ADVISORY CNN Wire Outlook

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Supervising News Editor Maggie Leung -- 404-827-1401

UPCOMING

Fact-Check-Romney-Trade

Mitt Romney says the president hasn't signed "a new free trade pact," though Obama did sign deals in 2011 that his officials renegotiated.

Fact-Check-Romney-Navy

Mitt Romney faults President Barack Obama for the size of the U.S. Navy, saying its fleet is about the same size as it was in 1916. His numbers are off though fairly close, but basically pointless given how the military has evolved over time.

Mexico-Cartel-Arrest (will update)

For more than two years, details about the investigation into who killed David Hartley have been as murky as the waters where his body disappeared. His grieving widow told police that attackers shot him in the head on a lake the straddles the U.S.-Mexico border. She said she was forced to flee and leave his body behind. Some blamed her for his death. Then the severed head of the case's lead investigator was delivered in a suitcase to a Mexican military post. The trail seemed to go cold until Monday, when Mexican authorities said they had arrested a leader of the ruthless Zetas drug cartel and linked him to the Falcon Lake killing.

Syria-Civil-War (will update)

Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Monday that "worst case scenarios" are becoming a reality in neighboring Syria over its 19-month civil war -- which has spilled over into border clashes between the two nations -- and that it "absolutely cannot" continue.

Pennsylvania-Jerry-Sandusky-Sentencing (will update)

Nearly a year after the Penn State scandal erupted, leading to the firing of iconic head football coach Joe Paterno and the ouster of the university's longtime president, the public will learn what punishment is to be doled out to convicted pedophile Jerry Sandusky. The 68-year-old former defensive coordinator could be sentenced to life behind bars.

Oklahoma-Church-Bombing-Plot

Authorities in Oklahoma have arrested and charged a 23-year-old man who they say planned to blow up 48 area churches.

PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED STORIES

INTERNATIONAL

US-Embassy-Security

Amid a growing diplomatic mandate after the revolution and increased concerns about an "uncertain and unstable" security environment, the U.S. Embassy staff in Libya requested a 16-member Special Operations "security support team" remain in the country for several months beyond the end of its scheduled departure in August, calling its work "essential," according to a State Department memo obtained by CNN Security Clearance. The request was denied.

MED-Italy-Meningitis

Doctors distributed antibiotics to passengers aboard an Italian cruise ship after four crew members were diagnosed with bacterial meningitis, Italy's health ministry reported Monday. The cases involve a different disease than the outbreak of fungal meningitis now being seen in the United States. Eight people have died after being injected with steroids contaminated by a fungus, the CDC reported Monday.

Venezuela-Elections (also see Venezuela-Chavez-Profile and Venezuela-Capriles-Profile)

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez vowed to press forward with his socialist reforms after winning another six-year term at the helm of the oil-rich South American country.

Mexico-Cartel-Arrest

Syria-Civil-War

Nigeria-Video-Attack

Investigators in Nigeria say they have taken 13 people into custody after a mob attacked four students and burned them alive -- killings that were videotaped and posted online.

Iraq-Executions

Iraqi authorities executed six inmates Monday, the nation's Justice Ministry said.

UK-Poker-Payout-Withheld

An $11.7 million win at a London casino by top American poker player Phil Ivey has been referred to the British Gambling Commission, a source familiar with the casino confirmed Monday after media reports surfaced that the payout was being withheld.

Afghanistan-Violence

A suicide bomber killed two intelligence officers Monday in Afghanistan, officials said.

Ishmael-Beah-Child-Soldier

As a teenager in war-ravaged Sierra Leone, Ishmael Beah was brainwashed, drugged and forced to kill.

Maldives-Former-President-Arrested

Police in the Maldives arrested the Indian Ocean nation's former president Mohamed Nasheed on Monday after he didn't show up for a trial over accusations against him of abuse of power.

Sweden-Nobel-Medicine

The 2012 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was awarded jointly Monday to Sir John B. Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for the "discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent" -- the ability to differentiate into specialized cells.

Israel-Gaza-Strikes

Palestinian militants say they have fired 20 mortar rounds from Gaza into Israel in retaliation for airstrikes that killed one person and wounded 15 others.

SPORT-Football-Red-Bulls-Stabbed

A British football coach working with the New York Red Bulls has been stabbed to death, the Major League Soccer club has confirmed.

SPORT-Cricket-Corruption-World-Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched an "urgent" investigation after an Indian TV station claimed six umpires were willing to fix matches ahead of the recent 20-over World Cup in Sri Lanka.

