The deadline has come and gone. Despite calls from Republican Party leaders like Mitt Romney and the Republican Senatorial Committee to drop out of the Missouri Senate race, Todd Akin is officially on the ballot, after the last day he could legally withdraw his name passed Tuesday. Akin was urged to leave the race after his controversial assertion that victims of “legitimate rape” rarely become pregnant ignited a firestorm of debate. Incumbent Democrat Sen. Claire McCaskill responded to Akin’s decision to continue his Senate bid by posting a blistering video ad on her website attacking his comments. The liberal super PAC American Bridge also released a video counting down the “top ten crazy Akin moments.”

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had some harsh words for Western powers in a new exclusive interview with the Associated Press Tuesday. In response to Obama’s speech at the U.N. General Assembly, the controversial leader said that American “bullying” internationally must end. "God willing, a new order will come together and we'll do away with everything that distances us," he added. Ahmadinejad, who was in New York for the U.N. General Assembly, dismissed concerns that Iran is trying to build nuclear weapons and said Iran is one of “10 or 11 countries in the Middle East and elsewhere” that’s part of a new contact group working to end the conflict in Syria. Ahmadinejad says the new group plans to meet in New York to discuss the crisis “very soon.”

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community on Tuesday to “not look the other way as violence spirals out of control” in Syria. Ban opened the General Assembly’s annual ministerial meeting with a speech focused on the atrocities in Syria, telling world leaders that the conflict was “a regional calamity with global ramifications.” Ban’s speech struck a less aggressive note than President Obama’s address at the gathering Tuesday, in which he pledged support for Syrian rebels attempting to oust “a dictator who massacres his own people.” It’s not clear whether the U.N. will act to quell the violence that has raged in Syria for the past 18 months. China and Russia have vetoed three efforts to pressure Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to stop the fighting.

Dissatisfied with the country’s worsening economic troubles and displeased with proposed austerity measures, thousands of demonstrators clashed with police in Madrid Tuesday. The protesters formed a human chain around the parliament building while police fired bullets at and beat the most violent in the crowd with truncheons. At least 22 people were arrested while 32 were injured, including four policeman. The protest was timed to the new 2013 budget, which will be announced by the government Thursday and includes cuts in inflation-linked pensions, taxes on stock transactions, the implantation of green taxes, and the elimination of several tax breaks. The region of Catalonia, which is responsible for 20 percent of the national output, called for an early election on Nov. 25 that could lead to a referendum on secession.

No, they weren’t cheering a baseball team. Several high-ranking staffers for Sen. Scott Brown were caught on video at a rally this week chanting Indian “war whoops” and making “tomahawk chops" in Boston. The staffers caught in the act—including Brown’s deputy chief of staff, constituent service counsel, and state director—were most likely referencing Senator Brown’s Democratic rival Elizabeth Warren, who has been embroiled with questions recently over whether she improperly claimed Indian heritage to secure plum jobs in academia. In response to the video, Brown said he doesn’t condone his staffer’s actions, but thinks “the real offense is that [Warren] said she was white and then checked the box saying she is Native American, and then she changed her profile in the law directory once she made her tenure."

China sent its first aircraft carrier into formal service Tuesday, in the latest show of force against Japan amid tensions over disputed land. The dispute revolves around Japan’s purchasing islands in the East China Sea, which China considers its own. China has already postponed a ceremony marking the 40th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic ties with Japan. During talks with Japan on Tuesday, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun said “China will never tolerate any bilateral actions by Japan that harm Chinese territorial sovereignty.” Still, some think that the carrier launch has nothing to do with the dispute. One expert said, “China is taking another step to boost its strategic naval capability.”

It’s being called the “worst call ever,” and Green Bay Mayor James Schmitt certainly agrees. Schmitt penned an angry letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Tuesday in response to the controversial call that handed the Seattle Seahawks a last-second victory over the Green Bay Packers Monday night. In a statement earlier in the day, the NFL upheld the call and said the game’s results are final. “Last night’s game creates a negative perception on the NFL brand, which in turn jeopardizes the Packers’ chance for success as well as the potential to negatively affect our local economy,” Schmitt wrote.

A bombing in eastern Turkey killed at least seven soldiers on Tuesday in what is suspected to be a carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Pary. The soldiers were driving through the city of Tunceli when a vehicle filled with explosives detonated near their armored truck. The terrorist group was founded in 1984 with the goal of creating a Kurdish state, and it has been responsible for several attacks on military targets in recent months. A week ago, PPK fighters killed 10 soldiers and injured at least 60 others when they attacked a military convoy in eastern Turkey.

After vicious attacks in the media targeted her alleged weight gain, Mama Monster is firing back. Uploading half-naked pictures to her website littlemonsters.com, Lady Gaga launched a new campaign Tuesday self-titled “Body Revolution 2013.” In captions above the pictures, Gaga gives her reason for fighting back: “to BREED some m$therf*cking COMPASSION,” and “to inspire BRAVERY.” In the final image, the pop star makes a brave final confession: “Bulimia and Anorexia since 15.” On the Body Revolution 2013 page, Gaga explains the foundation’s goal: to celebrate what society has deemed imperfect. “May we make our flaws famous, and thus redefine the heinous.”

