Brown's office reiterates senator's support for Romney  —  Sen. Scott Brown's (R-Mass.) office on Wednesday said the senator supports Mitt Romney's presidential bid after the lawmaker gave an indirect response to an inquiry by The Hill.  —  “He absolutely supports Romney, there's no doubt about that,” an aide to Brown said.

Obama Ahead with Stronger Support, Better Image and Lead on Most Issues  —  Democrats Narrow Engagement Gap  —  OVERVIEW  —  At this stage in the campaign, Barack Obama is in a strong position compared with past victorious presidential candidates.  With an eight-point lead …

Obama official: Benghazi was a terrorist attack  —  The Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was in fact “a terrorist attack” and the U.S. government has indications that members of al Qaeda were directly involved, a top Obama administration official said Wednesday morning.

Major report released on Fast and Furious, DOJ official resigns  —  A major report released Wednesday on the Operation Fast and Furious scandal faulted a range of federal agencies for the failed anti-gunrunning program — and has resulted in the resignation of one Justice Department official.

GOP blocks veterans jobs bill with budget vote  —  Senate Republicans stopped the veterans jobs bill Wednesday by forcing a budget point of order vote.  —  Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (R-Ill.) requested a motion to waive the budget point of order, which was raised by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).

Speaking to the 47%: The $105,000 champagne tower featured at Obama fundraiser hosted by Jay-Z and Beyonce  —  President Barack Obama attended a fundraiser at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in Manhattan that featured a champagne tower of 350 bottles worth $105,000 - more than twice the median household income of an American family.

Obama's Campaign Manager Tweets Out Super Creepy Pic Of Himself - Update: Make Your Own Jim Messina Meme...  Would you let this man within a hundred feet of your children?  —  Update: Messina is now officially a meme.  I made this one.  You can make yours here.

Payments of Penalties for Being Uninsured Under the Affordable Care Act  —  Beginning in 2014, the Affordable Care Act (comprising Public Law 111-148 and the health care provisions of P.L. 111-152) requires most legal residents of the United States to either obtain health insurance or pay a penalty tax.

Voters' Reaction to Romney's “47%” Comments Tilts Negative  —  Independent voters, by 29% to 15%, also more negative than positive  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Americans have a more negative than positive immediate reaction to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's comments, secretly caught on video …

Romney Tape Leaves Senate GOP Leaders Speechless  —  Senate Republican leaders fled their weekly press conference after delivering prepared remarks Wednesday without taking a single question from reporters eagerly seeking their thoughts on their presidential nominee's newly unearthed remarks dismissing nearly half of American voters.

Moreno relents, will allow Chick-fil-A  —  He says he's satisfied with LGBT statement of respect … A Chicago alderman who made national headlines during the summer for opposing a Chick-fil-A in his increasingly trendy Northwest Side ward has reversed course, saying he will let the fast-food chain open a store in Logan Square.

Is Barack Obama America's Most Dishonest Politician?  —  A lot of politicians are dishonest, but Barack Obama may be in a league by himself.  He appeared on the David Letterman show last night, and Letterman asked him about the national debt (somewhat surprisingly).  Obama's answer was a masterpiece of prevarication.

Netanyahu ad to debut in Florida  —  Bibi Netanyahu is not running a campaign in the US - it just looks that way in this new ad.  —  A spot featuring only the Israeli prime minister talking about Iran is set to hit the airwaves in select Florida markets tomorrow, a media tracking source confirms.

Mitchell: Obama video not authenticated yet  —  MSNBC host Andrea Mitchell today said that the network was not airing a potentially controversial of video of Barack Obama because neither NBC News or MSNBC had been able to verify its authenticity yet.  —  “Because we have not independently …

House passes new Buffett Rule  —  The House on Wednesday passed Republicans' own version of the Buffett Rule, which allows wealthy Americans to voluntarily pony up to reduce the deficit.  —  The bill, labeled the Buffett Rule Act, passed by voice vote, meaning Democrats and Republicans agreed with it.

Cindy Lee Garcia sues anti-Muslim filmmaker Nakoula Basseley Nakoula  —  An actress who says she was tricked into appearing in “Innocence of Muslims” is suing the filmmaker behind the anti-Muslim movie and demanding that YouTube and Google take down the film's trailer.

Michelle Obama: Barack “Has Been Struggling With Us”  —  As Romney writes off 47% of the electorate, the First Lady defends the president's character.  —  Image by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images  —  DURHAM, N.C. — First Lady Michelle Obama told North Carolina voters Wednesday …