Comedic relief: Obama, Romney bring on the jokes at annual dinner  —  New York (CNN) - President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney were within arm's length for the second time this week, as they shared the stage at the annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner Thursday and delivered feisty quips at each other's expense.

Gallup vs. the World  —  Our regularly scheduled forecast update for Wednesday slipped through the cracks.  The FiveThirtyEight forecast was not much changed based on Wednesday's polls, however, with Barack Obama's chances of winning the Electoral College increasing incrementally to 65.7 percent from 64.8 percent.

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.”

Polls: Obama holds his lead in Iowa, Wisconsin  —  With fewer than three weeks until Election Day, new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls show President Barack Obama maintaining his lead over Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in the battleground states of Iowa and Wisconsin.

Arrest made in Harrisonburg voter registration case  —  The Rockingham County Sheriff's office has arrested a Pennsylvania man and charged him with attempting to throw away filled out voter registration forms.  —  Colin Small, 31 year old male from Phoenixville, PA has been charged …

Our pick for president: Romney  —  (Rainier Ehrhardt, Getty Images / October 11, 2012)  —  Two days after his lackluster first debate performance, President Barack Obama's re-election hopes got a timely boost.  The government's monthly jobless report for September showed …

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

Fidel Castro suffered a stroke, Venezuelan doctor says  —  A Naples doctor said former Cuban leader Fidel Castro is near ‘a neurovegetative state’ after suffering a stroke.  —  JCCHAVEZ@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM  —  Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and his state …

GOP Senate Candidate Admits To Owning Stock In Companies That Do Business With Iran  —  Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson (R) acknowledged during a debate on Thursday that he recently sold stock in a company that did business with Iran, only after news reports highlighted his interests in the companies.

Snow Job on Jobs  —  Mitt Romney talks a lot about jobs.  But does he have a plan to create any?  —  You can defend President Obama's jobs record — recovery from a severe financial crisis is always difficult, and especially so when the opposition party does its best to block every policy initiative you propose.

Clinton: I Thought Obama ‘Was Going to Cry’  —  At a campaign event for Barack Obama's reelection campaign, Bill Clinton said that Mitt Romney's argument “is true, we're not fixed”:  —  “Governor Romney's argument is, we're not fixed, so fire him and put me in,” said Clinton.  “It is true we're not fixed.

Arizona GOP Senate Candidate Openly Hostile To Free School Lunch Program He Relied On As A Child  —  Flake's elder brother, Scott, explained to Esquire how they benefited from entitlement programs meant to provide nutrition for children from low-income families:

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 …

Study shows 33 percent spending increase in federal poverty programs  —  A new study by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service finds that federal spending on anti-poverty programs has increased 33 percent since 2008, when President Obama was elected.

Akin, McCaskill get testy in final debate  —  For all the controversy surrounding the Missouri Senate seat, the final debate in this crucial race came down to one basic question: Is Rep. Todd Akin a political extremist, or is Sen. Claire McCaskill attached to President Barack Obama's hip?

Walsh, Duckworth clash on Medicare, abortion  —  Republican Rep. Joe Walsh and Democratic challenger Tammy Duckworth used the final face-to-face meeting of their campaign Thursday night to stress differences over the future of Medicare, a program she said should be a “guarantee” but one he said “would end as we know it” unless reformed.

President Barack Obama Speaks On His Friendship w/ Jay Z & Ohio As A Key State [EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW]  —  President Barack Obama is only days away from the most important day for his Presidential campaign.  He sat with Colby Colb of Cleveland Z107.9.  He speaks to Ohio voters …

Energy Diplomacy in the 21st Century  —  Remarks  —  Georgetown University  —  Washington, DC  —  Thank you.  Well, it is wonderful to be back here at Georgetown and in one of the most beautiful venues not only in Washington but anywhere, to have this chance to talk with you about an issue …

Bruce Springsteen, Bill Clinton join forces for Obama in Ohio  —  Singer Bruce Springsteen is endorsing Barack Obama, taking to the stage at a rally in Ohio.  —  PARMA, Ohio — If any doubt remained about how central the state of Ohio is to President Obama's reelection campaign …