Obama ‘believed he had BEATEN Romney’ in Denver debate - after ignoring advice of top aides on preparation  —  President Barack Obama did not take his debate preparation seriously, ignored the advice of senior aides and walked off the stage in Denver believing he had got the better of Mitt Romney …

Romney 49%, Obama 47% Among Likely Voters  —  Registered voter trend suggests Obama is recovering from post-debate drop  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Mitt Romney holds a slight edge over Barack Obama — 49% to 47% — in Gallup's initial “likely voter” estimate, encompassing interviews from Oct. 2-8.

Welch can't take the heat: I quit  —  The former top GE executive says he will no longer write for Fortune following coverage of his jobs conspiracy tweet.  —  FORTUNE — Jack Welch has left our building, metaphorically that is.  —  Welch said he will no longer contribute …

Schumer Speech on Taxes Shakes Up Deficit Talks  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the Senate's third-ranking Democrat, threw cold water on Tuesday on one emerging approach for striking a bipartisan deficit-reduction deal — an overhaul of the tax code that lowers top income tax rates but raises more revenue.

AP publishes unflattering pic of Romney bending over  —  This photo of Mitt Romney posing with students of Fairfield Elementary School in Fairfield, Va., was published Monday by the Associated Press.AP  —  It was a news photo that, as Gawker quipped, was “ripe for captioning.”

Mitt Romney's Tax Proposals: Understanding the Debate  —  For months, Mitt Romney had been advocating tax cut proposals that would reduce revenues by about $5 trillion over the next decade, and that were heavily tilted toward the rich.  Yet he did not explain how he would pay for these cuts, just that he somehow would.

No White House Press Briefing in Last 15 Days  —  The White House has not held a press briefing in the last 15 days, according to records on the White House's website.  The last one was held on September 24, 2012, by White House press secretary Jay Carney.  —  However, in that 15 day time period …

Inside the campaign: The Romney rebellion  —  For months, Ann Romney and her eldest son, Tagg, were dutifully supportive of the political professionals running Mitt Romney's campaign.  All the while, their private frustration was mounting.  —  Shortly before the final debate, it finally boiled over.

Josh Romney: Dad ‘Learned How To Debate An Obstinate Child’  —  Josh Romney, one of Mitt Romney's sons, told a pointed joke Tuesday about President Obama's debate performance, while warming up the crowd for his father at a campaign rally in Van Meter, Iowa.  —  “I don't know if you guys saw …

Ohio asks to curb early voting (UPDATED)  —  UPDATED 4:55 pm Justice Kagan has asked for a response to the Ohio application, to be filed by 7 pm on Friday.  —  State officials in Ohio on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court for permission to close the voting booths to early voters on the weekend prior …

“Nones” on the Rise  —  One-in-Five Adults Have No Religious Affiliation  —  Executive Summary  —  The number of Americans who do not identify with any religion continues to grow at a rapid pace.  One-fifth of the U.S. public - and a third of adults under 30 - are religiously unaffiliated today …

Dem pollster delivers wake-up call to Obama  —  Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg is not known for flinching from delivering bad news to Democratic politicians, and his new diagnosis of Obama's slippage in the polls is no exception.  —  Greenberg told me in an interview that his new research persuaded …

The CEO Who Built Himself America's Largest House Just Threatened to Fire His Employees if Obama's Elected  —  David Siegel is the founder and CEO of Westgate Resorts, a huge national timeshare company and one of the largest resort developers in the world.  In 2007 he was a billionaire …

Stopped-and-Frisked: ‘For Being a F***king Mutt’ [VIDEO]  —  Exclusive audio obtained by The Nation of a stop-and-frisk carried out by the New York Police Department freshly reveals the discriminatory and unprofessional way in which this controversial policy is being implemented on the city's streets.

State Department: No video protest at the Benghazi consulate  —  Prior to the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi late in the evening on Sept. 11, there was no protest outside the compound, a senior State Department official confirmed today, contradicting initial administration statements suggesting …

Straws in the wind or canaries in the coal mines?  Warning signs the Obama campaign shouldn't ignore  —  Maybe it's because I was told there'd be no math when I got into politics, but there comes a point in every campaign when I run screaming from the torrent of poll numbers and go looking …

Republican Candidate In Arkansas Says Parents Should Seek Death Penalty Against ‘Rebellious Children’  —  A candidate for the Arkansas legislature, Charlie Fuqua, says children who don't demonstrate “respect for parents” should be put to death, the Arkansas Times reports.

Romney says abortion legislation isn't part of his agenda  —  Mitt Romney today said no abortion legislation is part of his agenda, but he would prohibit federally-funded international nonprofits from providing abortions in other countries.  —  “There's no legislation with regards to abortion …