What everyone’s talking about:
Mitt Romney is tightening the race between him and President Obama, according to several national and state polls released this week. The Romney campaign was thrilled to see the spike, but do both campaigns only accept good numbers and dismiss the bad as irrelevant when they don’t favor their candidate? We're Keeping Them Honest. Also, CNN's Gary Tuchman spent time on the trail with GOP vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and he spoke with his supporters who said they distrust the polls and the media.
Sean Smith was one of four Americans killed during the attack on U.S. buildings in Benghazi, Libya last month. He was killed in the consulate compound. Anderson spoke to his mother, Pat Smith, who says she "begged" for answers about the assault and how Sean died. She says she hasn’t received any details, which were promised to her by Pres. Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, and Vice President Biden. The State Department responded to CNN and maintains it has been in contact with victims' families.
A meningitis outbreak has left 14 people dead and 170 more battling the noncontagious infection. Anderson spoke with the husband and daughter of one woman, Lilian Cary, who died from a potentially contaminated steroid injection. They want stricter regulations on the type of pharmacy that is linked to the outbreak.
CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta tried to speak to the company that supplied the steroid injections. When he went to the New England Compounding Center, he was asked to leave the premises. He was shocked to find that the facility shares its property with what looks like a garbage dump – We’re Keeping Them Honest.
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for child sex abuse. CNN’s Jason Carroll describes the emotional scene inside the courtroom and the victims’ testimonies.
Today’s Scoop:
Vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan and Vice President Joe Biden will face off tonight for the only debate they will participate in this election. The focus is on both domestic and foreign policy. Earlier this week Anderson talked to CNN's John King and Gloria Borger about the similarities and differences between Ryan and Biden and how those characteristics will play out during the debate. We also took a look back at the best moments from past vice presidential debates and whether they affected the outcome of the race.
Join Anderson, Wolf Blitzer and the CNN political team for special coverage beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
Looking ahead:
Tune in next Tuesday for the second presidential debate hosted by CNN's own Candy Crowley. Special coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET.
Just for laughs:
In 1949 a 15-year-old student got terrible marks for science on his report card. Where is that kid now? He's a recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine –landing bad report cards on our RidicuList!