Obama: Dem candidates avoiding me ‘have supported my agenda’  —  President Obama delivered a blow to Democratic Senate candidates looking to distance themselves from his flagging approval ratings Monday, saying lawmakers avoiding him on the campaign trail were “strong allies and supporters” who have “supported my agenda in Congress.”

Chicago man to Obama: 'Don't touch my girlfriend'  —  Washington (CNN) — Even the President of the United States has to deal with jealous boyfriends.  —  Casting his ballot in Chicago on Monday, Obama stood at a voting booth next to Aia Cooper, whose fiancé decided to crack wise with the president.

McConnell will pay expenses in return for ‘enthusiasm’ at events  —  The Kentucky Republican Party is offering volunteers all-expenses-paid trips to join Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) campaign bus tour and “contribute to an enthusiastic atmosphere” at his events.

Oscar Pistorius should not be going to jail  —  Pistorius's life is ruined.  No one will be deterred by his sentence.  Imprisonment is a brutalist response that achieves nothing in such cases  —  Oscar Pistorius was guilty.  However gripped by anger, it's difficult to accept he didn't know whom he was likely to kill.

Surveillance Video Apparently Catches Guy Doing Something at the Ballot Box That Left Republican Monitor Stunned  —  An Arizona county party official said he saw a man stuffing “hundreds” of ballots into the ballot box and later told a local news outlet the entire incident was caught on surveillance video.

US cautiously optimistic after no new Ebola in 5 days  —  12 hrs ago  —  Washington (AFP) - With no new Ebola cases in five days, US authorities were cautious but hopeful that the virus has been contained in the United States after a flawed response revealed shortcomings in the system.

White House Deletes Obama's ‘Unpaid Bills’ Admission from Transcript  —  Last night at a Democratic fundraiser in Chicago, President Obama mentioned that there are some “unpaid bills” on his desk in Chicago—which he left when moved to the White House after winning the presidential election in 2008.

Political Polarization & Media Habits  —  When it comes to getting news about politics and government, liberals and conservatives inhabit different worlds.  There is little overlap in the news sources they turn to and trust.  And whether discussing politics online or with friends …

Gov. John Kasich: Repeal Obamacare, but not all of it  —  Ohio Gov. John Kasich wants to be very clear: He wants to repeal Obamacare.  —  Just not the part he likes.  —  Kasich created a political firestorm Monday when the Associated Press quoted him as saying that Obamacare repeal was “not gonna happen.”

Immigration as biggest problem dips to 7%  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the quarantine period ends for people exposed to the first person in the U.S. to be diagnosed with Ebola, the virus for the first time ranks among the top 10 issues Americans consider to be the most important ones facing the country.

With Farms Fading and Urban Might Rising, Power Shifts in Iowa  —  LAURENS, Iowa — Pocahontas is running out of students.  Public school enrollment in this corn-blanketed county in northern Iowa has plummeted 32 percent over the past decade as the population steadily shrinks.

Ukraine: Widespread Use of Cluster Munitions  —  Government Responsible for Cluster Attacks on Donetsk  —  (Berlin) - Ukrainian government forces used cluster munitions in populated areas in Donetsk city in early October 2014, Human Rights Watch said today.

Paralysed man Darek Fidyka walks again after pioneering surgery  —  Medical team regrow cells of patient's severed spine in breakthrough that offers hope to millions with disability  —  A man who was completely paralysed from the waist down can walk again after a British-funded surgical breakthrough …

GOPer Doubles Down On Gays: ‘These Creatures... Are So Destructive’  —  The Republican challenger to Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) has apparently decided to make the most of the attention he received for describing gays as “gremlins”.  —  In a video posted to Facebook on Monday …

How LBJ and Reagan Wrecked Our Faith in Government  —  In the mid-'60s polar opposites Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan promised America more than they could possibly deliver.  The result was decades of cynicism about government.  —  If you have been following the rolling fiftieth anniversaries …

Smashing pumpkins in Clayton leads to three arrests for littering, assault  —  • By Steve Giegerich sgiegerich@post-dispatch.com 314-725-6758  —  UPDATED at 5:25 p.m. with details on arrests.  —  CLAYTON  • Three people were arrested Monday afternoon during a protest …

George H.W. Bush unhappy with Michelle Nunn's new TV ad  —  A new television ad from Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Michelle Nunn seeks to refute an attack used by her Republican opponent, David Perdue.  —  In the ad, Nunn references a photo taken of her and President Obama that Perdue …