Madonna isn’t stupid. That’s what she’s saying after provocative comments she made at a concert Monday night in Washington, D.C., led some to wonder whether the pop supernova thought the president was Muslim. “Y’all better vote for [expletive] Obama, OK?” she shouted at fans in the audience. “For better or worse, all right, we have a black Muslim in the White House, OK?” In a statement Wednesday, Madge clarified that she “was being ironic on stage”: “Yes, I know Obama is not a Muslim—though I know that plenty of people in this country think he is.”

Airline passengers can rest easy once they’re 30,000 feet above land, but a new New York Times report reveals that most of the real danger exists before the plane even lifts off the runway. About 1,000 times a year—that's about three times a day—airplanes or other airport vehicles set out down a runway that wasn't properly cleared, putting all those on board in danger of a fatal collision with aircraft that had been cleared to taxi. Owing to the obvious need to curb the potential for such accidents, new ground radars that help air-traffic controllers view the runway better have been installed in 35 airports in just the past year.

Don’t get your hopes up, new iPhone 5 users. Google Inc. has no plans to create an iPhone 5–compatible version of its oh-so-handy Google Maps app after Apple ditched it for an original alternative. The lack of Google Maps on the latest Apple creation has been a disappointment to many consumers, as the Apple map service is filled with errors. “I think it would have been better if they had kept ours. But what do I know?” Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt told reporters in Tokyo. When asked whether iPhone 5 users would be able to download Google Maps through the Apple Store, Schmidt replied, “We have not done anything yet.’

New satellite imagery obtained by the Associated Press reveals that North Korea has halted construction on a launch pad that could be used for intercontinental-range rocket testing, pushing back the completion of the planned project for up to two years. Heavy rains could be to blame for the delay. An existing launch pad at the same Pyongyang complex is being renovated for use in possible future rocket tests. While North Korea has conducted nuclear tests twice in the past six years, experts say that the country has yet to develop the technology needed to shrink nuclear weapons to the size needed for long-range missiles.

President Obama will take the stage before the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday and make the declaration that the U.S. plans to stand firm in the face of anti-Americanism across the globe and assert its determination to keep Iran's nuclear ambitions at bay. While the election is clearly looming in the background of virtually anything the president does, Obama plans to keep his Republican opponent out of today's discussion at the U.N. That hasn't stopped Mitt Romney from criticizing the incumbent's foreign-policy leadership ahead of his big speech. "This is time for a president who will shape events in the Middle East, not just be merciful or be at the mercy of the events," Romney said Monday.

Four months ago, Pedro Hernandez claimed that he was the one who strangled and killed 6-year-old Etan Patz in an old SoHo bodega in 1979. Yet there is absolutely no evidence that the bipolar schizophrenic’s story is true. Police reopened the decades-old case this summer, finally receiving a confession from Hernandez. Yet after months of examining the bodega that is believed to have been the scene of the murder, interviewing anyone who ever knew Hernandez, and examining his home and all of the computers he could have had access to, cops aren’t convinced he did it. The only found item that raises questions is a box of boys’ white Fruit of the Loom underwear, a pair of blue children’s shorts, and a Matchbox-style car—yet none of these items contain Patz’s DNA or any other link to him. 

Bill Clinton may be Barack Obama’s BFF, but he’s not one to exclude. Mitt Romney spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative Tuesday morning, and Clinton takes full credit for getting the Republican presidential nominee on board. "I invited him," Clinton told the hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" today. "I called him and invited him. We did it four years ago, remember? Senator McCain came and brought Governor Palin with him. And if you look, whatever you think about his tax return, [he’s] given a substantial amount of money to charity; he might want to talk about that today." 

Senior citizens should start searching now for a better Medicare prescription plan because the top 10 are about to see a major premium hike—of the double-digit variety. Avalere Health, a private health-care-analysis firm, released a report Monday predicting next year's premium surge. Officials for the Obama administration announced back in August that the basic drug-prescription premium for Medicare qualifiers will remain at $30 in 2013, but Avalere argues that while that number may be true for the entire market, it doesn’t take into account how price swings will affect individual customers. “The average senior is going to benefit by carefully scrutinizing their situation, because every year the market changes,” said Avalere’s president. 

It's a big day for China as the Asian nation's first-ever aircraft carrier is launched into service. The 300-meter carrier is actually a Soviet-era ship that was purchased from Ukraine and refitted in Liaoning—after which it was named. There are no operational aircraft aboard the carrier; it's being used for training right now, but the Chinese government intends for it to eventually be put to use to defend the country and its interests. The launch comes amid a dispute between China and Japan over some islands in the East China Sea, and Japan as well as other countries have recently expressed concern over China's growing Navy. 

