Friedman
• Jazz Musician Herbie Hancock
• Disney CEO Robert Iger
• Washington Post's David Ignatius
• GE CEO Jeff Immelt
• New York Times' Nicholas Kristof
• Olympic Ice Skater Michelle Kwan
• Cellist Yo Yo Ma
• Singer and Actress Barbra Streisand
• Fashion Designer Vera Wang
• Vogue's Anna Wintour

Former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are also expected to attend, as well as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

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