Gov. Christie praises Obama response to Hurricane Sandy as ‘outstanding’  —  New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) praised President Obama's work to help states battered by Hurricane Sandy as “outstanding” Tuesday, but cautioned that the recovery would be a prolonged effort.

In U.S., 15% of Registered Voters Have Already Cast Ballots  —  Early voting highest in the West and among seniors; similar by party ID  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Fifteen percent of registered voters nationwide have already cast their ballots in this year's election, according to Gallup Daily tracking for the week ending Oct. 28.

A Big Storm Requires Big Government  —  Most Americans have never heard of the National Response Coordination Center, but they're lucky it exists on days of lethal winds and flood tides.  The center is the war room of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, where officials gather to decide …

At least 16 deaths, 7.5 million without power in Superstorm Sandy's wake  —  Much of New York was plunged into darkness Monday by a superstorm that overflowed the city's historic waterfront, flooded the financial district and subway tunnels and cut power to hundreds of thousands of people.

Nate Silver: One-term celebrity?  —  Nate Silver could be a one-term celebrity.  —  The New York Times's resident political predictor says President Barack Obama currently has a 74.6 percent chance of winning reelection.  It's a prediction that liberals, whose heart rates continue to fluctuate …

Romney Surrogate Reassures Ohio Voters: Mitt Won't Repeal Roe v. Wade  —  In the frenetic push to win all-important Ohio, Mitt Romney's campaign is saying a lot of things to a lot of people.  And on Monday, a top Romney surrogate told a group of Jewish voters in the Buckeye State …

Apple's Forstall Refused to Apologize  —  Apple Inc. executive Scott Forstall was asked to leave the company after he refused to sign his name to a letter apologizing for shortcomings in Apple's new mapping service, according to people familiar with the matter.

SANDY STRIKE: Superstorm plays havoc with final week — Obama wants a consolidated Secretary of Business — S.F. Giants sweep World Series — Jim Messina, David Remnick b'days  —  MORNING MINDMELD: We're at a rare, and perhaps fleeting, moment when each campaign thinks it PROBABLY will win, but isn't SURE.

Cell phones: why we think Obama will win the popular vote, too  —  We will poll this week - awaiting the unfolding storm on the East Coast - but we want to share why we think the national tracking averages likely underrepresent Obama's vote.  The main issue is cell phones and the changing America that most are under-representing.

Congresswoman Accuses Obama Of ‘Harming’ Auto Company That Went Defunct In 1988  —  A Republican congresswoman accused the Obama administration of promulgating regulations that are undermining job creation at an auto manufacturer that has been defunct since 1988.

Mitt Romney Has Been Telling A Huge Whopper About The Auto Industry, And His Campaign Is Finally Paying For It  —  Mitt Romney is facing intense pushback today over a new Ohio campaign ad that appears to suggest — falsely — that Chrysler is moving U.S. jobs to China.

4 possible freak election outcomes  —  Could the 2012 campaign end in a tie?  Is it possible for Mitt Romney to end up as president — with Joe Biden as his vice president?  Could the presidential election end up decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, again?  —  The short answer is: probably not.