In Today's Times:
- Voters began casting their ballots for president in Iowa on Thursday in a wave that's changing campaign rhythms as Election Day becomes more like Election Month. And so more than a month before Nov. 6, President Obama has begun making his closing argument to voters, Jeff Zeleny reports.
- Security concerns have prevented F.B.I. agents from visiting the scene of the killings of four Americans on a diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, forcing investigators to try to piece together the details of the crime more than 400 miles away, David K. Kirkpatrick, Eric Schmitt and Michael S. Schmidt report.
- While neither candidate has said much about the us e of torture as part of terrorism investigations, it is likely that the future of American interrogation practices hinges on the outcome of the presidential race. Charlie Savage reports on the campaigns' approaches, including an internal Romney campaign memo encouraging the use of “enhanced interrogation techniques.â€
- Taking advantage of the unknowns about Mitt Romney's policy proposals, the Obama campaign has filled in the blanks, leveling some charges that are overly specific or even most likely wrong. Now Republicans are signaling plans to go after the campaign's assertions, Michael Cooper reports.
- The billionaire George Soros plans to give a few hefty contributions to the “super PACs†supporting Mr. Obama and Congressional Democrats, Nicholas Confessore reports. The move by Mr. Soros, who said he had not donated yet because he opposed the Supreme Court decision that paved the way for unlimited money in politics, could encourage mo re contributions leading up to the election.
Happenings in Washington:
- Mr. Obama will attend campaign events in Washington on Friday.
- The Commerce Department is scheduled to release data on personal income and spending for August.
