In Today's Times
- Republicans have sharply criticized the Obama administration's shifting public position on the cause of the attack in Libya, and that criticism will almost certainly be reprised in the final presidential debate on Monday night, which is to focus on foreign policy, Eric Schmitt writes.
- For either President Obama or Mitt Romney, finding a satisfactory end to the war in Afghanistan and maintaining American influence in Pakistan will be a challenge requiring difficult choices. Some of them may finally surface on Monday night at the presidential debate, when Afghanistan will be one of the five subjects the candidates discuss, David E. Sanger and Thom Shanker report.
- Get-out-the-vote efforts have moved front and center for both campaigns, especially in Florida, Trip Gabriel reports. Voter turnout in battleground states may rest in part on the stamina of campaign volunteers.
- Representative Todd Akin, t he Republican Senate candidate from Missouri, compared his rival's behavior to that of a dog, recharging one of the most contentious and closely watched races in the country, John Eligon reports.
Happening in Washington
- The State Department will hold a ceremony at the National Arboretum to send 100 dogwood trees to be planted in Tokyo.
