(CBS News) In the wake of the news that at least 7 people were shot at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee, both President Obama and Mitt Romney expressed their condolences Sunday.

"Michelle and I were deeply saddened to learn of the shooting that tragically took so many lives in Wisconsin. At this difficult time, the people of Oak Creek must know that the American people have them in our thoughts and prayers, and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who were killed and wounded," the president said in a written statement.

"My Administration will provide whatever support is necessary to the officials who are responding to this tragic shooting and moving forward with an investigation. As we mourn this loss which took place at a house of worship, we are reminded how much our country has been enriched by Sikhs, who are a part of our broader American family."

A White House official said Mr. Obama was notified of the Wisconsin shooting shortly before 1 p.m. by his Homeland Security Advisor, John Brennan.

Meantime, the Romney campaign released a written statement from Mitt Romney.

"Ann and I extend our thoughts and prayers to the victims of today's shooting in Wisconsin. This was a senseless act of violence and a tragedy that should never befall any house of worship. Our hearts are with the victims, their families, and the entire Oak Creek Sikh community. We join Americans everywhere in mourning those who lost their lives and in prayer for healing in the difficult days ahead."

Related: 7 dead in shooting at Wisconsin Sikh temple

(CBS News) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday defended charges from Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., and other congressional Republicans that her aide, Huma Abedin, is tied to Muslim extremists, saying those accusations "really have no place in our politics."

After a speech on international religious freedom at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C., Clinton was asked about "Islamophobia" in the United States and whether she had "any comments about this recent activity in Congress targeting one of your own aides."

"Leaders have to be active in stepping in and sending messages about protecting the diversity within their countries," Clinton said. "And frankly, I don't see enough of that, and I want to see more of it. I want to see more of it, and we did see some of that in our own country. We saw Republicans stepping up and standing up against the kind of assaults that really have no place in our politics."

The controversy stems from a letter Bachmann and four other Republican members of Congress sent to top intelligence and security officials earlier this month questioning the Muslim Brotherhood's access to top Obama administration officials. Abedin -- who the Clintons have described as a like a daughter to them -- was singled out in the letter.

Continue »

(CBS News) Former President Bill Clinton will have a major role in this year's Democratic Convention and will speak on Wednesday night in the slot traditionally reserved for the vice presidential nominee.

Monday, convention organizers will announce Clinton's speech, first reported by the New York Times and confirmed by CBS News, which will happen in prime time on Wednesday, Sept. 5, at a time when the TV networks are expected to be covering the convention live.

An Obama campaign adviser tells CBS News the former president will place President Obama's name in nomination for a second term and focus on highlighting Mr. Obama's economic record.

Continue »

(CBS News) Mitt Romney gave an update Thursday on his meetings during the first day of his London trip, including some details that, apparently, are usually kept under wraps.

A meeting with Sir John Sawers, the head of Britain's MI6 intelligence agency, was not on Romney's public schedule and didn't come to light until he shared it with the world at a news conference Thursday.

(Watch Romney's comment in the video to the left.)

"I can only say that I appreciated the insights and perspectives of the leaders of the government here and opposition here as well as the head of MI6," he said following a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron at 10 Downing Street. "[W]e discussed Syria and the hope for a more peaceful future for that country."

Interestingly, when asked for comment, Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which handles press for MI6, wouldn't acknowledge the meeting, "Sir John Sawers meets many people, but we don't give a running commentary on any of these private meetings."

The British press suggested that Romney slipped up by talking about the meeting, suggesting that intelligence-related meetings are usually not discussed publicly. When asked for reaction, a Romney senior policy official said he didn't have a reaction and that Romney's "said all he'll say on that."

(CBS News) On the heels of President Obama's speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention, Mitt Romney will address the group Tuesday in Reno, Nev., and call for a thorough investigation into Obama administration leaks of national security information as well as criticize upcoming defense cuts .

"Today, we are just months away from an arbitrary, across-the-board budget reduction that would saddle the military with a trillion dollars in cuts, severely shrink our force structure, and impair our ability to meet and deter threats," Romney will say, according to prepared remarks released by his campaign.

"Don't bother trying to find a serious military rationale behind any of this, unless that rationale is wishful thinking. Strategy is not driving President Obama's massive defense cuts. In fact, his own Secretary of Defense warned that these reductions would be 'devastating.' And he is right."

