D'Souza Resigns  —  D'SOUZA RESIGNS  —  Amid scandal over his engagement to a much younger woman and dissatisfaction with his tenure, the conservative has quit the presidency at King's College.  David Sessions reports.  —  Bruce Bennett / Getty Images  —  ABORTION PIVOT?  NO PROBLEM

BREAKING: Federal Appeals Court Strikes Down DOMA In Opinion By Republican-Appointed Judge  —  Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs is a very conservative judge.  He joined a court decision effectively declaring corporations immune to international human rights law — even when they “trade in or exploit slaves …

Romney campaign begins shifting out of North Carolina  —  Middleburg Heights, Ohio (CNN) - In a clear sign the campaign is confident about putting North Carolina back in the Republican column this year, Mitt Romney's campaign is moving its spokesman out of the state and plans to shift more staffers out in the coming days.

A TURN OF THE PAGE FOR NEWSWEEK  —  After 80 years in print, the newsmagazine adopts an all-digital format.  —  We are announcing this morning an important development at Newsweek and The Daily Beast.  Newsweek will transition to an all-digital format in early 2013.

Hillary Clinton trashes whiners  —  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says in a new interview that she can't stand “whining” by women who are unhappy with the work and family choices they've made in life and complain that they have no options.  —  Clinton, in the interview with Marie Claire …

Romney Runs Up Lead in Gallup Poll  —  Mitt Romney's post-Denver debate rise in the polls took an even steeper climb today when Gallup released a new survey showing the Republican candidate with a seven-point national lead over President Obama, 52-45 percent.  —  The tracking poll surveyed likely voters, Gallup said.

Obama on Benghazi attack: 'When four Americans get killed, it's not optimal'  —  President Obama vowed Thursday to fix any problems that contributed to the deaths of four American foreign service personnel during last month's attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, saying that “when four Americans get killed, it's not optimal.”

Ann Romney: Mitt “absolutely” done with politics if he loses election on Nov. 6  —  Ann Romney, in her first appearance on ABC's “The View” on Thursday, sought to make amends with the five female hosts who Mitt Romney described as “sharp tongued” interviewers.

Poll shows Romney leading in blue Pennsylvania … A new poll shows Republican Mitt Romney leading in Pennsylvania, a state that Republicans had all but written off just weeks ago but which is now listed as a toss up by the Real Clear Politics website.  —  Susquehanna Polling and Research provided …

I HAVE NO QUESTION OBAMA USES BINDERS OR THE EQUIVALENT TOO  —  Folks, I was an Associate Director of Presidential Personnel for a little over a year in the Reagan administration.  We would gather resumes of individuals interested in non-career positions throughout the administration …

Obama, Romney tied nationally  —  Today PPP is releasing the first results from the daily tracking poll it will be running for the rest of the election, sponsored by Americans United for Change.  It will be based on a three day rolling average, with 400 interviews conducted each day.

VIRGINIA TEACHER CHARGED WITH ASSAULT: GIRL'S HAND CUT IN FORCED ‘ISLAMIC HAND SIGN’ DRILL (UPDATED)  —  An elementary school teacher in Chesapeake, Va. has been charged with simple assault after a parent claimed her daughter's hand was cut open as a result of the teacher yanking her arm aggressively …

Meet Two of the Developers Behind the Internet ‘October Surprise’  —  A screengrab from the “October Surprise” site.  (Photo: OctSurprise.com)  —  Earlier, a mysterious website popped up online promising to reveal an election “October Surprise” document drop showing that one of the “presidential candidates isn't being honest.”

Why The Romney Campaign Stopped Talking About Libya  —  A quick reversal of spin-room bravado.  “You'd think an ‘offensive’ would include more than a web video,” snipes an Obama aide.  —  Image by Alex Brandon / AP  —  LEESBURG, Va. — In the post-debate spin room Tuesday night …

Mitt Romney's Bailout Bonanza  —  This article appeared in the November 5, 2012 edition of The Nation.  —  Recommended by 1  —     —  This investigation was supported by the Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute and by the Puffin Foundation.  Elements of it appear in Palast's new book …

Chris Matthews: Is challenging Obama unconstitutional?  —  Popular in Politics  —  On MSNBC's “Hardball” Wednesday evening, Chris Matthews discussed the theatrics of the presidential debate with James Lipton, longtime host of “Inside the Actor's Studio.”  Lipton offered some unremarkable observations …

Hebron Woman Accused of Tearing Down Controversial Political Poster  —  In the midst of a heated political season and with the election just weeks away, you expect to see political signs everywhere; but a controversial sign in Hebron got a woman riled up, and arrested.

Report: Welfare government's single largest budget item in FY 2011 at approx. $1.03 trillion  —  The government spent approximately $1.03 trillion on 83 means-tested federal welfare programs in fiscal year 2011 alone — a price tag that makes welfare that year the government's largest expenditure …

Soledad O'Brien: Obama ‘up 15’ in Virginia  —  Some CNN viewers may be under the impression that President Barack Obama is leading Gov. Mitt Romney by 15 points in Virginia.  —  This morning, CNN's Soledad O'Brien told Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell “pre-debate polling shows that the president was up 15 points in the state of Virginia.”

Judge rules for cheerleaders in Bible banner suit  —  AUSTIN, Texas A judge ruled Thursday that cheerleaders at an East Texas high school can display banners emblazoned with Bible verses at football games, saying the school district's ban on the practice appears to violate the students' free speech rights.

Virginia Lawmaker Wants To Ban Sex-Selection Abortions In The State  —  Despite the fact that a similar bill failed in the GOP-dominated House of Representatives, a Virginia state lawmaker said he will propose a bill to ban sex-selection abortions in his state.