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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

The parallel universe where Mitt leads all polls  —  To talk with any working Republican political operative these days is to hear the same tale of woe: a grim accounting of the past few weeks, a dash of gallows humor and a measure of hope that President Obama is still beatable.

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 …

Wave 6 Tracking Poll: Obama widens lead nationally, Romney closer in battleground states  —  This week's impreMedia-Latino Decisions tracking poll found slight gains for presidential candidate Mitt Romney in battleground states with 33% certain to or thinking about voting for him.

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,” …

A New Course for the Middle East  —  Restore the three sinews of American influence: our economic strength, our military strength and the strength of our values.  —  Disturbing developments are sweeping across the greater Middle East.  In Syria, tens of thousands of innocent people have been slaughtered.

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

Sept. 30: Romney Down a Touchdown?  —  You can think of a general election campaign as being divided into four quarters.  —  The first one consists of the presidential primaries.  What matters in this stage is not only who gets nominated, but how well they position themselves for the remainder of the race …

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.

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 …

MSNBC's Thomas Roberts Weds  —  MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts was married to longtime partner Patrick Abner in New York over the weekend.  The ceremony and reception was held at the Gansevoort Park Avenue rooftop, with California Lt. Governor (and Current TV host) Gavin Newsom officiating.

Obama vs. Obama at debates  —  LAS VEGAS — President Barack Obama's most dangerous opponent in the trio of upcoming presidential debates isn't Mitt Romney.  —  It's himself.  —  The president has been working on blunting his barbs nearly as much as he's been trying to sharpen …

The Real Referendum  —  Republicans came into this campaign believing that it would be a referendum on President Obama, and that still-high unemployment would hand them victory on a silver platter.  But given the usual caveats — a month can be a long time in politics, it's not over until …

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 …

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 …

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 …