Controversial Romney remarks continue to draw ire

SALT LAKE CITY — Republican presidential nominee continued to draw criticism Wednesday for controversial remarks made at a private fundraiser, but the GOP is fighting back. Plus, Clint Eastwood talks about his RNC chair bit and Jon Stewart plans a debate.

• Republicans have unearthed a recording of remarks Obama made at Loyola University in 1998 during which he spoke against "propaganda" that claimed the government did not work, NPR reports. "I think the trick is figuring out how do we structure government systems that pool resources and hence facilitate some redistribution, because I actually believe redistribution, at last at a certain level, to make sure that everybody's got a shot," he said at one point during the speech.
• Pres. Obama said Tuesday on the "Late Show" that Americans are not victims and that voters want to make sure their president is "not writing off big chunks of the country," in response to the leaked video of the now-infamous Romney fundraiser. "My expectation is that if you want to be president, you have to work for everyone, not just for some," Obama said, according to the Associated Press
• The YouTube user who anonymously circulated the video of Mitt Romney making controversial comments at a private fundraiser threatened on Twitter to release the candidate's tax returns if we would not do so himself, Business Insider reports. "I released the full video as you requested," @AnneOnymous670 tweeted on Tuesday afternoon. "Would you now release your tax returns? Or shall we?" The tweet appeared to have been deleted as of Wednesday.
• A new NBC/WSJ poll found that Pres. Obama's approval rating has dropped five points since August. In the poll, 49 percent approved of Obama's handling of foreign policy, compared to 46 percent who disapproved. In August, 54 percent of those polled approved of the president's foreign policy handling, NBC News reports.

1. The Romney campaign borrowed $20 million in August to pay for expenses before it could tap into general election funds, leaving the campaign $11 million in debt, NPR reports. The money was borrowed against general election funds, something permitted by the Federal Election Commission rules.
2. Clint Eastwood told Ellen DeGeneres on Monday that he has not been bothered by reactions to his speech at the Republican National Convention during which he carried on a conversation with an imaginary Barack Obama. "It was an interesting reaction actually," he said. The Democrats who were watching thought I was going senile — and the Republicans knew I was. But I was actually just trying to enjoy myself."
3. Conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly and comedian Jon Stewart will face each other in October in a presidential-style debate to be streamed live online, according to Reuters. The event will be Oct. 6 and will be 90 minutes and is being called "The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium."

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