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With just three weeks remaining before the big day, Barack Obama leads John McCain by 10 points in the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll of likely voters. The poll's results suggest the McCain campaign's escalating rhetoric about the Democratic nominee and its failure to settle on a coherent economic narrative have backfired with voters.

Obama is also rumored to be set for another huge fundraising month, and his ground game looks to be superior to McCain's. With the caveat that a lot can happen in the next three weeks, and polls can be misleading, the race appears to be Obama's to lose at the moment.

"This is going to turn into a landslide," predicts Republican strategist Ed Rollins. A confident McCain still says he will "whip [Obama's] you-know-what" during Wednesday's debate (mercifully for viewers, it's the last one), but time appears to be running out for the Arizona senator.

William Kristol's solution for McCain? "Fire his campaign."

Economy

Over the weekend, the U.S. Federal Reserve led an international effort to shore up confidence in world markets after last week's global crash.

Britian committed more than $60 billion to save three banks, while the French and Germans introduced their own bailout measures. The news sent European and Asian markets back up today.

It's still likely that a nasty recession is coming, economists say.

Americas

Democrats in the U.S. Congress are planning a new stimulus package.

Argentina is becoming America's meth lab.

A lottery scam targeting U.S. citizens is helping to arm gangs in Jamaica.

Asia

North Korea is set to resume dismantling its reactor after the United States removed it from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

The Taliban tried, but failed to seize the capital of Afghanistan's Helmand province.

Beijing, battling air pollution, is reintroducing the Olympic driving rules.

Middle East and Africa

Sudan claims that a Darfur militia leader wanted by the ICC is now in custody.

Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal plans to build the world's tallest building, while Abu Dhabi is building a giant media hub.

The United States is considering a "coalition of the willing" approach to sanctioning Iran.

Europe

Attacks on immigrants are sparking a national conversation on race in Italy.

Germany's car industry has been hit hard by the economic crisis.

In Russia, the financial crisis is threatening Vladimir Putin's legacy.

Nervous Icelanders are stocking up on groceries.

Today's Agenda

Former South African President Thabo Mbeki is heading to Zimbabwe to salvage the power-sharing deal between Robert Mugabe and the opposition.

Today is Columbus Day in the United States.

The Nobel Prize in economics goes to Princeton economist Paul Krugman "for his analysis of trade patterns and location of economic activity."

U.S. President George W. Bush hosts Italy's Silvio Berlusconi.

Assistant Treasury Secretary Neel Kashkari gives a press conference on the rescue package that he has been tasked with executing.