Oct. 12: Romney Debate Gains Show Staying Power  —  Mitt Romney continues to surge in the FiveThirtyEight forecast, and Friday may have featured his best set of polls all year.  —  The best way to track a change in the polls is to look for instances in which the same firm has surveyed the same state …

President Obama weighs in on Mariah Carey/Nicki Minaj fight  —  The president calls in to Miamis YO!  Show on Y100 to discuss the recent American Idol spat  —  Earlier today, President Obama called into Y100s Michael YO!  Show, where he weighed in on a very serious topic plaguing the pop world …

Moody's Chief Economist On Romney's Tax Plan: 'The Arithmetic Doesn't Work'  —  The fact that Mitt Romney's tax plan is mathematically impossible was reinforced again on Friday, when Mark Zandi, a former John McCain campaign adviser and Chief Economist at Moody's Economy, admitted as much.

As Massachusetts Governor, Romney Was Often Away  —  BOSTON — When the ceiling collapsed in the Big Dig tunnel here, Gov. Mitt Romney was at his vacation home in New Hampshire.  When the Bush administration warned that the nation was at high risk of a terror attack in December 2003, he was at his Utah retreat.

Man At Romney Rally Wears Mindblowingly Offensive Shirt  —  The Getty Images photo was taken at a Romney/Ryan campaign event in Lancaster, Ohio on Friday.  —  Andrew Kaczynski

Lara Logan: “Our Way of Life is Under Attack” (VIDEO)  —  The quotes and excerpts of Lara Logan's speech don't really properly capture it the way that watching the video does.  This is an emotional speech and it's unusual because it's been a while since we've heard anyone talk like this.

Sen. Ron Wyden rejects Ryan's debate claim he supports GOP Medicare plan  —  Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) did not appreciate Paul Ryan calling him a supporter of the Romney-Ryan Medicare plan during Thursday's vice presidential debate.  —  Ryan mentioned his work with Wyden to argue …

Daily Breakdown: Romney's Best Polling Day Yet  —  After a week of swing state polls going Obama's way, Romney finally added a wave of strong showings in the battleground states while preserving his lead in the national polls.  —  This is probably Romney's best polling day of this election.

Al Qaeda leader urges holy war over Prophet film  —  CAIRO — The leader of Al Qaeda has urged Muslims to wage holy war against the United States and Israel over a film that insulted Islam's Prophet Mohammad.  —  Ayman al-Zawahri praised as “honest and zealous” demonstrators who breached …

After Benghazi Attack, Private Security Hovers as an Issue  —  WASHINGTON — Lost amid the election-year wrangling over the militants' attack on the United States Mission in Benghazi, Libya, is a complex back story involving growing regional resentment against heavily armed American private …

Defence chiefs draw up plans for faster withdrawal from Afghanistan  —  Defence chiefs are drawing up plans for a faster withdrawal from Afghanistan, after George Osborne challenged their strategy and suggested that all troops should come home immediately.  —  The Daily Telegraph has learnt …

Springsteen hitting the road for Obama  —  Bruce Springsteen, whose music has been the soundtrack for President Obama's campaign rallies, will join former President Bill Clinton at a pro-Obama event in the battleground state of Ohio next Thursday.  —  Springsteen will also appear Thursday in Iowa …