Wisconsin, Virginia, Colorado White House Races Close, Quinnipiac University/New York Times/CBS News Swing State Poll Finds  —  Watch Video: Assistant Director Tim Malloy discusses poll results  —  Clip Information and Download:  —  FLV File -For Website (1920x1080/225MB) Original .MP4 File -For Broadcast (1920x1080/289MB)

Obama's lead over Romney grows despite voters' pessimism  —  (Reuters) - Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the future but voters do not seem to be holding it against Democratic President Barack Obama, who slightly expanded his lead over Republican rival Mitt Romney this month, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll says.

Romney confuses ‘Sikh’ with ‘sheik’  —  WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Mitt Romney mistakenly confused the words “Sikh” and “sheik” at a fundraiser here Tuesday night when he offered his condolences to the victims of last weekend's shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin.

Why the Reaction Is Different When the Terrorist Is White  —  Atrocities like the attack on the Sikh congregation in Wisconsin introduce terrifying dissonance into America's post-9/11 mindset.  —  Members of the Sikh congregation mourn their dead.  / Reuters

Bill Clinton slams Romney ‘misleading’ welfare ad  —  Bill Clinton, after steering clear of the flap over Mitt Romney using him in an ad in which he accused President Obama of trying to “gut” the 1996 welfare reform act, responds tonight with a statement rapping the Republican:

Ad linking Romney to death of the wife of a laid off steelworker not accurate  —  CNN White House Correspondent Brianna Keilar  —  A new attack ad by a Super PAC backing President Obama appears to blame Mitt Romney for a woman's death from cancer after his company, Bain Capital …