By MICHAEL FALCONE ( @michaelpfalcone )

NOTABLES

• IT'S PRECISELY THE KIND OF ATTACK THAT U.S. OFFICIALS FEAR: While there is no indication that the events in Canada pose a direct threat to the U.S., President Obama told reporters the shootings in Canada underscore that the U.S. must "remain vigilant" against violence and terrorism, ABC's MARY BRUCE notes. As officials get a better sense of exactly what happened in Ottawa, U.S. law enforcement remain on high alert, increasing security in some areas, including at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington out of an abundance of caution. U.S. officials are closely coordinating with their Canadian counterparts. As the president said, it's important "when it comes to dealing with terrorist activity that Canada and the U.S. has to be entirely in sync."

• ABOUT LAST NIGHT: An alleged fence jumper was apprehended last night outside the White House after he scaled the north fence, ABC's DEVIN DWYER and JACK DATE report. A K-9 unit caught a man, identified as Dominic Adesanya, at about 7:16 p.m. on the North Lawn, said Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan. He kicked at one of the dogs, then another dog subdued him. Adesanya, 23, of Bel Air, Maryland, was then taken to a nearby hospital, said Donovan. Adesanya was later charged with two counts of felony assault on a police officer (K-9), four counts of resisting/unlawful entry, a misdemeanor, and one count of making threats, also a felony. He was unarmed at the time of his arrest. http://abcn.ws/ZHxtTz

• HAPPENING TODAY: The president meets at the White House with members of his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology to talk about new ways to combat Ebola. As the CDC announced new restrictions on travelers, President Obama yesterday said he is "cautiously more optimistic" about the situation in the U.S.

THE ROUNDTABLE

ABC's JEFF ZELENY: The battle for control of the Senate has reached the "gut-it-out" phase, one top GOP strategist told us yesterday. It's far from the confident perch that many Republicans thought they would be in at this point of the home stretch. But despite narrowing margins in Iowa and possibly Colorado, Republicans are still far better positioned than their Democratic rivals. We won't know until Election Day whether the abrupt return to Kentucky by the DSCC is based on political reality or simply hopeful optimism, but it's an important reminder to us all that anything can happen in these final days. Those forecasts are simply that, forecasts. As the wise Paul Tewes said in the closing days of Barack Obama's Iowa caucus win in 2007: "Polls don't mean s-!"

ABC's RICK KLEIN: Let us stipulate that Alison Lundergan Grimes will neither lose nor win her Senate race in Kentucky based on a decision by national Democrats to suspend and then reinstate financial support for her campaign. But let us pause to digest the reasons for the left's frustration with Grimes - even beyond her seeming inability to make a campaign against Sen. Mitch McConnell about the minority leader himself. Her distracting refusal to say whom she voted for, in 2008 and 2012, got things started. Grimes, though, has also alienated national Democrats with a confusing ad accusing McConnell of supporting "amnesty" for undocumented immigrants. Now she's up with a quickly debunked ad claiming "Mitch and his wife pocketed $600,000 from enemies of coal, including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg." Campaigns are campaigns… but is this the candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren or Hillary Clinton thought they were getting when they campaigned for Grimes? That senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Patty Murray, and Tammy Baldwin were comfortable with when they appeared in a campaign ad for her? Running as a conservative Democrat is one thing. But running as someone who's more conservative than McConnell? http://wapo.st/1tNKbht

IN THE NOTE'S INBOX

FACEBOOK UNVEILS MIDTERM DASHBOARD: Facebook has unveiled its midterm "Elections Dashboard." This interactive dashboard shows the candidates running for office and which ones voters are interacting with most. Over the last three months, 22 million people on Facebook in the U.S. made 150 million interactions (likes, comments, shares) regarding the midterm elections. SEE THE DASHBOARD: Facebook.com/midtermelections

THE MIDTERM MINUTE

by ABC's SHUSHANNAH WALSHE

-KENTUCKY: THEY ARE OUT, THEY ARE IN. Some whiplash, but good news for Alison Lundergan Grimes' campaign in Kentucky. Last week the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee said they had decided to stop spending money on television ads in the high profile race, a signal they didn't see a pathway anymore for Grimes' uphill battle against Senate Minority Leader and they were instead pouring into races they hoped to win like the Georgia Senate race. But, yesterday they changed direction deciding to go back on the air in the Bluegrass State, a DSCC official confirmed to ABC News. Why? They say they see the race tightening with undecided voters breaking towards Grimes.

-IOWA: DOWN TO THE WIRE. With less than two weeks to go, it's still incredibly tight in that race we are all watching, the Iowa Senate brawl. A new Quinnipiac poll out this morning shows Joni Ernst at 48 percent support amongst likely voters to Rep. Bruce Braley's 46 percent, with just four percent still undecided. Their last poll, just last week, showed Ernst at 47 percent and Braley at 45 percent. Today's survey shows independent voters backing Ernst 47 percent to Braley's 41 percent. In the "reverse gender gap" in this race women back Braley 53 to 40 percent while men back Ernst 55 to 38 percent. A bright spot for Democrats, amongst those who have already cast their ballot in early voting, Braley leads 58 to 37 percent. And in that all important already made up their mind question, a staggering 93 percent say their mind is already made while 7 percent could still change it within the next 12 days. http://bit.ly/1DDMrsT

