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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 …

The Hack Gap Rears Its Ugly Head Yet Again  —  The hack gap is a liberal problem of long standing.  Put simply, we liberals don't have enough hacks.  Conservatives outscore us considerably in the number of bloggers/pundits/columnists/ talking heads who are willing to cheerfully say whatever …

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.

“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 …

In Speech, Schumer Rejects Idea of Tax Code Overhaul  —  WASHINGTON — Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, the Senate's third-ranking Democrat, threw cold water Tuesday on what had been an emerging consensus for a bipartisan deficit- reduction plan — an overhaul of the tax code …

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.”

Taliban says it shot ‘infidel’ Pakistani teen for advocating girls' rights  —  PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A 14-year-old Pakistani activist who won international acclaim for speaking out for girls denied education under the Taliban was shot and seriously wounded Tuesday on her way home from school, authorities said.

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 …

The day polling died  —  Results just make no sense  —  may go down in the annals of history as the day political polling died.  —  It was the most ridiculous polling day among many preposterous polling days in the course of this long campaign.  —  The ludicrous comedy began early in the morning.

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.

CNN Poll: Race tightening up in battleground Ohio  —  (CNN) - On the day that both presidential candidates are campaigning in Ohio, a new poll indicates a close contest in the race for the Buckeye State's 18 electoral votes.  —  According to a CNN/ORC International poll (PDF) …

White House Scientists Struggle to Contain Outbreak of Scrutonium  —  WASHINGTON DC - Engaged a relentless battle against time and fatigue, a select group of message scientists assembled by the White House's Center for Narrative Control say they will take “all steps necessary” …

Actress Stacey Dash hit with racially-charged attacks after endorsing Romney  —  March 7, 2010: Actress Stacey Dash arrives at the 18th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Viewing Party in West Hollywood, California.REUTERS  —  “Clueless” star Stacey Dash recently tweeted …