Evan Vucci / AP

Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign rally Oct. 9, 2012 in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney told The Des Moines Register he does not plan to pursue abortion-related legislation if elected.

The media immediately seized on the comments as a promise by Romney to back away from some of his harsher rhetoric on abortion. He has said he would prefer Roe v. Wade, which protects a woman’s right to abortion, be overturned and that abortion should be allowed only in instances of incest, rape, and to protect the health of the mother.

Yet, parsing the words of a man who has changed his mind on this subject in the past (he ran as a pro-choice candidate for the U.S. Senate and governor of Massachusetts), isn’t easy.

Here’s what he said:

“There’s no legislation with regards to abortion that I’m familiar with that would become part of my agenda,” Romney told the Register’s editorial board on Tuesday.

So no current legislation, but does that mean he would consider approving anti-abortion legislation brought forward by a Republican Congress? A clarification from a Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul seemed to suggest he would.

The Romney campaign has long been notoriously evasive when it comes to questions from the press. But even by Mitt Romney's exacting standards, Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President special doesn't seem like a tough interview. So why did his campaign tell Nickelodeon that he would not be participating in the special?

"The half-hour special gives both candidates' biographies, then shows their answers to questions solicited from kids all over the country," said host Lawrence O'Donnell on Tuesday's The Last Word. One illustrative question, asked by a hard-hitting young boy during the 2008 presidential election, was: "Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. When you were a kid, what was your favorite costume?"

With all the fussing over funding for PBS going on in the campaign thanks to Mitt Romney's debate admission that he wants to cut funding for public broadcasting, the host of Late Night Jimmy Fallon took us to a visit to "Mister Romney's Neighborhood" during his show yesterday.

Instead of putting on Mister Roger's trademark cardigan sweater, Romney slips out of one suit coat right into another. He then sits down to read the Financial Times (those pink pages are always a dead giveaway) and have his shoes shined.

Fallon's "Mister Romney" later takes his wallet out to explain "that's where money goes." Then comes this string of zingers:

"Now, do you know what money is? I'm guessing no because you're watching public television. Therefore, you don't have cable. Therefore, you're probably poor. Money is sort of like paper that you can use to buy things that you want like toys... or yachts. Now you may be wondering where money comes from. It comes from a magical place called our parents."

"Mister Romney" is then joined by "Mister Obama." And that's where the fun really begins.

Reuters

President Obama opted to participate in the children's special this year and in 2008.

It's not only Big Bird getting the cold shoulder from Mitt Romney these days. It's also Big Bird's biggest fans.

Romney declined to participate in Nickelodeon's Kids Pick the President special, in which children get a chance ask the candidates questions about what matters most to them. According to Linda Ellerbee, the event's host and executive producer, the Romney campaign couldn't fit the special into their schedule. "He simply didn't have time," she said.

"That's several million kids who actually want to get involved in the democratic process," Ellerbee said in a press release, referring to the large number of children who submitted questions for President Obama and Gov. Romney. "They don't deserve to be dissed."

President Obama participated this year, as he did in 2008. This time he answered questions on a variety of topics, ranging from gun control to same-sex marriage to bullying. 

Beyond giving kids the chance to ask questions, 'Kids Pick the President' allows them to cast their vote in an online poll. An ad for the special has one child declaring, "The United States Constitution states that no one under the age of eighteen is permitted to vote, but Nickelodeon says we can!"

Since 1992, when Kids Pick the President began, the participating children have correctly chosen the outcome of the election five out of six times. This year's special is scheduled to air October 15. 

“By answering kids' questions directly, candidates show respect for kids," Ellerbee said.

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell talked to West Wing alum Richard Schiff about taking over The Last Word anchor chair during Monday's show.

"I think in terms of first-time anchormen," O'Donnell said, "it was the sharpest upward learning curve we've ever seen."

The two men also had a discussion about Twitter, and how it's new way to share political information. O'Donnell mentioned his Twitter followers inform him of things that he would not have heard of otherwise. "They've put things on [Twitter] that I've used in the show, that our staff didn't find, that I didn't find," he said.