SPORT-Woods-Testicle-Warrington-Rugby

British rugby league player Paul Wood has lost a testicle after a collision during the English sport's showpiece final at Manchester's Old Trafford stadium on Saturday.

U.S.A.

MED-Meningitis-Exposure

Eight people have died from a rare, noncontagious form of meningitis linked to contaminated steroid injections, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday. In addition, 105 people in nine states have been infected with the illness as a result of the shots, the CDC said.

MED-Meningitis-Q-&-A

How did this meningitis outbreak happen and how does it affect you?

US-Obama-Chavez-Monument

Describing it as a "day that has been a long time coming," President Barack Obama made modern history Monday by announcing the creation of a monument to honor the late labor and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. The Cesar E. Chavez National Monument becomes the 398th unit in the National Park Service system, and the first honoring a Latino born later than the 1700s, the Park Service told CNN.

US-Cesar-Chavez-president-Obama

¡Si se puede!" Many people may not realize that the origin of "Yes We Can!" President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign slogan, was a direct translation of rallying cries of the farm workers movement led by César E. Chávez, founder of the United Farm Workers, an organization devoted to defending the rights of farmhands and field workers across the country.

US-Congressional-Report-Chinese-Telecommunications

The United States faces a potential security threat from two Chinese telecommunication companies operating inside the United States, according to a congressional report to be released Monday.

US-SpaceX-Engine-Failure

A SpaceX Dragon capsule remains on course for the International Space Station despite the failure of one of nine engines on its booster rocket after launch, the company reported Monday.

US-Skydiver-Record-Attempt

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner is aiming to pull off a record-breaking free-fall jump from the edge of space Tuesday, wearing nothing but a space suit, a helmet and a parachute.

US-Scotus-College-Admissions-Race

Heman Marion Sweatt and Abigail Noel Fisher both wanted to attend the University of Texas at Austin. Both filed civil rights lawsuits, and the Supreme Court ultimately agreed to hear their separate appeals. Their cases, although more than half a century apart, shared much in common -- vexing questions of competition, fairness, and demographics -- but it is the key difference between these plaintiffs that now confronts the nation's highest court: Sweatt was black, Fisher is white.

US-Anti-Jihad-Ads-DC

An anti-jihad ad that has caused a stir in other cities now has another destination for its message: the subways of Washington. The ad by the American Freedom Defense Initiative states, "In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad." Jihad - Arabic for "struggle" - is considered a religious duty for Muslims, although there are both benign and militant interpretations of what it means. Last month, the American Freedom Defense Initiative posted the ads in the subways of New York and San Francisco.

US-LGBT-Month-Schools

American schools recognize African-American History Month and Women's History Month. This year, for the first time, two school districts are celebrating LGBT History Month, which started seven years ago and kicked off this year on October 1. The Broward County school district in Florida signed a resolution in September in support of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender Americans. Last week, the Los Angeles school district, the nation's second-largest, also signed on. The two districts have more than 1 million students.

US-Pentagon-No-Surprises

If there is one thing U.S. military commanders don't like, it's a surprise on the battlefield.

Pennsylvania-Jerry-Sandusky-Sentencing

Michigan-Detroit-Police

Detroit Mayor Dave Bing said Monday that the city's police chief has stepped down from his post after an investigation showed that he had been in a relationship with a subordinate.

Ohio-Backyard-Coyotes

"Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" Those creatures had Dorothy worried on the yellow brick road in "The Wizard of Oz" -- and now you may need to worry about seeing them and other large carnivores in your backyard, an Ohio State University researcher says.

TRAVEL-Alaska-Air-Delays

Severed telecommunications cables disrupted ticketing and airport check-in systems at Alaska Airlines on Monday, creating long delays and cancellations for thousands of passengers traveling at the end of a busy holiday weekend.

SPORT-Brees-Breaks-Unitas-Record

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw a touchdown pass in the first quarter of Sunday night's game against the San Diego Chargers. That's not exactly news, because throwing touchdown passes is what Drew Brees does -- and does and does and does. What is news is that it was the 48th consecutive game in which Brees has thrown for a TD.

POLITICS

POL-Early-Voting

Voters in California, Indiana and Oregon can take advantage of the Columbus Day holiday to cast their ballots Monday when the three states join ten other states that already have started early voting.

