Christie: Debate will turn presidential race ‘upside down’  —  If Mitt Romney campaign's is worried about measuring debate expectations for Wednesday night, Chris Christie hasn't gotten the message.  —  “This whole race is going to be turned upside down come Thursday morning,” …

McCain calls Obama ‘inept’ and ‘ignorant’ in reaction to Libya attack  —  Republicans continued this weekend to hammer the Obama administration over its response to the recent Libya attacks, with Sen. John McCain calling the president “inept” and “ignorant” in his handling of the episode.

Paul Ryan To Fox News: 'I Don't Have The Time' To Explain How We Will Pay For Our Tax Plan  —  For much of the general election, the Romney campaign has avoided any discussion of specifics, especially when it comes to the tax plan that he and Paul Ryan have put forward.

Afghan troops get a lesson in American cultural ignorance  —  KABUL — During the Vietnam War, American soldiers shipped out armed with government-issued guides to the distant land and the mysterious people.  —  In Afghanistan, the U.S. military has tried training sessions, embedded cultural advisers …

NEWS FLASH  —  ROMNEY AS GOVERNOR: 'WE'D BE A LOT BETTER OFF IN THIS COUNTRY IF WE HAD EUROPEAN GAS PRICES' |  Republicans have criticized President Obama for rising gas prices during his administration, but as governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney once remarked that “we'd be a lot better off …

State bans gay-repair therapy for minors  —  Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press / SF  —  Sacramento —  California has become the first state in the country to ban controversial therapy practices that attempt to change the sexual orientation of minors after Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill to outlaw them Saturday.

Elizabeth Warren appears to inch ahead of Scott Brown in new Globe poll, 43 - 38  —  But 18% of voters said they're still undecided  —  You are reading this article for FREE courtesy of BostonGlobe.com.  Get unlimited access.  —  With Elizabeth Warren and Senator Scott Brown preparing …

Most voters have locked in choice  —  Thirty-seven days from Election Day, Iowa has few undecided voters left — just 2 percent.  —  But 10 percent of likely voters say they could still change their minds.  Of that group, more than half are independent voters.

Dispatch Poll: Obama widens lead as balloting starts  —  Poll echoes four others that show Romney behind by at least 5 points in Ohio  —  From Day One, Mitt Romney's bid for the presidency has rested on the belief that his ability to turn around faltering businesses would translate into turning around the country.

Venezuela's marathon man looks to run down Chavez  —  Henrique Capriles, an opposition leader who runs marathons in his spare time, hopes to give Hugo Chavez a close race in elections next weekend, reports Philip Sherwell.  —  Henrique Capriles is hoping to give Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez a run for his money.

Obama within reach of electoral votes for 2nd term; Romney could still win but path narrower  —  Early voting is under way in dozens of states, and national and key states surveys show undecided voters feel more favorably toward Obama than Romney.  —  The Republican is in a tight battle …

Three Muffled Syllables  —  IN a few days, as you may have heard, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will go head-to-head in their first presidential debate.  What I most want from it isn't fireworks, though I'm as big a fan of political theater as the next hack.

When it comes to polls, readers beware  —  FILE - In these Aug. 2012 file photos, President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, right, campaign in swing states, Obama in Leesburg, Va., and Romney in Waukesha, Wis. (AP Photos)

Deadly Kenya Sunday school attack  —  One child has been killed and six critically hurt, the Red Cross says, in a grenade attack on a church's Sunday school in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.  —  The attacker targeted St Polycarp's church on Juja Road.  —  A police spokesman …

The World We're Actually Living In  —  FOR the first time in a long, long time, a Democrat is running for president and has the clear advantage on national security policy.  That is not “how things are supposed to be,” and Republicans sound apoplectic about it.