Time for an Intervention  —  What should Mitt Romney do now?  He should peer deep into the abyss.  He should look straight into the heart of darkness where lies a Republican defeat in a year the Republican presidential candidate almost couldn't lose.  He should imagine what it will mean for the country …

IS THE SECRET VIDEO OF ROMNEY AT FUNDRAISER REALLY UNEDITED?  WE MAY HAVE PROOF OTHERWISE  —  Tuesday afternoon, the site Mother Jones released what was described as the “full,” “raw and uncut” video of Mitt Romney's comments at a private campaign fundraiser, which has drawn immense criticism from both sides.

Romney's missteps could cost party the Senate, strategists say  —  Republicans believe Mitt Romney's mistakes could prevent them from winning back the Senate.  —  Romney's failure to close the gap with President Obama less than 50 days before the election, as well as a variety of high-profile gaffes …

Obama Hits 50% In Wisconsin, Virginia; Colorado Is Close, Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News Swing State Poll Finds  —  Watch Video: Assistant Director Tim Malloy discusses poll results  —  Clip Information and Download:  —  FLV File - For Website (1920x1080 / 189.1MB)

France to close embassies in fear of cartoon backlash  —  France announced Wednesday it will close 20 embassies across the Muslim world on Friday after French weekly Charlie Hebdo published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed naked, amid growing unrest over an anti-Islamic film that has left dozens dead.

AP-GfK Poll: Obama job approval numbers back up above 50 percent, but race with Romney still tight  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans are feeling markedly better about the country's future and about Barack Obama's job performance, but the president's re-election race against Republican Mitt Romney remains …

CRS report: number of able-bodied adults on food stamps doubled after Obama suspended work requirement … Obama administration officials have insisted that their decision to grant states waivers to redefine work requirements for welfare recipients would not “gut” the landmark 1996 welfare reform law.

Poll: In 2-point presidential race, Romney trips over 47%  —  The good news for Republican challenger Mitt Romney: After three rocky weeks, he remains within striking distance of President Obama in the battleground states that matter most.  The bad news: His latest misstep could upend that.

Ann Romney: Mitt Doesn't Disdain The Poor  —  The saddest rapid response... The Romney campaign just uploaded a video with the title “Ann Romney to FOX31: Mitt Doesn't Disdain the Poor.”  UPDATE: Apparently the campaign has removed the video from their official account.  —  Zeke Miller  —  an hour ago

Full Transcript of the Mitt Romney Secret Video  —  Additional highlights include Romney mocking immigration and pondering how he'd exploit a pre-election hostage crisis.  —  Below is a complete transcript, produced by Mother Jones, of the entire unedited Romney videos that we published on Tuesday.

GOP Congressional Candidate Says Mideast Turmoil Is Because Of ‘Girly Men’ In The White House  —  A Republican congressional nominee laid the blame for turmoil in the Middle East on “girly men” in the White House.  —  North Carolina State Sen. David Rouzer (R), the GOP nominee …

Beyoncé & Jay-Z host NY Bam ba$h  —  WASHINGTON — Nix the flags and the podium.  Cue the opulent 18-foot tower of gold-bottled French champagne.  —  When President Obama addresses an elite roster of hipsters and multimillionaires, including hosts Beyoncé and Jay-Z …

Sept. 18: Obama's Bounce Erodes in Two Tracking Polls  —  President Obama has been on the decline in the FiveThirtyEight forecast.  On Tuesday, his chance of winning the Electoral College dropped to 72.9 percent, from 74.8 percent on Monday.  Mr. Obama is now well off his peak in the forecast …

Moreno relents, will allow Chick-fil-A  —  He says he's satisfied with LGBT statement of respect … A Chicago alderman who made national headlines during the summer for opposing a Chick-fil-A in his increasingly trendy Northwest Side ward has reversed course, saying he will let the fast-food chain open a store in Logan Square.

Obama on Letterman: President avoids debt number  —  David Letterman professes at one point in his discussion with President Obama to be “completely ignorant about politics.”  Such a shortcoming, you might suppose, would disqualify the “Late Show” host from quizzing the president on the issues of the day.