"That devastation starts at home. These cuts would only weaken an already stretched VA system and our solemn commitment that every veteran receives care second to none. I will not allow that to happen."

Continue »

(CBS News) President Obama will stop in Aurora, Colo., Sunday afternoon to meet with local officials and the families of victims of Friday's mass shooting there.

The trip, announced late Saturday night, will be a brief stopover; he's expected to be in Colorado for only a couple of hours.

Continue »

(CBS News) President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner put politics on the back burner during their weekly addresses Saturday, instead taking the opportunity to mourn the victims of Friday's shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.

"Even as we come to learn how this happened and who's responsible, we may never understand what leads anyone to terrorize their fellow human beings," Mr. Obama said.

"Such evil is senseless - beyond reason. But while we will never know fully what causes someone to take the life of another, we do know what makes that life worth living."

"[I]f there's anything to take away from this tragedy, it's a reminder that life is fragile. Our time here is limited and it is precious," he continued. "And what matters in the end are not the small and trivial things which often consume our lives."

In his remarks, Boehner said he was originally planning to talk about the economy but "life, they say, is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

"I know that when confronted with evil we cannot comprehend, Americans pull together and embrace our national family more tightly," he said.

"We join President Obama in sending condolences and prayers to the loved ones of those who were killed and wounded," Boehner added.

"And we all say 'thank God' for the police, the first responders, the doctors, and the nurses whose swift and heroic efforts saved lives."

Updated 10:46 a.m. ET

(CBS News) Both President Obama and Mitt Romney will take a break from politics Friday and will address the Colorado movie theater shooting at their campaign events.

Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, "The President will address the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado in shortened remarks" at his Ft Myers, Fla., event Friday morning.

Mr. Obama was also scheduled to hold a campaign event in Winter Park, Fla., later on Friday. The campaign told CBS News that event has been canceled.

Both First Lady Michelle Obama's and Ann Romney's scheduled events have been canceled.

Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in an email that the Republican candidate will address the shooting at his campaign event in Bow, N.H., though the campaign adds his event will not be a "typical campaign event" and he'll just be addressing the tragedy.

Meantime, the Obama campaign told CBS News that they have asked Colorado TV stations to stop running ads attacking Romney "for the time being." The campaign adds, "It takes time for stations to be able to do this, but we are making every effort."

The Romney campaign also said in an email that they're "pulling all ads in CO until further notice."

Bloomberg calls on Obama, Romney to talk gun control

Earlier Friday morning, President Obama made the following statement on the Colorado movie theater shooting:

"Michelle and I are shocked and saddened by the horrific and tragic shooting in Colorado. Federal and local law enforcement are still responding, and my Administration will do everything that we can to support the people of Aurora in this extraordinarily difficult time. We are committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded. As we do when confronted by moments of darkness and challenge, we must now come together as one American family. All of us must have the people of Aurora in our thoughts and prayers as they confront the loss of family, friends, and neighbors, and we must stand together with them in the challenging hours and days to come."

And Mitt Romney made the following statement on Friday morning's shooting:

"Ann and I are deeply saddened by the news of the senseless violence that took the lives of 15 people in Colorado and injured dozens more. We are praying for the families and loved ones of the victims during this time of deep shock and immense grief.  We expect that the person responsible for this terrible crime will be quickly brought to justice."

Gov. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., released this statement:

"This is not only an act of extreme violence, it is also an act of depravity. It is beyond the power of words to fully express our sorrow this morning. Our prayers and condolences go first to the families of those killed, and we share the grief of everyone affected by this senseless event. We appreciate the swift work by local, state and federal law enforcement. Coloradans have a remarkable ability to support one another in times of crisis. This one of those times."

Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colo., released this statement:

"I am deeply saddened and outraged by these senseless and tragic shootings," Udall said. "My thoughts go out to the families and friends of those killed, and I am praying for a speedy recovery for those who were wounded. My staff and I are in close contact with officials on the ground and will offer any federal resources needed to investigate this terrible crime and bring those responsible to justice."

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., said in a statement:

"This was horrible, senseless and abhorrent act. My family and I are shocked and deeply saddened this morning and our hearts are with the victims and their families. My staff and I are in contact with and offering our support to law enforcement and medical officials as they respond to the shooting."

Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., whose district includes Aurora, the site of the shooting, released this statement:

"My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the victims and their families in this senseless act of violence. I've lived in Aurora almost all of my life and nothing like this has ever happened here. This was the type of violence that I would have expected when I served in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps but never here at home."

