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.

Plouffe Defends U.N. Ambassador, Axelrod Doesn't  —  There were mixed messages from aides to Barack Obama this morning on the Sunday talk shows.  —  On the one hand, political adviser David Plouffe, who works at the White House, defended America's U.N. ambassador, Susan Rice, for her handling of the terrorist attack in Libya.

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,” …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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)

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 …

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.

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.