Sen. Rob Portman: Romney ‘Probably’ Could Win Election Without Winning Ohio  —  Speaking to me this morning on “This Week,” Ohio Sen. Rob Portman said GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney could “probably” win the White House without a victory in the Buckeye State, a feat that no other Republican has accomplished.

Axelrod defends White House on Libya, says Romney seeking to ‘exploit’ issue  —  President Obama's senior campaign adviser David Axelrod on Sunday defended the administration's handling of the consulate attack in Libya, accusing Mitt Romney of trying to “exploit” the issue.

California's retiring state workers cash in vacation for big bucks  —  They could leave their hearts in San Francisco — or any of the Golden State's other big vacation spots — but thousands of California's state workers won't even leave their desks.  —  An analysis of the last three years …

The Self-Destruction of the 1 Percent  —  IN the early 14th century, Venice was one of the richest cities in Europe.  At the heart of its economy was the colleganza, a basic form of joint-stock company created to finance a single trade expedition.  The brilliance of the colleganza …

Obama grabs wide lead among those who have already voted: Reuters/Ipsos poll  —  (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney are neck and neck in opinion polls, but there is one area in which the incumbent appears to have a big advantage: those who have already cast their ballots.

SNL's VP Debate: Belligerent Biden, Tough Gal Raddatz, And Water-Guzzling Ryan  —  Tonight's Saturday Night Live opened with a spoof of Thursday night's vice-presidential debate between Vice President Joe Biden and GOP challenger Paul Ryan, sparring no one and hitting everything …

Global warming stopped 16 years ago, reveals Met Office report quietly released... and here is the chart to prove it  — The figures reveal that from the beginning of 1997 until August 2012 there was no discernible rise in aggregate global temperatures  — This means that the 'pause …

Gibbs: Obama will explain why Romney policies ‘bad for this country’  —  Senior Obama campaign adviser Robert Gibbs promised Sunday that he would be more aggressive in his second debate with Republican nominee Mitt Romney this week.  —  Obama and Romney are set to square off in their second …

Romney's plan to dump Bernanke sparking anxiety on Wall Street  —  Mitt Romney's promise to replace Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke if elected president is stirring anxiety among some financial analysts — who fear such a move could send the nation's markets tumbling.

DO BLACK PEOPLE SUPPORT OBAMA BECAUSE HE'S BLACK?  —  Surviving slavery, segregation and discrimination has forged a special pride in African-Americans.  Now some are saying this hard-earned pride has become prejudice in the form of blind loyalty to President Barack Obama.

A Grand Experiment to Rein In Climate Change  —  LEGGETT, Calif. — Braced against a steep slope, Robert Hrubes cinched his measuring tape around the trunk of one tree after another, barking out diameters like an auctioneer announcing bids.  “Twelve point two!”  “Fourteen point one!”

Romney's Go-To Economist  —  “I HOPE you're sitting down for this,” said Ali Velshi, the CNN anchor, staring into the camera, his voice booming with incredulity about a campaign promise issued by Mitt Romney: that, if elected, Mr. Romney would create 12 million jobs in four years.