(CNN) – Conservatives seemed to collectively gasp Thursday night when a web video from President Barack Obama's campaign slyly compared a person's first time voting to losing one's virginity.

The star of the video, Lena Dunham, created and stars in the HBO show "Girls." In the video, she appears in a close-up shot explaining the first time she voted.
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The CNN Washington Bureau’s morning speed read of the top stories making news from around the country and the world. Click on the headlines for more.

WASHINGTON/POLITICAL

CNN: Va. congressmen seek probe of trashed voter registration forms
The Justice Department on Thursday was reviewing a request from Virginia Democratic lawmakers to launch an inquiry into a firm that hired a worker who allegedly destroyed voter registration applications. Congressmen Jim Moran, Bobby Scott and Gerry Connolly on Wednesday asked Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate a Republican-hired firm, Pinpoint, amid allegations of voter fraud.

CNN: Sununu cites race as factor for Powell’s Obama endorsement
John Sununu, a top surrogate for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, said Thursday that Colin Powell’s repeat endorsement of President Barack Obama could be explained partly by the two men’s shared race. Speaking on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight,” Sununu downplayed the importance of the former secretary of state’s endorsement, pointing to the support Romney’s received from former President George H.W. Bush. He went on to explain that Powell’s endorsement of Obama didn’t rely solely on the political issues at hand.

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Charlottesville, Virginia (CNN) – A scheduling mix-up kept Paul Ryan from participating in a tele-town hall Thursday night with conservatives around the nation coordinated by Ralph Reed and the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

At 6 p.m. ET, when the call was supposed to take place, Faith and Freedom Coalition Executive Director Gary Marx got on the line and announced it was being postponed.
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(CNN) - Singer Meatloaf joins presidential candidate Mitt Romney on stage to sing a rendition of "America the Beautiful."

Defiance, Ohio (CNN) – Sen. Rob Portman defended Mitt Romney's stance on the auto bailout Thursday night at a rally for the GOP presidential nominee in the heart of Ohio's Rust Belt.

The issue has dominated the airwaves across Ohio, where Democrats have relentlessly pounded Romney for opposing a government bailout of the automotive industry that ended up saving thousands of jobs.
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Washington (CNN) - Thanks to $10 million in new donations from Nevada billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his wife, the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future raised more than $20 million during the first half of this month, according to a financial disclosure form filed with the Federal Election Commission Thursday.

The group had more than $36 million cash on hand, and spent $12 million, as of October 17.
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(CNN) - John Sununu, a top surrogate for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, said Thursday that Colin Powell’s repeat endorsement of President Barack Obama could be explained partly by the two men’s shared race.

Speaking on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Tonight,” Sununu downplayed the importance of the former secretary of state’s endorsement, pointing to the support Romney’s received from former President George H.W. Bush. He went on to explain that Powell’s endorsement of Obama didn’t rely solely on the political issues at hand.
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Cleveland (CNN) - President Barack Obama capped off his 48 hours of campaigning at an Ohio rally Thursday complete with the most presidential of backdrops – Air Force One.

The president de-planed in Cleveland to address supporters on the tarmac and once again encouraged early voting, something he did himself earlier in the day.
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Washington (CNN) – The Justice Department on Thursday was reviewing a request from Virginia Democratic lawmakers to launch an inquiry into a firm that hired a worker who allegedly destroyed voter registration applications.

Congressmen Jim Moran, Bobby Scott and Gerry Connolly on Wednesday asked Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate a Republican-hired firm, Pinpoint, amid allegations of voter fraud.

(CNN) - New polls of likely voters in two battleground states released Thursday show President Barack Obama with a slight advantage in Nevada but tied with Republican challenger Mitt Romney in Colorado.

The NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls were conducted Tuesday and Wednesday - entirely after Monday's third and final presidential debate. In Colorado, the race is tied at 48% for each candidate, while in Nevada voters split 50% for Obama and 47% for Romney.
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