POL-Poll-Romney-Ahead

Two national polls released Monday suggest Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney got a bounce out of last week's first presidential debate, though they differ on how much of a bump the GOP nominee received after his performance in Denver. According to a Pew Research Center survey released Monday afternoon, 49% of likely voters say they back Romney, with 45% supporting President Barack Obama. The survey was conducted October 4-7, the four days after last Wednesday's first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado. Romney's four-point advantage is within the survey's sampling error. In Pew's previous poll, conducted in mid-September, the president had a 51%-43% lead among likely voters. Meanwhile, Gallup's latest daily tracking poll of registered voters, also released Monday afternoon, indicates the president with a 50%-45% advantage over Romney. The president's edge is within the survey's sampling error. The poll was conducted October 1-7, both before and after the debate.

POL-Obama-Ad-Foreign-Policy

Mitt Romney promised Monday to restore U.S. foreign policy to a traditional role dating back decades, based on exerting global influence through military and economic power, in a major speech two weeks before he debates President Barack Obama on international issues. In the address at the Virginia Military Institute, Romney argued that Obama is failing to provide the global leadership needed and expected by the rest of the world, especially key allies such as Israel.

POL-Fact-Check-Romney-Iran

In what his campaign billed as a "major foreign policy speech" Monday, lasting about 20 minutes, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney took on President Obama's handling of protests in Iran after disputed elections three years ago.

POL-Fact-Check-Romney-Daylight

Throughout his campaign, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney has cast himself as an ardent backer of Israel -- and, either directly or indirectly, suggested that President Barack Obama hasn't been similarly supportive. The former Massachusetts governor lashed out again Monday in a speech at the Virginia Military Institute, criticizing Obama on several points. Among them was Israel, with Romney stating the relationship between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "has suffered great strains" in recent years. So is Romney's characterization of Obama's remarks, and U.S. relations with Israel, fair and accurate?

POL-King-battlegrounds-Colorado

Maria Zepeda-Sanchez remembers the excitement of the "change" argument in 2008. "There was really a change then," she said with a nostalgic smile. "People were really anxious to have a new person." Working the phones for President Barack Obama again four years later, though, change has a new -- and to her troubling -- meaning. "Different. It's a little different," she said of the then and now reaction when calling Latino voters in Colorado. "It was more hype I think back in 2008, yes." And now? "Some people are still really excited," Zepeda-Sanchez said during a brief break from her phone bank work. "Others say, 'Oh, I don't know, well, I haven't made up my mind.'" Then comes the sales pitch, and the new reality of incumbency -- of 2012.

POL-Ryan-VP-Debate

Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan said Monday that Mitt Romney's widely-applauded debate performance upped the ante for Ryan's own showdown this week.

POL-Biden-Debate-Prep

Vice President Joe Biden is currently in Wilmington, Delaware prepping for the vice presidential debate Thursday. However, the Obama campaign does not expect Biden, a former senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to make up for the president's showing in the first presidential debate, according to multiple Democratic sources.

POL-Ad-Targets-Education-Cuts

A new ad from Priorities USA, the super PAC supporting President Barack Obama's re-election, hits GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney for supporting cuts to education in order to pay for a large tax cut for wealthy Americans.

POL-Obama-Debate-Jokes

President Barack Obama made light of his widely-panned debate showing while appearing Sunday night at a star-studded concert in Los Angeles. At an event featuring singers Katy Perry, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, and Jon Bon Jovi, the president reflected on a recent on-stage performance of his own.

POL-Obama-Romney-Nickelodeon

President Obama says his most embarrassing moment is when he runs into a wall. It is "par for the course for me...I'm running into doors and desks all the time." The comments came as he answered kids' questions for the Nickelodeon special: "Kids Pick the President: The Candidates."

FEA-Indiana-Pastor-IRS

In a sermon that likely broke the law, Indiana pastor Ron Johnson told his 400 congregants Sunday that for those who believe in the Bible, the decision to vote against President Barack Obama "is a no-brainer." "For Christian people who believe the Bible is the inspired world of God, it is not rocket science," Johnson told CNN after his sermon.

POL-Christie-Jindal-RGA

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are slated to lead the Republican Governors Association through the next two election cycles, a post that would give both of the rising GOP stars a national platform to seek the presidency should Mitt Romney falter in November.

MONEY

MONEY-imf-outlook

A tentative recovery in the global economy is running out of steam and growth could weaken further due to Europe's debt crisis and inaction over a looming fiscal squeeze in the United States, the International Monetary Fund said Monday.

MONEY-stocks-election-fiscal-cliff

The race for the White House is on investors' minds, but who gains control of Congress will have an even bigger impact on the stock market.

MONEY-Stocks-Markets

U.S. stocks closed slightly lower Monday, as worries about slowing growth kept investors sidelined on a relatively slow day of trading.