Schiff's new web series, Chasing the Hill, revolves the re-election campaign of a Democratic representative from California, and in which he plays a political operative. Be on the lookout for O'Donnell, who will be making a cameo in a forthcoming episode of the series.

Update: Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street, has asked the campaign to take down the ad, according to a statement by the nonprofit. "We do not endorse candidates or participate in political campaigns. We have approved no campaign ads," it wrote on its blog.

The Obama campaign released a new ad starring Sesame Street's Big Bird that pokes fun at a Mitt Romney line from last week's first presidential debate.

Romney promised during the debate to "stop the subsidy to PBS," the network that broadcasts Sesame Street. "I love Big Bird...But I'm not going to keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it," he added.

The new 30-second spot from the president's re-election campaign dismisses Romney's stance on PBS and Big Bird as overblown paranoia.

"Bernie Madoff. Ken Lay. Dennis Kozlowski. Criminals. Gluttons of greed," the ad begins. "And the evil genius who towered over them? One man has the guts to speak his name."

 Cue Romney at the mic saying "Big Bird" over and over again.

"Big, yellow, a menace to our economy," the ad continues. "Mitt Romney knows it's not Wall Street you have to worry about, it's Sesame Street."

Cut to a benign, sleeping Big Bird cuddled up with a stuffed teddy bear. 

MSNBC's Chuck Todd pointed out during Daily Rundown that the ad is not a serious one for the campaign given that it is playing on national cable and broadcast stations rather than in battleground states where it could have a real impact on the race.

With just 28 days to go until the election, the latest Gallup tracking poll shows Mitt Romney's post-debate bounce ebbing. President Obama is back with a three-point lead among registered voters. Will this stop Obama supporters from freaking out? At 10 pm ET, we'll discuss why they should back away from the ledge. Here are the stories shaping tonight's rundown:

• President Obama encourages supporters to be 'obsessive'
• Mitt Romney defends tax math in Iowa
• Romney declines Nickelodeon's invitation for 'Kids Pick the President' special
• Nate Silver: A great poll for Romney, in perspective
• Sen. Chuck Schumer tells Dems to grow a spine in tax negotiations with GOP
• Why Obama supporters should not freak out
• EJ Dionne on conservatives, liberals and polls
• Arkansas rep: 'If Slavery were so god-awful why didn't Jesus or Paul condemn It?’
• Sesame Street asks Team Obama to pull ad

Let us introduce you to Congressman Paul Broun, a Republican from Georgia. He and Congressman Todd "legitimate rape" Akin are both on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. And in newly revealed video of Broun during a sportsman's banquet at a church in his home state, he told those in attendance that he believes evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, are all "lies straight from the pit of Hell."

As to the age of our planet, Congressman Broun argued it's much younger than the majority of scientists say. "You see there are a lot of scientific data that I found out, as a scientist, that actually show that this is really a young Earth. I don't believe that the Earth's but about 9,000-years-old," said Broun. "I believe it was created in six days as we know them. That's what the Bible says."

That elicited a rather pointed response from Bill Nye, the Science Guy, also the Executive Director of The Planetary Society, the world’s large space interest organization.

"Why Obama Now?" is a fun, fast and informative web video from the mind of Lucas Gray, an animator best known for his work with The Simpsons and Family Guy. The video uses an address President Obama gave during a luncheon back in April tearing down the notion that trickle down economics helps the middle class and the impoverished.

The video has a little bit of everything: throwbacks to a bygone era of American history, some of the right wing's loudest voices depicted as funny little bobbleheads, charts, graphs, the Founding Fathers and even a rhinoceros. 

The new TV ad, airing only in the swing state of Virginia, reminded viewers of the Romney’s "reckless" and "amateurish" trip visiting England, Israel and Poland in July. Romney, who ran the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, angered many Brits after suggesting London wasn't fully prepared for the Games. 

The ad criticized Romney for his "knee-jerk response" to the deadly protests in the Middle East. "If this is how he handles the world now just think what Mitt Romney might do as president," said the voice-over in the Obama ad.

The second presidential debate on October 16 will include a portion on foreign policy.

