Thursday evening must-reads

***Join us tonight at 7 p.m. ET for LIVE coverage of President Obama’s jobs speech***

Obama pledges to end extend tax breaks for corporate jet owners

Harry Reid tries to fill empty Republican seats

Proposed jobs plan ensures Dem-GOP spending battle

Poll: Obama five times worse on economy than Carter

Labor unions get special invite for tonight's joint session address

AFL-CIO chief encourages Obama to "go to the mat" of unions

Democrats cheer for big tax hike

Tim Carney: Dem Senators open debt talks to special interests

Perry camp slams Romney for backtracking on Social Security

CAIR: It's time for America to "move on" from 9/11

Hundreds of San Diego workers rake in six-figure pensions

Surprise: California high-speed rail plan not so great after all

A White House 'gunrunner'?

Leon Panetta: SEAL raid took bin Laden by complete surprise

NYTimes' Friedman & CNBC's Rick Santelli duke it out in epic Social Security "Ponzi scheme" debate:

h/t Greg Hengler