Presidential debate: Libya questioner says Obama didn't answer  —  Kerry Ladka stood before President Obama at last night's town hall-style debate and asked the question that would touch off an onstage verbal brawl and, later, an intense national discussion.  Here's how it went:

Mind The Binder  —  Hey, I know about that binder!  And guess what — Mitt Romney was lying about it.  —  From the rush transcript: … Not a true story.  —  What actually happened was that in 2002 — prior to the election, not even knowing yet whether it would be a Republican …

Terrorist attempts to blow up Federal Reserve Bank  —  A Bangladeshi terrorist tried to blow up the Federal Reserve Bank in Lower Manhattan this morning using a 1,000-pound bomb, according to a criminal complaint.  —  Quazi Mohammad Rezwanul Ahsan Nafis, 21, of Jamaica, Queens …

Jeremy Epstein, First Questioner in Debate, Says He's No Longer Undecided  —  The 20-year-old college student asked whether he will be able to get a job when he graduates  —  The Long Island college student who asked President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney the first question …

Bizarre Coincidence: Democrats Get More Time in All Three Debates  —  If you want more time to get your message out in debates, it's good to be a Democrat.  —  According to the CNN debate clock, President Obama spoke at greater length than Mitt Romney during both debates, as did Vice President Biden during his debate with Paul Ryan.

Bloomberg Jumps Into '12 Races With New ‘Super PAC’  —  Seeking to reshape a national political debate he finds frustratingly superficial, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York is plunging into the 2012 campaign in its final weeks, creating his own “super PAC” to direct millions of dollars …

Poll: Race Tied in Wisconsin  —  A new poll released Wednesday shows President Obama and Mitt Romney tied in Wisconsin  —  , erasing the significant lead that Obama had built following the Democratic convention and putting the state's 10 electoral votes firmly in play.

Romney Bizarrely Claims Automatic Weapons Are ‘Illegal’ in the US  —  This is truly one of the strangest claims I've ever seen a presidential candidate make during a debate. … This is right up there with Ford's “Eastern Europe” gaffe.  —  What the hell is Romney talking about?

In U.S., Unadjusted Unemployment at 7.3% in Mid-October  —  Unemployment, underemployment lowest since Gallup began tracking  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. unemployment, as measured by Gallup without seasonal adjustment, is 7.3% in mid-October, down considerably from 7.9% at the end of September …

Reporters applaud Obama's slam on Romney's wealth  —  HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — The room set aside for reporters to watch Tuesday night's debate erupted into applause after President Obama ridiculed the size of Mitt Romney's personal wealth.  —  Mr. Romney was trying to make the point …

The Four Ls and Four States: What's Next in the Obama-Romney Duel  —  From now until the third and final presidential debate, and quite probably even after that, President Obama and Mitt Romney will fight on the ground, over the airwaves, and in social media over the four Ls and four swing states.

After an Outburst on Twitter, The Times Reinforces Its Social Media Guidelines  —  Updated Below  —  Last week, I wrote about the insulting and profane Twitter messages by Andrew Goldman, a freelance writer at The Times, to the author Jennifer Weiner.  At the end of that post …

Women in Swing States Have Gender-Specific Priorities  —  Female voters name abortion as top issue for women, men prioritize jobs  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Women in the 12 key swing states have starkly different responses from men when asked in an open-ended format to name the most important issues for their gender in the 2012 election.