Democratic National Committee predicts Romney will win first debate vs. Obama  —  It's a further lowering of expectations ahead of the first debate in Denver next week.  Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse tells Fox News he thinks Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will win.

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.

US AND AFGHAN FORCES CLASH, LEAVING 5 DEAD  —  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A firefight broke out between U.S. forces and their Afghan army allies in eastern Afghanistan Sunday, killing two Americans and three Afghan soldiers and pushing the number of U.S. troops killed in the long-running war 2,000.

Arnold married same-sex couples while Calif. gov.  —  (CBS News) Arnold Schwarzenegger tells Lesley Stahl he performed two same-sex marriage ceremonies while he was the Republican governor of California.  He also says top Republican political adviser Karl Rove once dismissed his idea to run …

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.

Riverside County GOP registration surge raises questions of fraud  —  At least 133 residents of a state Senate district there have filed formal complaints with the state, saying they were added to GOP rolls without their knowledge.  —  Assemblyman Richard Pan, pictured with his family in 2010 …

Lee Boyd Malvo, 10 years after D.C. area sniper shootings: ‘I was a monster’  —  Video: In October 2002, John Allen Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo began a shooting spree in the Washington region that left 10 dead and three wounded.  The duo paralyzed the region for more than three weeks …

Crazed fan takes a bite out of Danny Bonaduce  —  File this under News of the Weird.  —  Former child TV star and current KZOK DJ Danny Bonaduce was bitten by a woman during a fan meet-and-greet at a Washington casino Friday night.  —  “She said, 'I loved you on “The Partridge Family.

ROMNEY'S CHALLENGE: HE IS ALREADY THE INCUMBENT  —  Mitt Romney is about as close to defeating President Barack Obama as any Republican could have hoped to be.  The polls—if you believe them—show him slightly or significantly behind, but within striking distance.

Romney's offensive comments raise doubts  —  We learn the most about someone's character not from what he does when he knows others are watching but from what he does when he thinks they aren't.  —  We've learned an awful lot of troubling things about Mitt Romney recently.

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.

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 …

Justices attend annual Red Mass  —  An American archbishop has reminded a congregation that included six Supreme Court justices Sunday to be open to the spirit of God, beg for his blessings and “strive to be instruments of a new evangelization.”  —  The Archdiocese of Washington said Justices John Roberts …

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.

Lindsay Lohan tussles with congressional staffer in Manhattan hotel room over cellphone photos, tells cops he choked her  —  California man Christian LaBella initially arrested and charged with assault and harassment in W Hotel Union Square scuffle, but now both of them are facing charges.