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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.”

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) …

Note to Obama: Get Down off the Mountaintop  —  IllustratIon by OlIver Munday for TIME; Obama: Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty Images  —  This may be the most mysterious presidential election I've ever covered.  Both candidates are enigmas.  Mitt Romney is a traditional political conundrum …

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.

Romney's Pivot to the Center Hasn't Worked.  (But It Didn't Need To.)  —  Perhaps you've heard about Romney's pivot to the center in last week's debate—what it means, whether it will work, how Obama is responding, etc.  Yesterday, Bill Clinton described his reaction to Romney's performance thusly: “Wow, here's old moderate Mitt.

Breaking News: Sixth Circuit Decides Provisional Ballot Cases, Finds Constitutional Violation in Not Counting Certain Wrong Precinct Ballots  —  The Sixth Circuit has decided SEIU v. Husted and NEOCH v. Husted in a single opinion.  —  This is the most important decision in this election cycle …

18% Consider Vice Presidential Debate Very Important To Their Vote  —  Voters are attaching less importance to tonight's vice presidential debate compared to the one four years ago but think Paul Ryan will do more in the debate to help his running mate than Joe Biden will.