Fact Check: Job creation

President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney finish their debate in Denver on Wednesday, October 3. View behind-the-scene photos of debate preparations. Romney stands with his wife, Ann, and family following the first presidential debate. President Obama kisses first lady Michelle Obama after the debate Wednesday. It took place on their 20th wedding anniversary. Jim Leher of PBS moderates the 90-minute debate on Wednesday. It was the candidates' first time debating face to face. Obama defended his record and challenged his rival's proposals. Romney was more aggressive Wednesday in criticizing Obama's vision. People watch the debate at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn, New York. The event was expected to draw the candidates' largest nationwide audience to date. Romney answers a question from the moderator. Obama argues his view. Both candidates said the other's proposals won't work. Michelle Obama listens to the debate. Romney said Obama has failed to bring down high unemployment and get the economy surging again. Obama reacts to Romney's remarks on Wednesday. Obama listens during the debate in Denver. Romney, who has been unable to catch the president in most polls to date, sought to generate enthusiasm for a change in the White House. Romney's shadow is projected beneath text from the Declaration of Independence at the University of Denver's Magness Arena. The first of three presidential debates focused on domestic issues: the economy, health care and the role of government. Obama and Mitt Romney clashed over the economy on Wednesday. Romney speaks during Wednesday night's debate. The candidate called for a new economic path. Obama called for "economic patriotism" and said Romney's plan of tax cuts for the rich failed before. Romney and Obama wave to the crowd at the start of the presidential debate. Obama greets Romney on Wednesday. The candidates meet on stage less than five weeks before Election Day. Obama and Romney shake hands Wednesday night. The presidential race has been dominated so far by negative advertising as both camps try to frame the election to their advantage. Leher takes the stage Wednesday. It's his 12th time moderating a presidential debate. Michelle Obama points to Lehrer before the start of the debate. Ann Romney and first lady Michelle Obama hug on Wednesday. The candidates wives were in attendance for the most highly anticipated campaign event to date. Michelle Obama sits with White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, right. Rapper Will.i.am, left, speaks with Jarrett before the debate on Wednesday. View behind-the-scenes photos of debate preparations. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 President Barack Obama says he created 5 million jobs Mitt Romney says 23 million people are out of work in the nation Employment figures could prove key to this race (CNN) -- No issue has been hotter throughout the run-up to the election than jobs -- and both candidates took pains to tackle the issue during their first debate Wednesday at the University of Denver. "Over the last 30 months, we've seen 5 million jobs in the private sector created," Democratic incumbent Barack Obama said. The facts: Analyst: Election now 'a horse race' Crowley: What happened to President Obama? Obama and Romney debate in Denver Candy Crowley on debate moderators' responsibility In 2009, Obama's first full year in office, people in states across the country were losing their jobs at a startling clip. In Ohio, the unemployment rate was 10.6%. But over the next few years, the nation saw slow increases in employment in the retail, education and health care sectors. Today, most states are gaining jobs. The key swing state of Ohio now has a 7.2% unemployment rate. The Bureau of Labor Statistics confirms that a lot of jobs have been created under Obama's leadership -- 4.4 million by the bureau's latest count. What Obama did not say, however, was that the nation shed 4.3 million jobs during the early days of his term, and that the net gain since he took the oath of office in January 2009 is just 125,000 jobs. Conclusion: Many voters blame that initial weakness on the fractured economy Obama inherited from his Republican predecessor, former President George W. Bush. But in terms of sheer numbers, Obama's assertion that he created 5 million jobs does not tell the whole story and is therefore false. Also during the debate, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney said that 23 million people are out of work in the nation. "There is suffering in this country," said Romney. "And we talk about evidence. Look at the evidence of the last four years. It's absolutely extraordinary. We've got 23 million people out of work." The facts: When the recession began, workers in every category lost jobs, but those in the middle and higher wage groups lost more of them. And when the jobs started coming back, the lower-wage jobs came back stronger. That means that, while the nation has replaced lost jobs, many of those new jobs pay less than the old ones did. To reach his 23 million figure, Romney counts everyone who is unemployed, has stopped looking for work or is underemployed -- working for less money than before or able to find only a part-time job. Conclusion: Romney is stretching his figures to the breaking point -- which makes his claim false. What it all means: If history is any guide, the employment figures could prove key in this race. In August, the U.S. unemployment rate was 8.1%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. No president has been re-elected with an unemployment rate above 8% since Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s, during the Great Depression.

