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.

Suspect in Libya Attack, in Plain Sight, Scoffs at U.S.  —  BENGHAZI, Libya — Just days after President Obama vowed to hunt down and bring to justice those responsible for the Sept. 11 attack on the American diplomatic compound here, Ahmed Abu Khattala, one of those considered a ringleader …

'My son is not very optimal - he is very dead': Mother of diplomat killed in Benghazi attack slams Obama's comment on raid  —  The mother of an American diplomat killed during a terrorist raid on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi has hit out at Barack Obama for describing the attack as ‘not optimal’ …

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.

Volt no jolt: LG Chem employees idle  —  Factory has yet to ship out a single battery  —  HOLLAND, Mich. (WOOD) - Workers at LG Chem, a $300 million lithium-ion battery plant heavily funded by taxpayers, tell Target 8 that they have so little work to do that they spend hours playing cards and board games …

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.

The Possibility of a Popular, Electoral Vote Split is Very Real  —  Don't be too surprised if Romney wins the popular vote but loses the Electoral College in this presidential race.  —  Nail-biter: George W. Bush and Al Gore in 2000.  —  Partisans still hoping that their candidate will build …

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 …

Latinos, Religion and Campaign 2012  —  Catholics Favor Obama, Evangelicals Divided  —  Navigate this page:  —  Partisanship  —  Latinos are divided by religion in their preferences in the upcoming presidential election, according to the latest survey by the Pew Hispanic Center …

Minnesota Gives Coursera the Boot, Citing a Decades-Old Law  —  Coursera offers free, online courses to people around the world, but if you live in Minnesota, company officials are urging you to log off or head for the border.  —  The state's Office of Higher Education has informed …

You thought the whole ‘EUSSR’ thing was over the top?  Have a look at this poster  —  Take a close look at this promotional poster.  Notice anything?  Alongside the symbols of Christianity, Judaism, Jainism and so on is one of the wickedest emblems our species has conceived: the hammer and sickle.

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.

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.

Man registering voters for GOP accused of tossing forms in trash  —  A man who was being paid to register voters by the Republican Party of Virginia was arrested Thursday after he was seen dumping eight registration forms into a dumpster.  —  Colin Small, 31, was working as a supervisor …

Endorsement: Barack Obama for president  —  With the nation mired in two wars and amid an economic meltdown, we endorsed a largely untested young senator from Illinois for president in 2008.  —  Four years later, the Iraq war is over, the war in Afghanistan has a conclusion in sight …

MSNBC Host Challenges Romney Son to Fight  —  MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell challenged Republican nominee Mitt Romney's son, Tagg, to a fight at the conclusion of his program Thursday evening:  —  LAWRENCE O'DONNELL: Okay, Taggert, let's have a little talk, just you and me.

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 …

Politician Tells Male Moderator He's “Prettier” Than Candy Crowley  —  Democrat Richard Carmona has been trying to move past allegations he doesn't work well with women.  This may not help.  —  Arizona Senate candidate Richard Carmona may have hoped to put charges that he mistreated women …

Regional and State Employment and Unemployment Summary  —  Technical information:  —  Employment: (202) 691-6559 * sminfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/sae  —  Unemployment: (202) 691-6392 * lausinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/lau  —  Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov

Whistle-blower audio: Sen. Claire McCaskill's husband cut business deals in Senate Dining Room  —  Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill's husband used the U.S. Senate Dining Room to cut business deals selling tax credits tied to stimulus money, a whistle-blowing executive inside his company alleged …