In Mitt Romney's speech Monday at the Virginia Military Institute, he vowed that as president he would "recommit America to the goal of a democratic, prosperous Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the Jewish state of Israel." But that promise is out of step with what he said in remarks at a private fundraiser in May.

In the same leaked video in which Romney made his infamous remarks about the "47 percent," he is heard saying, "I look at the Palestinians not wanting to see peace anyway, for political purposes, committed to the destruction and elimination of Israel." The only way forward in the crisis, he argues, is to "sort of live with it, and we kick the ball down the field and hope that ultimately, somehow, something will happen and resolve it."

"He almost literally said 'kick the can down the road,'" said host Alex Wagner on Monday's NOW with Alex Wagner.

The latest video in our "Campaign Calculus" series reflects Nate Silver's daily election predictions before and after the first pivotal debate.

In the early part of the week, we saw Mitt Romney trailing in the polls of every battleground state. Republicans from Rush Limbaugh to Charles Krauthammer clamored for Romney to be more aggressive, to go large. Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan also grabbed headlines for brushing off a question about the arithmetic in Romney's tax plan.

"Well, I don't have the time," Ryan said. "It would take me too long to through all of the math."

At the first debate, Romney answered the conservative pundits' call for aggressiveness by prosecuting President Obama on a slow economic recovery. When prompted to explain his own plan, like how he would pay for a $5 trillion tax cut, Romney replied that his plan did not call for such a cut.

"We've been asking for months, how is Mitt Romney going to explain the deduction side of his $5 trillion tax cut," commented MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell. "Who among us anticipated that Mitt Romney's answer would be, 'There is no $5 million tax cut'?"

On the day after the debate, President Obama took to the stump to address this contradiction in Romney's rhetoric.

Jewel Samad/Getty Images

Mitt Romney under the lights at a recent campaign rally in Apopka, Florida.

In a stump speech declaring victory at the first presidential debates, Mitt Romney switched up his campaign tone in front of Floridian supporters, even referencing the cult TV classic, "Friday Night Lights." (Coincidentally, we must note, on Friday night.)

The Republican nominee got personal, recounting the deaths of three supporters who influenced his campaign, one of whom was a 14-year-old boy diagnosed with leukemia. Romney said the boy, David Oparowski, referred to him as "Brother Romney" for counseling him with his will.

"I went to David's bedside and got a piece of legal paper, made it look very official. And then David proceeded to tell me what he wanted to give his friends. Talked about his fishing rod, and who would get that. He talked about his skateboard, who'd get that. And his rifle, that went to his brother. I've seen the character of a young man like David, who wasn't emotional or crying. He had his eyes wide open."

Romney went on to remember his conversation about death with the teenager and the eulogy he delivered at Oparowski's funeral.

"I sat down next to him and he said...he said what happens next? And I spoke with him about what I believe happens next. 'Clear eyes, full heart, can't lose.' David passed away, but I’ll always remember — never forget — his courage, his clear eyes, full heart. He won’t lose.”

That saying was popularized by the "Friday Night Lights" series, chanted before every game during all five seasons.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

President Obama speaking at the "30 Days To Victory" fundraising concert at the Nokia Theater Sunday in Los Angeles, California.

For the first time, President Obama publicly acknowledged his so-so debate performance against rival Mitt Romney.

While speaking in front of a crowd of 6,000-plus at a Los Angeles fundraiser, the president used humor to bring up the elephant in the room. He complimented all the performers, which included Bon Jovi and Jennifer Hudson, and compared them to his own performance last week. 

"They just perform flawlessly night after night. I can't always say the same," said a humble Obama on Sunday. He got both laughter and applause for that line.

According to the latest Pew poll, Romney appears to have wiped away Obama's previous lead after a strong showing at last week's debate.

Obama reminded supporters of past "bumps" on the campaign trail four years ago, saying it wasn't always a pretty sight.

"Back in 2008, everybody always remembers the victory, but they don't always remember the bumps in the road," he said. "Things always look good in retrospect... We made all kinds of mistakes. We goofed up. I goofed up. But the American people carried us forward."

With just 29 days left to go, Team Obama entered its final fundraising push. Over the weekend, the campaign announced they raked in in a record $181 million in September with the help of Democratic allies.