Updated 10:30 a.m. ET

(CBS News) Both President Obama and Mitt Romney are expected to take a break from politics Friday and will address the Colorado shooting at their campaign events.

Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, "The President will address the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado in shortened remarks" at his Ft Myers, Fla., event Friday morning.

Mr. Obama was also scheduled to hold a campaign event in Winter Park, Fla., later on Friday. The campaign told CBS News that event has been canceled.

First Lady Michelle Obama was scheduled to hold two campaign events in Virginia on Friday. Those also have been canceled.

The Obama campaign told CBS News that they have asked Colorado TV stations to stop running ads attacking Romney "for the time being." The campaign adds, "It takes time for stations to be able to do this, but we are making every effort."

Meantime, Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul said in an email that the Republican candidate will address the shooting at his campaign event in Bow, N.H., though the campaign adds his event will not be a "typical campaign event" and he'll just be addressing the tragedy.

Earlier, Mr. Obama and Romney both said they were "saddened" by the shooting.

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto.

(CBS News) WASHINGTON - A new CBS News/New York Times poll released Wednesday finds a significant majority of voters said a presidential candidate's running mate has an impact on their vote.

As buzz in the media about who Mitt Romney's running mate will be hits a fever pitch, 74 percent of registered voters said that a candidate's VP choice matters a lot or somewhat. Twenty-six percent of registered voters said the choice matters a lot to their vote, while 48 percent said it matters somewhat. Twenty-five percent said it doesn't matter at all.

Meantime, three and a half months before election day, Republican enthusiasm about voting this year has shot up since Mitt Romney clinched the nomination in April, from 36 percent of Republicans saying they were more enthusiastic in March to 49 percent now.

Continue »

(CBS News) Mitt Romney had a high-profile houseguest while at his New Hampshire vacation home this weekend: Oprah Winfrey.

CBS News has confirmed that Winfrey sat down with Romney and his wife, Ann, Friday at his lakefront home in Wolfeboro, N.H. The interview, first reported by the New York Times, will be published in Winfrey's magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine.

Continue »

(CBS News) Rep. Ben Quayle, R-Ariz., is recycling a theme from his 2010 campaign, calling President Obama the "worst president in history" in a new TV ad out Tuesday.

"President Obama has failed the country," Quayle says in the ad.

"Two years ago I called him the worst president in history. I overestimated him."

It will be interesting to see if Democrats recycle their 2010 response by calling Quayle's father, former vice president Dan Quayle, "the worst vice president in history."

Time Magazine included Dan Quayle, who served under President George H.W. Bush from 1989-93, on a list of the 15 "worst vice presidents," citing "his constant verbal gaffes" which "made him a political laughingstock."

Currently, Rep. Quayle is running in a competitive primary against incumbent Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz.

He switched districts earlier this year after redistricting made his current district less Republican-friendly. The primary is Aug. 28.

(CBS News) While word trickled out last week that Mitt Romney was set to announce a $100 million fundraising month in June, official word came out Monday: he and the RNC actually raised $106.1 million in June for his election. 

The Obama campaign, in turn, announced they and the Democratic Party pulled in $71 million, the second month in a row they were outraised by their Republican rival.

"It was our best month of this election so far," Obama campaign Chief Operating Officer Ann Marie Habershaw wrote in an email to donors.

"But we still got beat -- and not by a little bit," she continued.

Continue »

(CBS/AP) Rep. Thad McCotter, R-Mich., abruptly resigned from the House of Representatives Friday, citing a "nightmarish month and a half" which was the result of McCotter failing to qualify for re-election.

"After nearly 26 years in elected office, this past nightmarish month and a half have, for the first time, severed the necessary harmony between the needs of my constituency and of my family," McCotter said in a statement. "As this harmony is required to serve, its absence requires I leave."

He continued: "The recent event's totality of calumnies, indignities and deceits have weighed most heavily upon my family. Thus, acutely aware one cannot rebuild their hearth of home amongst the ruins of their U.S. House office, for the sake of my loved ones I must 'strike another match, go start anew' by embracing the promotion back from public servant to sovereign citizen."

The Michigan attorney general has launched an investigation into why more than 80 percent of the signatures on McCotter's nominating petitions were invalid -- with many apparently photocopied from other petitions. The problem developed after the five-term congressman gave up his little-noticed campaign for president and entrusted his staff to prepare his re-election paperwork.

Continue »