The unemployment truthers are not helping Romney  —  So the unemployment rate truthers are in a panic this morning.  Some conservatives are angrily claiming that the new Labor Department stats finding unemployment below eight percent were cooked to help Obama win reelection.

Cover Story: The First Presidential Debate  —  Here's a sneak preview of next week's cover, “One on One,” by Barry Blitt.  “This image seemed like a proper response to the first Presidential debate,” says Blitt, “but I'm not sure I realized how hard it is to caricature furniture.”

Romney “Cheat Sheet” Was A Handkerchief, Campaign Says  —  Conspiracy theory of the day.  —  Source: youtube.com  —  ABINGTON, Va. — Mitt Romney's campaign is shooting down a simmering online theory the Republican nominee used a “cheat sheet” in Wednesday night's debate against President Barack Obama.

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA): Evolution, Big Bang ‘Lies Straight From The Pit Of Hell’  —  Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) tore into scientists as tools of the devil in a speech at the Liberty Baptist Church Sportsman's Banquet last month.  —  “All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology …

Robert Gates Says Israel Is an Ungrateful Ally: Jeffrey Goldberg  —  It was an extraordinary scene: President Barack Obama, sitting impassively in the Oval Office in May as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lectured him, at considerable length and at times condescendingly …

Voting three days before election reinstated but not required  —  Early voting in Ohio began Tuesday.  These voters cast ballots at the Franklin County Board of Elections location on Morse Road.  —  The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today sided with the Obama campaign and Ohio Democrats …

Fact Check: Multiple Romney Falsehoods During Debate  —  Washington.  A fact check of claims made by Mitt Romney during Wednesday's domestic-policy debate shows numerous falsehoods, the magnitude of which could damage the electoral prospects of the Republican challenger.

Obama Weighs Retaliation for Attacks in Benghazi, Libya, That Killed Chris Stevens  —  As the clock ticks on a decision about whether and how to target suspects in the Benghazi attacks, intelligence officials say the president might lose his shot if he doesn't act fast.  Eli Lake reports.

Patrick Abner and Thomas Roberts  —  EVEN news anchors with matinee-idol looks can get a case of the jitters.  —  Of course, this isn't exactly how Thomas Roberts — a fairly down-to-earth guy and the 11 a.m. host of “MSNBC Live” — describes himself.  —  But it is what happened back in September 2000.

Mitt Romney's Big Bird Attack Threatens Thousands Of U.S. Jobs … FOLLOW:  —  Sesame Street, Video, Big Bird, Big Bird Debate, Presidential Debate, Sesame Workshop, Big Bird Trending, First Debate, Pbs Funding Cuts, Romney Big Bird, Romney Pbs, Business News

Pro-Tolerance Ads Begin Appearing In NYC Subway  —  (New York, NY - WNYC) Three religious groups — two Christian and one Jewish — have decided to fight speech with speech in the clamor over a controversial subway ad.  Pro-Muslim ads from those groups have begun showing up in the New York City subway …

Hugo Chavez Might Actually Lose His Election on Sunday  —  CARACAS—The presidential election in Venezuela this Sunday really shouldn't be this close.  Counting on his legendary charisma and a dizzying oil boom that has brought nearly $1 trillion into state coffers during his tenure …

Ohio Poll Analyst: Voter Turnout Modeling Predicts Big Ohio Trouble for Obama … That's the analysis of Clinton Cooper at Election Insights, an Ohio firm that uses geographic information systems (GIS) and election data to illustrate the political landscape of the electorate.

I was not calling Ryan out  —  I am the woman in the Green Bay Packer jacket at Rep. Paul Ryan's rally in Clinton who asked him the question about specific plans to fix our economy.  Needless to say, I was quite shocked to learn the Obama campaign seized my question, putting out the statement …

Meet the Obama Donors at the BLS  —  At least two economists at the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) have contributed to President Barack Obama's campaign.  Harley Frazis of Bethesda, MD, has contributed at least $2,000 to Obama and $9,000 to the Democratic National Committee over the last three election cycles.