-COLORADO: TIGHTENING UP. Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper is at 45 percent among likely voters while his GOP challenger Rep. Bob Beauprez comes in with 44 percent, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. This is a significant tightening compared with their survey last month that showed Hickenlooper behind Beauprez 50 to 40 percent. Their poll last week showed 46 percent for Beauprez and 42 percent for Hickenlooper. The libertarian candidate only has one percent and the Green Party candidate only 2 percent, according to today's survey, while another 7 percent are undecided. The poll shows women are key, backing the incumbent 49 to 39 percent while men back Beauprez 49 to 41 percent. Amongst independent voters, Hickenlooper gets 45 percent of independent voters to Beauprez's 40 percent. 91 percent of Colorado likely voters say their mind is made up, while only 8 percent say they could change their mind. http://bit.ly/1xcV5KS

THE BUZZ with ABC's KIRSTEN APPLETON

EBOLA CZAR STARTS HIS JOB - QUIETLY. Newly-installed Ebola Czar Ron Klain appeared for the first time Wednesday with his new boss President Obama in the Oval Office - and said not a word. According to ABC's DEVIN DWYER, the president didn't introduce Klain or acknowledge him during a brief press avail after their hour-long meeting. Klain nodded his head a few times as Obama recapped the U.S. response to Ebola and new federal policies now in place. Obama said he is "cautiously more optimistic" about the situation in the U.S., adding that the American people should have confidence that the government is in a much better position to deal with any additional cases of Ebola. http://abcn.ws/1ri1noU

WHAT THE SUPREME COURT DID (AND DID NOT) REVEAL ABOUT 3 HOT BUTTON ISSUES. Without uttering a word from the bench, the Supreme Court acted on major hot button issues in the last month concerning voting rights, abortion and gay marriage. The cases weren't on the Court's argument calendar. Parties were either asking the Court to act on an emergency basis to freeze a lower court decision, or requesting that the Court step in and take a case for later in the term. The Court responded by issuing orders that were usually only a few sentences long. We never got the majority's reasoning, but in some cases a few of the Justices released a public dissent. ABC's ARIANE DE VOGUE reports on some of what we know, and what we don't about the hot button issues. http://abcn.ws/1vNkIni

THIS CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE WANTS EVERYONE TO KNOW SHE DOES NOT HATE PUPPIES. Republican Martha McSally asked voters in Arizona's second district to consider the age-old question: Does this candidate hate puppies? Of course not, according to her campaign. In a new ad released Tuesday called "Puppies," the former Air Force colonel fired back against the "scare-tactics" her campaign says have been used in the ads of her opponent, Democratic incumbent Rep. Ron Barber, and his political allies. According to ABC's ALI DUKAKIS, the argument has been used several times over the last few weeks in specific reference to one of Barber's "political allies" in particular: Former Rep. Gabby Giffords' PAC, Americans for Responsible Solutions. http://abcn.ws/1tbN62N

WHITE HOUSE STILL CONFUSED ABOUT BRUCE BRALEY. The White House is doing its best to boost Iowa Senate candidate Bruce Braley, but keeps getting tripped up. After repeatedly flubbing his name and referring to him as "Bruce Bailey" at a rally last week, First Lady Michelle Obama got a do-over Tuesday while stumping for the Democrat in Iowa City. This time, she made sure to get it right. ABC's MARY BRUCE reports that despite the first lady's attempt to smooth things over, the White House goofed again, sending out the transcript of Mrs. Obama's remarks in a an email entitled "Remarks by the First Lady at a Grassroots Campaign Event with Democratic Candidate for Governor Bruce Braley." They got the name right, but not the title. Braley is a candidate for Senate, not governor. http://abcn.ws/ZNRnN0

SWEDISH MASSAGES FOR RABBITS AND OTHER TAXPAYER EXPENSES YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE. In Washington, pork is often in the eye of the beholder. And retiring GOP Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma sees a lot of it. Coburn's fifth annual and final "Wastebook" lists 100 "silly, unnecessary and low priority projects" that he says cost taxpayers a combined $25 billion. "Is each of these a true national priority, or could the money have been better spent on a more urgent need, or not spent at all?" Coburn writes in the 110-page report. ABC's DEVIN DWYER takes a look at five eyebrow-raising entries on Coburn's list. http://abcn.ws/1tL8koZ

CHUCK NORRIS GIVES TEXAS VOTERS A KICK, BOOSTS GOP CANDIDATE. Walker, Texas Ranger returned to the Lone Star State on Wednesday, but not to fight bad guys. He's swooped in to lend a helping hand to Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott. "Chuck Norris doesn't campaign with Greg Abbott," Abbott's campaign spokesman Avdiel Huerta said. "Greg Abbott campaigns with Chuck Norris." "Together," Huerta added, "they plan to give Texas voters a good roundhouse kick in the direction of their local polling places." With the first week of early voting underway in Texas, both Abbott and his challenger, Democratic State Sen. Wendy Davis, are increasing their get-out-the-vote activities, and Abbott is counting on a little star power. Norris will join Abbott at stops in Corpus Christi and San Antonio, ABC's KIRSTEN APPLETON reports. http://abcn.ws/1t5otDJ

WHO'S TWEETING?

@nytpolitics: Though Bruised, White House Guard Dogs Are Cleared for Duty http://nyti.ms/1D0RIZr

@PeterNicholas3: Rand Paul Summons Political Operatives for 2016 Strategy Session http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/rand-paul-summons-political-operatives-for-2016-strategy-session-20141022?ref=t.co&mrefid=walkingheader … via @nationaljournal

@adamslily: Sam Nunn sporting some Warby Parker type frames in new ad for Michelle Nunn #gasen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BNzoQWdNS8&feature=youtu.be …

@shiracenter: . @StuPolitics asks the big Q: What Counts As a GOP Wave in 2014? http://roll.cl/1ouZslo

@briefingroom: Axelrod: Obama sometimes 'negligent in the symbolism' of presidency http://bit.ly/1rlVXcm