Sources: Ryan to be called ‘mister,’ not ‘congressman,’ at debate (Updated)  —  When Paul Ryan and Joe Biden take the debate stage tonight in Danville, Ky., the form of address the debate moderator is supposed to use with the VP's opponent is “mister” instead of “congressman,” two sources confirmed to POLITICO.

Times/Bay News 9/Herald exclusive Florida poll: Romney 51, Obama 44  —  Barack Obama's lackluster debate performance last week has dramatically altered the presidential race in Florida, with Mitt Romney opening up a decisive 7 percentage point lead, according to a new Tampa Bay Times/Bay News 9/Miami Herald poll.

Cutter: Benghazi Is Only an Issue ‘Because of Romney and Ryan’  —  Obama deputy campaign manager Stephanie Cutter said Thursday that the “entire reason” the terrorist attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed four Americans has “become the political topic it is” is because Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan talk about the attack.

Obama: Romney Now ‘Severely Kidding’ About Past Positions  —  In a notably sharper stump speech on Thursday, President Obama attacked Mitt Romney for his shifting positions on taxes, health care and education by using the Republican's own descriptor as “severely conservative.”

Oct. 10: Is Romney Leading Right Now?  —  Polling since the debate in Denver last week has generally been very strong for Mitt Romney.  But there have also been a couple of rays of hope for Democrats and President Obama.  —  One hypothesis is that Mr. Romney's debate bounce was initially very strong, but has since faded some.

He tells ‘Dispatch’ those with pre-existing condition would have chance to get insurance  —  A Mitt Romney administration overhaul of President Barack Obama's health-care law would provide those without insurance who have a pre-existing condition the opportunity to gain coverage …

Why Wasn't Libya Hearing on Page A1 of The Times?  —  Stories about Wednesday's Congressional hearing on Libya were prominently displayed on the front pages of major newspapers throughout the United States on Thursday morning.  —  The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, for example …

DNC Fires Employee Featured In James O'Keefe Video  —  The Democratic National Committee on Wednesday fired a Texas staffer who appeared to offer to help someone figure out how to vote simultaneously in two states in undercover video released by conservative activist James O'Keefe.

We've Gotten To The Bottom Of The Mysterious Jobless Claims Report!  —  After this morning's surprisingly positive jobless claims number was released, three things happened:  — Lots of people felt better about the economy  — Democrats cheered because they thought the number would help Obama

Data Massaging Continues: Initial Claims Tumble To 339K Lowest Since 2008, Far Below Lowest Expectation  —  This is just getting stupid.  After expectations of a rebound in initial claims from 367K last week (naturally revised higher to 369K), to 370K (with the lowest of all sellside expectations at 355K) …

Romney calls girl at center of T-shirt controversy  —  Mitt Romney called Samantha Pawlucy on Wednesday, a spokeswoman for the campaign confirmed by email this morning.  —  The Romney campaign will not be issuing a formal statement, according to spokeswoman Kate Meriwether, who declined to provide details.

Turkey Says Syrian Jet Carried Russian Arms  —  MOSCOW — Turkey's confrontation with Syria spread on Thursday to include Russia, Syria's principal military ally, when Turkey's prime minister said Russian munitions intended for Syria's government had been impounded from a Syrian commercial jetliner forced to land in Turkey.