MONEY-California-Gas-Prices

Gas prices across California have soared to record highs, shooting up 50 cents a gallon in just the last week.

MONEY-American-Airlines-customers

Dogged by ongoing service problems, troubled American Airlines is beginning to lose its most lucrative group of clients -- business customers. Overall, the number of passengers flying American Airlines fell 4% in September to 8.3 million, according to figures released by the airline Monday. Miles flown by paying passengers on domestic flights fell 7% to 5.7 billion miles compared to a year earlier, although an increase in miles flown on international flights limited the overall drop. The airline was also forced to cut domestic flights by almost 6% to deal with the delays and a shortage of pilots. Several business travelers told CNNMoney that their firms are avoiding American flights and won't be returning any time soon.

MONEY-Walmart-American-Express-Bluebird

Wal-Mart Stores and American Express are teaming up to launch a new prepaid card aimed at giving customers an alternative to checking accounts and debit cards, the companies said Monday.

MONEY-Angry-Birds-Star-Wars

Two blockbuster franchises are about to collide: "Angry Birds Star Wars" is coming in November.

MONEY-Matterport

Matt Bell isn't a big videogame player, but when Microsoft's motion-sensing gaming system Kinect came out in late 2010, a light bulb went off.

MONEY-world-bank-asia

The World Bank lowered its growth outlook for Asia on Monday, and warned that a major unraveling in Europe could knock 2% off Asia's GDP growth next year.

MONEY-huawei-zte-congress

Two of China's largest telecom companies disputed the findings of a critical congressional report Monday, saying their products are safe for use in the United States.

FEATURES, ANALYSIS & COMMENTARY

ENT-Fifty-Shades-of-Grey-Screenplay

Writer Kelly Marcel has been tapped to pen the screenplay to the film adaptation of "Fifty Shades of Grey," a wildly popular erotic novel that has sold millions of copies worldwide.

ENT-Weekend-weddings-Amber-Tamblyn-David-Cross-Audra-McDonald

After being engaged for just over a year, Amber Tamblyn and David Cross tied the knot on Saturday, a rep for "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" actress Tamblyn tells CNN.

ENT-taken-2-CIA-operatives

Liam Neeson was already an Academy Award-nominated star when director Pierre Morel's "Taken" was released in 2008, but the movie's sleeper success made audiences look at the actor differently. His portrayal of Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative on the hunt for his daughter's sex-trafficking kidnappers, became a cult success and made him a full-fledged action star at almost 60. As such, "Taken 2" barreled into theaters this weekend, bringing in $50 million. It's the first film to make that much in three days since "The Dark Knight Rises" in July.

US-The-new-American-job

Is the new American job a part-time one? More than half new jobs created for the month of September were part-time jobs. Many Americans are working several part-time jobs to support themselves.

MED-Babies-Language-Study

Babies are born ready to learn any language in the world, and they have linguistic super-powers that many adults don't. For instance at 6 months old, they can distinguish between sounds in different languages that non-bilinguals hear as the same, such as an English "d" and a Hindi "d." They can also tell if someone is English or French without sound based on the mouth shapes of the speaker and rhythms. Only bilinguals retain these abilities throughout life. Really cool, right? But around 10 months old, babies typically stop being able to make these distinctions. As they get better at perceiving a native language, they are less sensitive to non-native sights and sounds, says Janet Werker, psychologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Researchers are interested in probing this "critical period" of language development. They want to know what factors affect the window of time after which a baby loses sensitivity to a non-native language.

TECH-iPhone-5-Purple-Haze

Apple has responded to complaints that some photos taken with the iPhone 5 show a purple flare, saying it happens to many smartphones when they're aimed near a light source like the sun.

TRAVEL-Five-Foreign-Languages

When you travel to a foreign country, everything from greetings to requests to simple transactions can get "lost in translation." Since learning the language is one of the best ways to understand a culture, why not study it while you're there on vacation?

TECH-dishonored-video-game

In an entertainment environment where sequels often do better than the original, it could be considered risky for a gaming company to do something different. However, one team thinks it's the perfect environment to showcase new ideas and stories, not more of the same.

SPORT-Sports-Going-Gladiator

Are American sports fans turning into the citizens of ancient Rome, turning up to sports events to see mayhem akin to gladiators fighting for their very lives? Stars in two of the country's most prominent sports were asking those kinds of questions Sunday. Dale Earnhardt Jr., arguably the sport's most popular personality in NASCAR racing, said he wonders if fans are "bloodthirsty." If they watch races to see what transpired at the end of Sunday's race at Talladega Superspeedway, Earnhardt said they are. And he's had enough.