Does Madonna Really Think Obama is a Muslim - Or is she just trying to get some ink? - http://abcn.ws/SQ4nGW

One day, three foreign policy speeches, two education interviews and an Ohio bus tour - And that before we even got to the NFL ref lockout. Now THERE's an issue that needs some political attention.

From Paul Ryan (Packers fan) - comparing Obama admin. to 'replacement refs' - http://abcn.ws/RfbSdh

'Terrible' call, sayeth Obama (Bears fan) - Mitt Romney, Bill Clinton, Packers shareholder Newt Gingrich…. http://abcn.ws/P27QB5

Aren't there any politicians from Washington State to stick up for the replacements?

Democrats have been quick to point to the labor aspect of the story.

Here's AFL-CIO's Josh Goldstein argument on why players are not crossing a picket line to play.

For both personal and political reasons, the NFL referee situation has burst onto the scene. Negotiations can be a difficult and complicated process I won't attempt to get into here, but I do want to help clarify the two most common questions I've heard today and throughout this process regarding the players who are an affiliate of the AFL-CIO.

1) Q: Why don't the players just go on strike? A: Per the new collective bargaining agreement, the players are not permitted to strike 2) Q: Isn't it wrong for players to cross a picket line? A: The players are not crossing a picket line. The referees are being locked out, they are not striking. Also, see answer to #1

Back to the News

Obama at UNGA - On Mideast Protests and Iran, Obama Issues Warning - "The attacks of the last two weeks are not simply an assault on America," he argued. "They are also an assault on the very ideals upon which the United Nations was founded - the notion that people can resolve their differences peacefully; that diplomacy can take the place of war; and that in an interdependent world, all of us have a stake in working towards greater opportunity and security for our citizens." Two years after the start of the Arab Spring and six weeks before U.S. elections, the president insisted "progress" has been made, but made clear "democracy does not end with the casting of a ballot."

On Iran - As tensions rise over Iran's nuclear ambitions and the United States leads a mine-clearing exercise in the Persian Gulf, Obama also warned Tehran that the United States will "do what we must" to prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The president argued there is still "time and space" for diplomacy, but said "time is not unlimited."

At CGI - Romney Outlines Approach to Foreign Aid - Suggests there would be more strings attached - Gives high praise to Bill Clinton - http://abcn.ws/OSaYFk

Romney Demurs on Dems in Cabinet at Education Summit - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney today refused to divulge whether he would include Democrats in his cabinet like Education Secretary Arne Duncan, should he win the White House in November. http://abcn.ws/Rfpu8l (Sunlen Miller)

Obama Outlines Efforts to Prevent 'Modern Slavery' - http://abcn.ws/RfqQQy (Mary Bruce)

Fact Checkers Unite to Predict Debate Deceptions-President Obama and Mitt Romney are still hundreds of miles from the debate stage, but fact checkers are already poised and ready to dissect the half-truths that, if the past 15 months of campaigning are any indication, the presidential candidates are likely to fling at each other during the first presidential debate Oct. 3. http://abcn.ws/Pj1LBV (Amy Bingham)

Despite OH Polling, Romney Camp 'Confident' They Are 'Inside Margin of Error' - The Obama campaign is "spiking the ball at the 30-yard-line" if they think recent poll numbers prove the president has clinched victory in the critical swing state of Ohio, one of Mitt Romney's top advisers said today. http://abcn.ws/RfuR7w (Sunlen Miller)

It Is Official - Todd Akin is on the Ballot - http://abcn.ws/Qw6rqJ

Unfulfilled - Rising Health Costs Undermine Obama Pledge to Lower Premiums - Two new independent studies of health insurance premiums and health care spending indicate both are rising at an accelerated pace, despite President Obama's 2008 promise to contain those costs and his pledge that his health care legislation would reduce premiums. http://abcn.ws/OSlKLQ (Jake Tapper)

Mass Dispatches

1. Mass. Senate Race: Elizabeth Warren Represented Coal Mining Co.-Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic nominee in the hotly contested Massachusetts Senate race, worked on behalf of coal mining company in a bankruptcy case in the 90-s. The company, LTV Steel, was fighting against a congressional requirement that it pay into a retired workers health care fund, an action required by the Coal Act of 1993. http://abcn.ws/PVkBja (Elizabeth Hartfield)

2. Scott Brown Staffers Do 'Tomahawk Chop' at Rally - http://abcn.ws/VDsRam (Elizabeth Hartfield)

Paul Ryan Buys Daughter Camouflage in Ohio - Ryan, who is in the midst of a bus tour through Ohio, shopped at Outdoor World with his brother Tobin for about 15 minutes and bought his 10-year-old daughter, Liza, camouflage clothing. He told reporters he plans to take her deer hunting this fall in Wisconsin and Oklahoma, where his wife's family resides. http://abcn.ws/TwSZ9v (John Parkinson)

Biden Dings Romney on Taxes, 47 Percent Comment - Campaigning in the battleground state of Virginia Tuesday, Vice President Biden used Mitt Romney's recently released 2011 tax returns to criticize the GOP nominee for his comments dismissing the 47 percent of voters who do not pay income taxes. http://abcn.ws/P1BYww (Arlette Saenz)

Romney, Clinton Share Stage at Foreign Aid Conference - Speaking just hours before President Obama takes the same stage, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney outlined his vision today for foreign aid at the annual Clinton Global Initiative in New York City. http://abcn.ws/OSaYFm (Sunlen Miller)

Mideast Unrest Tops Clinton Agenda at Start of UN Meeting-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stacked her first full day of diplomacy at this year's annual U.N. General Assembly meeting, also known as UNGA, by meeting with the leaders of some of the United States' most challenging allies in a region marred by recent civil unrest. http://abcn.ws/NOF4bn (Dana Hughes)