The Note's Must-Reads for Wednesday, October 3, 2012

T he Note's Must-Reads are a round-up of today's political headlines and stories from ABC News and the top U.S. newspapers. Posted Monday through Friday right here at www.abcnews.com

Compiled by ABC News Jayce Henderson, Amanda VanAllen, Carrie Halperin, and Ben Waldron

PRESIDENT OBAMA: The Hill's Alexandra Jaffe: " Obama campaign: Video touted on Drudge Report a 'desperate attack'" The Obama campaign called a video touted by conservative news aggregator Drudge Report as a potentially explosive development in the election a "transparent attempt to change the subject" from Mitt Romney's comments, made by his "allies." LINK

The Los Angeles Times' Kathleen Hennessey: " Obama takes debate-prep break to tour Hoover Dam" President Obama took a break from his debate preparation to be a tourist on Tuesday, heading to the Hoover Dam in the afternoon for a short tour of the massive monument to public works. Obama's motorcade cruised along the winding roads to the dam for the brief outing. It was the president's first visit, he told a reporter. LINK

The Wall Street Journal's Neil King Jr. and Danny Yadron: " Poll Shows Slim Obama Lead" President Barack Obama heads into the first presidential debate with a narrow lead over Mitt Romney in a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News nationwide poll that illustrates each candidate's strengths and weaknesses entering the campaign's final stretch. The survey shows the race tightening, with Mr. Obama now leading 49% to 46% among likely voters, down slightly from the five-point lead he enjoyed in mid-September, just after the two parties' conventions. The survey of likely voters had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. LINK

MITT & ANN ROMNEY: ABC News' Gregory J. Krieg: " Romney Suggests Tax Break for Most, Possibly $17,000" On the eve of his first debate with President Obama, Mitt Romney indicated that he was considering a uniform deduction for most tax payers - $17,000 was the figure mentioned - as a way to pay for his proposed reform, which includes $5 trillion in across-the-board cuts. Romney also appeared to shift slightly on the issue of illegal immigration, saying he would honor two year visas issued by President Obama this summer for students who arrived here illegally as children. LINK

The New York Daily News' Jonathan Lemire and Erica Pearson: " Romney says he will honor temporary visas for young immigrants" After side-stepping the issue for months, Mitt Romney now says that if he's elected he would honor work permits granted to undocumented immigrants under a controversial program launched by President Obama. The Republican presidential contender had taken a hard line toward illegal immigrants when he was courting conservative voters in the GOP primaries. But he had avoided taking a stand on Obama's controversial work permit program, which the president announced in June. LINK

Politico's Alexander Burns: " For Ann Romney, it's personal" Ann Romney is taking this personally. The would-be first lady delivered a passionate endorsement of her husband's character and political vision in this Denver suburb on Tuesday, on the eve of the first debate between Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama. In her latest solo event, Romney said the former governor of Massachusetts is the right man to "save this country" - whatever negative charges opponents throw at him. LINK

The Boston Globe's Callum Borchers: " Romney would honor exemptions for illegal immigrants" Mitt Romney says he would not revoke temporary visas issued to young illegal immigrants under an executive action by President Obama, despite his criticism of such deportation protection as an inadequate congressional end-around. But the number of people who would benefit from Romney's non-reversal could be minute. In the first month since Obama's order took effect, only 29 visas have been issued, according to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. LINK

ELECTION 2012 GENDER GAP: Bloomberg's Jonathan D. Salant: " Obama Lead Over Romney Similar to 2008 Margin Over McCain" President Barack Obama's lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney has narrowed, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The poll released yesterday showed Obama ahead of Romney 49 percent to 46 percent among likely voters, down from 50 percent to 45 percent in a comparable survey two weeks earlier. Obama's margin increased to 48 percent to 43 percent when third-party candidates were included. LINK

VOTER ID LAWS / OTHER: The New York Times' Ethan Bronner: " Voter ID Rules Fail Court Tests Across Country."A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday blocked the key component of a highly contested state law requiring strict photographic identification to vote in next month's election, saying the authorities had not done enough to ensure that voters had access to the new documents. The result, that Pennsylvanians will not have to present a state-approved ID to vote in November, was the latest and most significant in a series of legal victories for those opposed to laws that they charge would limit access to polls in this presidential election. With only a month left until Election Day, disputes around the country over new voter ID requirements, early voting, provisional ballots and registration drives are looking far less significant. LINK

The Washington Post's Robert Barnes: " Pennsylvania voter ID law shouldn't be enforced this time, judge rules" A Pennsylvania judge on Tuesday ordered state officials not to enforce the commonwealth's tough new voter-ID law in the November election, a political victory for Democrats who say the measure is an attempt to discourage support for President Obama in a battleground state. Pennsylvania has occupied a particularly important spot in what has become a series of partisan skirmishes over new laws on who will be allowed to vote this fall and how their votes will be counted. LINK

ABC NEWS VIDEOS: " Biden: Middle Class Has Been Buried The Past Four Years" LINK " Then-Senator Obama: Rev. Wright is a Friend" LINK

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/notes-must-reads-wednesday-october-3-2012-070512926--abc-news-politics.html

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