Sunday Breakfast Menu, Sept. 30

September 29, 2012, 4:57 pm

By EMMARIE HUETTEMAN

Just a few days before the first presidential debate, surrogates from both campaigns will join the Sunday talk shows to weigh in on what Mitt Romney and President Obama need to do to reach voters.

Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin will grant an exclusive interview to “Fox News Sunday.”

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey makes the rounds on behalf of Team Romney, appearing on ABC's “This Week,” CBS's “Face the Nation” and NBC's “Meet the Press.”

David Plouffe, a White House adviser, will also appear on ABC and NBC, discussing Wednesday's debate in Denver and Mr. Obama's recent gains in polls in key battleground states.

On ABC, the political roundtable will feat ure Haley Barbour, the chairman of the Republican National Committee and a former Mississippi governor, and Howard Dean, a former Vermont governor and a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

NBC's roundtable will include Ralph Reed, the founder of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, and Ed Rendell, the former Pennsylvania governor.

Newt Gingrich, a former House speaker and presidential candidate, will join Mr. Christie on CBS, discussing how the Romney campaign can win over voters. Also, Representative Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, will appear on the roundtable.

Senator John McCain of Arizona, a former Republican presidential nominee, will be on CNN's “State of the Union” to talk about the debate from a unique perspective: that of someone who has debated both candidates in the past. He will also weigh in on recent foreign policy developments in Libya and Syria.

Also on CNN: David Axelrod, an adviser to Mr. Obama's re-elec tion campaign, talking about the home stretch of the race. Plus, Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, and Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland, the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association, discuss what voters want to hear from the candidates.

Senator Richard G. Lugar of Indiana, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is on Bloomberg's “Political Capital.”

Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan discusses the state of the housing market on C-Span's “Newsmakers.”

TV One's “Washington Watch” includes conversations about the presidential race and an interview with Colin L. Powell, the retired general and former secretary of state.

Otto Pérez Molina, the president of Guatemala, and Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Colombia, will appear on Univision's “Al Punto,” as will surrogates from the Romney and Obama campaigns.

The president of Guatemala will also be on Telemundo's “Enfoque,” along with Ott o J. Reich, a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela.

The Caucus Click: Biden in Florida

September 29, 2012, 2:31 pm

By JAMES HILL

The Weekend Word: Exposure

September 29, 2012, 6:00 am

By JADA F. SMITH

Today's Times

• The White House's shifting accounts of the lethal attack on an American diplomatic compound in Libya have left President Obama suddenly exposed on national security and foreign policy, where the Romney campaign is now sensing an opportunity, Mark Landler reports. Beyond partisan politics, the attack calls into question the accuracy of United States intelligence gathering and the adequacy of the protection of the country's vulnerable personnel overseas.
• With more than 50 million people expected to watch and a presidency at stake, both President Obama and Mitt Romney plan to use their first debate on Wednesday to reintroduce themselves to voters, Peter Baker and Ashley Parker write.
• Mitt Romney used more tempered language to describe his tax plan this week, dismaying conservative supporters who liked the tougher tone they heard in primary season, Michael Cooper reports.
• Mr. Obama issued an order prohibiting a Chinese company's acquisition and ownership of four wind farm projects near a Navy base in northern Oregon where training missions for drone aircrafts are conducted, Helene Cooper reports. The order is another step in the president's tougher line on China after Republicans accused him of being weak on Beijing.
• As Mr. Romney and Representative Paul D. Ryan try to use the one-term presidency of Jimmy Carter to taint President Obama's record, historians agree that the parallels between the two Democrats make for legitimate comparisons, Scott Shane writes. But many of the details differ, and some tilt decisively in Mr. Obama's favor.

Weekly Address

• President Obama discussed one of the bigg est causes of the financial crisis in this week's address: the housing market. “When the party stopped, and the housing bubble burst, it pushed our entire economy into a historic recession â€" and left middle-class families holding the bag,” he said. “Four years later, the housing market is healing.” Still, he said, millions are still struggling with their mortgages, which is why the administration teamed up with state attorneys general to help secure a settlement from the nation's biggest banks to help families stay in their homes. “When folks are spending less on mortgage payments, they're spending more at local businesses,” he said. “And when those businesses have more customers, they start hiring more workers.”

Around the Web

• The Obama campaign could double as a party-planning committee. It will be hosting more than 3,200 debate-watching parties across the nation next Wednesday, Politico reports.

Happenings in Washingto n

• Middle school students from across the country will compete in the National Geographic S.T.E.M. competition, where they will showcase projects on artificial intelligence and tsunami safety systems.  
• The North American Police Equestrian Championships will take place in Gaithersburg, Md., with competition in events like “the fleeing felon course.”