Battle for presidency remains close in new CNN poll  —  Washington (CNN) - Two days before the first presidential debate, a new national survey indicates a very close contest between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney in the race for the White House.

Brittany: “A face of one of the 47%”  —  Hello!  My name is Brittany and I live in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.  I am 25 years old (but I will be 26 on October 3rd!).  I am a registered Democrat and I have been voting since I was 18.  I am one of the 47% of Americans who fall under Mitt Romney's definition …

GOP's October surprise?  —  Source reveals “Jimmy Carter Strategy” to make Obama seem weak on defense in campaign's final month  —  According to a highly reliable source, as Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama prepare for the first presidential debate Wednesday night …

Obama ad says Bain investment exploited ‘sweatshop conditions’ in China  —  President Obama's campaign released a new commercial Monday challenging Mitt Romney on the issue of Chinese outsourcing, renewing attacks on the Republican nominee's tenure at Bain Capital while extending a spat between …

Victimized billionaires  —  Why do billionaires feel victimized by Obama?  Chrystia Freeland asks that question in the New Yorker this week, and comes back with answers we've all heard before: in short, it's not the policies, it's the rhetoric.  —  Of course, this doesn't stand up to scrutiny; it never did.

Romney Losing Donors to GOP House, Senate Candidates  —  The Romney campaign is experiencing what some officials believe could be the beginning of a mass exodus of big money donors diverting their cash away from the Republican presidential hopeful and toward Republican candidates for the House …

EXCLUSIVE: New information casts doubt on Romney's account of his 1981 arrest  —  A police log report, published in the Natick Sun newspaper in 1981 and obtained by Blue Mass Group, calls into question a portion of Mitt Romney's account of his arrest in 1981.

The Paul Ryan Legend Dissipates  —  Before we discuss our tax plan, I would like to point out that my eyes are extremely blue.  —  Paul Ryan's selection as Mitt Romney's vice-presidential candidate is subjecting him to all manner of strange new indignities, such as questions about public policy …

Mitt Romney's California Garbage Man On The 47 Percent: 'We're Kind Of Like The Invisible People' … REACT:  —  FOLLOW:  —  Elections 2012, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Video, We Are The 47 Percent, Election 2012, Afscme, Afscme Mitt Romney, Mitt Romney Garbage Man, Mitt Romney La Jolla …

Bachmann Warns Obama May be Aiding the Rise of Global Sharia Law  —  We know that when Michele Bachmann speaks, even fact-checkers can't fully cover all of her dubious and debunked claims in just a single article.  Now that Bachmann is completely engrossed in promoting her latest conspiracy theory focusing …

Official resigns after report finds VA spent $6.1M on lavish conferences  —  The head of Human Resources for the Veterans Affairs Department resigned on Monday after an inspector general's report found that the agency spent $6.1 million on two weeklong conferences.

Bush-Appointed Judge Upholds Obama Administration's Birth Control Coverage Rules  —  On Friday, Judge Carol Jackson, a George H.W. Bush appointee to a federal court in Missouri, rejected a Catholic business owner's challenge to the Obama Administration's rules requiring employer health plans to cover birth control.

Jets owner Woody Johnson puts Mitt Romney win over Jets victory  —  Jets owner Woody Johnson detailed his priorities today in an interview with Bloomberg.  —  Asked whether he would rather the Jets have a winning season in 2012 or Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential candidate that Johnson has backed …

How Obama's green energy policies are bad for the poor … President Obama has made so-called “green energy” policies a key part of his economic agenda, but as a new book argues, they actually disproportionately hurt the poor by boosting the cost of energy.  —  Last week, Examiner columnist …

This Is The Vegas Resort Where Obama Will Spend The Next 3 Days Preparing For the Debate  —  President Barack Obama arrived in Nevada last night to begin three days of debate preparation at the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort, a luxurious golf community just a few miles from the Las Vegas strip.

Five Questions about the Federal Reserve and Monetary Policy  —  Good afternoon.  I am pleased to be able to join the Economic Club of Indiana for lunch today.  I note that the mission of the club is “to promote an interest in, and enlighten its membership on, important governmental, economic and social issues.”

Warren Maintains Narrow Lead In Latest WBUR Senate Poll  —  Sen. Scott Brown and his Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren prepare for their first debate with moderator Jon Keller on Sept. 20 in Boston.  (AP)  —  BOSTON — The latest WBUR poll of 504 likely voters (PDFs - topline …

DSCC investing $526,000 in Arizona Senate race  —  The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee's independent expenditure arm is investing $526,000 in Arizona to back Democratic candidate Richard Carmona.  —  The buy will run from Oct. 2-8 and is the first DSCC independent expenditure in the state.

Romney's ‘47%’ Comments Criticized, But Many Also Say Overcovered  —  So-So Grades for Obama's Campaign, Worse Grades for Romney's  —  OVERVIEW  —  Mitt Romney's statement that 47% of the public is dependent on government has registered strongly with voters.

After Obama guidance, Lockheed won't issue layoff notices this year  —  Lockheed Martin said Monday it will not issue employee layoff notices this year, ending an election-year showdown with the Obama administration.  —  The company said it based its decision on new guidance issued Friday …

Payroll Tax Cut Unlikely to Survive Into Next Year  —  WASHINGTON — Regardless of who wins the presidential election in November or what compromises Congress strikes in the lame-duck session to keep the economy from automatic tax increases and spending cuts, 160 million American wage earners …

THE EXPLOSION IN MOBILE AUDIENCES AND A CLOSE LOOK AT WHAT IT MEANS FOR NEWS  —  By Amy Mitchell, Tom Rosenstiel and Laura Houston Santhanam of PEJ and Leah Christian of the Pew Research Center  —  SEE THE INFOGRAPHIC OF FINDINGS  —  TAKE THE FUTURE OF MOBILE NEWS INFOGRAPHIC CHALLENGE

BREAKING: Blockader Locks to Underground Capsule to Protect a Family Farm  —  UPDATE: 6:00PM - Read Alejandro's Story of How His Passion For Environmental Justice Motivates Him  —  “I'm willing to risk arrest because I have a certain amount of personal privilege that allows me to participate.

The Responses to ‘Why I Refuse to Vote for Barack Obama’  —  Some advocates of backing “the lesser evil” actually prioritize civil liberties and human rights even less than they themselves imagined.  —  Reuters  —  My recent article, “Why I Refuse to Vote for Barack Obama,” …