Wildfires rage on in California, destroying 20 homes so far within nearly 4 square miles in rural San Diego. Thirty-mile-an-hour winds have spread the fire across 2,400 acres of desert near the U.S.-Mexico border, forcing a total of 80 homes to be evacuated. Only one main died from the fire in San Diego. He’d refused to evacuate despite orders for everyone in the community to do so. “He felt that he was going to be OK if he stayed,” the local sheriff’s lieutenant said. The cause of these late-summer blazes is still being investigated.

Chris Brown may still be on probation for his brutal attack on former girlfriend Rihanna but that hasn't stopped him from enjoying the benefits of his medical marijuana card. Unfortunately for Brown, he was drug-tested while fulfilling community service in Virginia, and the positive results have prompted a Los Angeles judge to determine whether or not he violated his probation. While the judge has noted that the conditions of Brown’s probation do not include mandatory drug testing, she is still set on figuring out whether travel restrictions and community service requirements were fully upheld in addition to his drug use.

The NFL released a statement Tuesday backing the referees in Monday night’s Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers game—much to the disappointment of fans everywhere. With just eight seconds left in the game, Seattle’s Golden Tate had been seen shoving Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to the ground while the ball was in the air—a clear penalty for offensive pass interference—and then wrestled with M.D. Jennings for the ball. Officials determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball, which gave the ball to Tate and thus awarded Seattle the touchdown. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy responded by saying, “Don’t ask me a question about officials. I’ve never seen anything like that in all my years in football.”

The Washington Post is out with two new polls that see President Obama leading Mitt Romney in both Ohio and Florida—two key battleground states. Of likely voters in Ohio, 52 percent said they support Obama versus 44 percent who are in favor of Romney. The president’s edge in Florida is a bit slimmer, leading Romney among likely voters 51–47 percent. Last week the Post published a poll revealing that Obama is ahead in Virginia. A majority of campaign funds from both candidates have been spent on Ohio, Florida, and Virginia, and, according to analysts, it will take capturing at least two of those three states for him to have a shot at winning the presidency.

Bombs exploded at a Damascus school—a security site occupied by pro-government militias and security forces. The explosives are believed to have been planted by rebels. While a rebel group leader said that “at exactly 9:35 a.m., seven improvised devices were set off in two explosions to target a school used for weekly planning meetings between shabbiha militia and security officers,” Syria's state-run news agency has not reported the incident. “There were several officers present, and we are hoping they will be part of a large number of killed in this operation,” the rebel leader said. The Syrian capital has played host to daily fighting between rebels and government forces in the past 18 months since the revolt began. 

In front of the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday President Obama said that the United States will “do what we must” to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. “Make no mistake: a nuclear-armed Iran is not a challenge that can be contained … And that is why the United States will do what we must to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," the president said. Obama’s comments came after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad laughed off the possibility of an Israeli attack on Iran and insisted Tehran is “ready to defend” itself.

The Case-Shiller home-price index—the best measure of national real-estate values around—rose from June to July by 0.44 percent. It's now up 1.2 percent year over year. This, combined with new recent data on home sales and starts, is a very good sign that housing is finally coming back after bottoming out last year. It's still harder to get financing than in boom time. But house prices were higher than last year in 16 of the 20 cities surveyed by the index on a seasonally adjusted basis. Without seasonal adjustments, home prices rose in all 20 cities for a third consecutive month.

Two years ago, New Jersey was one of 18 states to receive money from the federal government as part of the “Homekeeper Loan” program, which is supposed to provide assistance to unemployed families facing disclosure on their homes. Now, a new report from WABC in New Jersey reveals that less than $4 million of the $300 million New Jersey has been given has been spent and ranks the state last of the 18 receiving the funds. Only 498 families have been approved, while 2,000 homeowners have been denied help. When confronted about the program’s failure, Gov. Chris Christie blamed it on a “moratorium on foreclosures,” which WABC’s Jim Hoffer asserts is “no real answer.”

Royal etiquette 101: don’t tell secrets about the queen. The BBC has issued a formal apology to Queen Elizabeth II after presenter Frank Gardner revealed intimate details of a private conversation he had with the queen in 2004. Speaking with BBC Tuesday, he explained how the queen expressed concern to him about Britain’s inability to arrest Abu Hamza—a radical cleric wanted over allegations of a terrorist training camp. “She couldn’t understand [why]—surely there must be some law that he broke,” said Gardner. “She was upset that her subjects were being denigrated by this man.” Buckingham Palace has yet to comment.

As a diehard Chicago Bears fan, President Obama doesn’t usually defend rival Green Bay. But the last minute touchdown call that let the Seattle Seahawks eke out a 14–12 win against the Packers was too much for even the leader of the Free World to bear. The president weighed in on the referee controversy Tuesday, saying the call was “terrible” and telling reporters “I've been saying for months we've got to get our refs back.” The call he’s referring to of course is Monday night’s disputed decision: with just a few seconds left on the clock, game referees awarded Seattle a touchdown despite obvious pass interference. Regular officials have been locked out of the games since June when their contracts expired, and the NFL has been using replacement refs since.