Battleground Tracking Poll: Mitt Romney takes lead  —  DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — Mitt Romney has taken a narrow national lead, tightened the gender gap and expanded his edge over President Barack Obama on who would best grow the economy.  —  A new POLITICO/George Washington University Battleground Tracking Poll …

The Iran Talks Gambit  —  Someone seems to be playing politics with national security.  —  'This is my last election.  After my election I have more flexibility.  " That's what President Obama was overheard telling then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in March on an open microphone when he thought he was speaking privately.

Obama vs. Romney: How they plan to win  —  It's momentum vs. the map.  —  With a little more than two weeks left until judgment day, Barack Obama's campaign is embracing a fundamentally defensive strategy centered on winning Ohio at all costs — while unleashing a new barrage of blistering attacks …

‘Gender Gap’ Near Historic Highs  —  If only women voted, President Obama would be on track for a landslide re-election, equaling or exceeding his margin of victory over John McCain in 2008.  Mr. Obama would be an overwhelming favorite in Ohio, Florida, Virginia and most every other place …

George McGovern, the man who never gave up  —  Bob Dole, a Republican from Kansas, was the Senate majority leader from 1985 to 1987 and 1995 to 1996 and the Republican nominee for president in 1996.  —  When I learned that George McGovern was nearing the end of his remarkable life …

Obama makes late push for black voters  —  Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images / SF  —  As we roll into the final presidential debate, the polls show a very tight race.  One thing they don't show, however, is how race is a factor in the election.  —  By my estimate, you have to build …

THE CHOICE  —  The morning was cold and the sky was bright.  Aretha Franklin wore a large and interesting hat.  Yo-Yo Ma urged his frozen fingers to play the cello, and the Reverend Joseph E. Lowery, a civil-rights comrade of Martin Luther King, Jr.,'s, read a benediction that began with …

Revenge of the Soccer Moms: Why Are Women Abandoning Obama?  —  CHANTILLY, Virginia — Remember the War on Women?  —  A few months ago, it seemed like the battle for women's votes was one Democrats had decisively won.  While (male) Republican politicians talked about transvaginal ultrasounds …

ObamaCare: Rhetoric Vs. Reality  —  WASHINGTON — Just recently, the Internal Revenue Service issued an 18-page, single-spaced notice explaining how to distinguish between full-time and part-time workers under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare").  The difference matters …

World Cycling Body Strips Armstrong of Titles … GENEVA—Lance Armstrong was officially stripped of his titles Monday by cycling's governing body in the latest chapter in the doping allegations against the seven times Tour de France champion.  —  The International Cycling Union, or UCI …

Rep. Steve King Won't Say If He Believes Contraception Should Be Legal  —  Iowa Congressman Steve King (R) pointedly refused to say whether he believes contraception should be sold legally in the United States.  King, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, criticized the seminal Supreme Court decision …

The Secret of Our Non-Success  —  The U.S. economy finally seems to be recovering in earnest, with housing on the rebound and job creation outpacing growth in the working-age population.  But the news is good, not great — it will still take years to restore full employment — and it has been a very long time coming.

UN WARNS AMERICANS: DO NOT ELECT MITT ROMNEY  —  The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Counter-Terrorism and Human Rights has warned Americans not to elect Republican Mitt Romney in next month's presidential election, saying that doing so would be “a democratic mandate for torture.”

Gunman kills 3 women, wounds 4 others, then commits suicide at Azana Spa in Brookfield  —  Brookfield - Three women were killed and four wounded in a domestic violence shooting rampage late Sunday morning at the Azana Salon & Spa, across the street from Brookfield Square Mall.