Round 1: Obama, Romney trade jabs

As members of the media prepare their television sets, University of Denver students Zach Gonzales, left, and Dia Mohamed stand in for the nominees during a dress rehearsal for the presidential debate Tuesday, October 2, in Denver. President Obama and Mitt Romney will square off during the first of three debates on Wednesday night. Workers prepare the set for the television anchors during the first presidential debate at the University of Denver on Monday, October 1. Workers make adjustments to the stage on Tuesday. A man walks through the media center as preparations continue on Monday. Workers carry a podium onto the stage on Monday. Gonzales, left, and Mohamed stand in for Romney and Obama on Tuesday. Desks sit ready for reporters in the media center on Monday. A worker puts cords down on Tuesday. Television crews begin to broadcast on Tuesday outside the Ritchie Center, where the first 2012 presidential debate will take place. Wednesday's showdown is the first of three presidential debates There also will be one vice-presidential debate The 90-minute debate Wednesday will focus on the economy Jim Lehrer of PBS will be moderating his 12th presidential debate The first presidential debate will be shown live here on CNN.com and on CNN apps for iPhone and iPad at 9 p.m. ET; 2300 GMT, 0000 CET, 0700 HKT. Edit your own clips, see which topics spike on the Twitter barometer, and join the debate. (CNN) -- With the polls narrowing less than five weeks before Election Day, President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney hold their first of three debates Wednesday night in what is the most highly anticipated campaign event to date. The showdown in Denver launches a new phase in a bitter race dominated so far by negative advertising as both camps try to frame the election to their advantage. Now, the candidates have what is expected to be their largest nationwide audience to try to convince voters to support them or reject the other guy. Create viral moments from debate 'October surprise' could be game changer Romney's past rival: Don't count him out Obama and Romney face off for first time How to watch, clip and share the debate Whether it matters is itself a topic of debate. According to an analysis by Gallup, televised debates have affected the outcome of only two elections in the past half century -- Nixon-Kennedy in 1960 and Bush-Gore in 2000. Analysts say Obama needs a presidential performance rather than fireworks or haymakers in order to maintain and build on a narrow edge in polls that indicate a very close election on November 6. Romney, who has been unable to catch the president in most of the polls to date, may try to score some dramatic points to help his cause. The former Massachusetts governor has more recent debate experience -- he took part in 22 during the grueling GOP primary campaign of 2011-2012 that he ended up winning handily after fending off a litany of conservative contenders. 5 things to watch in tonight's debate By contrast, Obama has not faced a debate since the three in 2008 with Sen. John McCain of Arizona, then the Republican presidential contender. Wednesday's debate will focus on the issue considered by voters to be the most crucial of the election -- the economy. Romney "has to paint a compelling picture of a better economic future and why he can lead us there and President Obama can't," said GOP pollster Whit Ayres. Democratic pollster Peter Hart made a similar point, saying "if Romney loses this issue, then he is toast." Opinion: Swing voters want to hear specifics Jim Lehrer of PBS will be moderating his 12th presidential debate. He previously announced that the 90-minute event will include three segments on the economy and one each on health care, the role of government, and governing leadership and style. Each segment is scheduled for 15 minutes. Organizers hope the segmented format, with candidates given two minutes to answer questions, will allow for a more free-wheeling discussion instead of a series of rehearsed sound bites. The other presidential debates will occur on October 16 in New York and October 22 in Florida. Vice President Joe Biden and Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Romney's running mate, will debate on October 11 in Kentucky. Where they stand: The candidates and their positions Debate issues 101 Complete coverage: CNN's election center CNN's John King and Amy Roberts contributed to this report.

Policy differences take center stage in first presidential debate

GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama square off in the first presidential debate. By Michael O'Brien, NBC News DENVER – Policy largely trumped "zingers" in the first debate between President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as the two sparred on issues as varied as taxes and spending, entitlements, education and more. Romney sought to cast himself as a capable and affable alternative to the sitting president and looked to establish himself as presidential in a major opportunity to reach voters in a side-by-side setting at the University of Denver. Hitting that mark was especially important for Republican presidential nominee, given the high expectations he had faced entering tonight's forum, having trailed Obama in most polls before this event. Michael Reynolds / AP President Barack Obama shakes hands with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney after the first presidential debate at the University of Denver, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012, in Denver. Obama, for his part, cast his Republican opponent as elusive in specifying just how he would cut taxes without adding to the national debt, or what form his own health care reforms would take.  But neither candidate seemed to achieve any breakout moment, and two additional debates throughout October could prove more pivotal to the election's outcome. VOTE: Did the debate do anything to influence who you will support on Election Day? Taxes and spending dominated the outset of the debate, as Obama and Romney battled largely over the details of Romney's tax proposals, which call for an across-the-board, 20 percent reduction in each marginal tax rate. The Republican argues the cost of these would be offset by reducing deductions. "My number one principle is there will be no tax cut that adds to the deficit," Romney said. Romney asserted his tax plan would spur job creation and help balance the budget, but the president insisted that these proposals simply do not add up. Reuters, Getty Images In the final push in the 2012 presidential election, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama make their last appeals to voters. "The fact is that if you are lowering the rates the way you described, governor, then it is not possible to come up with enough deductions and loopholes that only affect high-income individuals to avoid either raising the deficit or burdening the middle class," Obama said. "It's math. It's arithmetic." With a few exceptions, both candidates largely avoided the snappy, practiced lines that sometimes come to define debates. Their discussion at many times overrode the objections of moderator Jim Lehrer, and some of the topics for debate had to be shortened or cut altogether to accommodate for the candidates' long-windedness. In a time-honored debate tradition, both campaigns' surrogates declared victory for their candidate of choice. But style for both Obama and Romney seemed as important of a factor as any specific answer.  Romney entered the debate needing to make up ground versus Obama, and the matchup this evening offered voters their first chance to make a direct comparison between the two of them. The Republican nominee also sought to soften his tone in many respects, a bow toward the net-negative personal approval rating he suffers in many polls. Truth Squad: The Denver debate Obama campaign manager Jim Messina told reporters following the debate that the president's long-windedness was "never going to be our strong suit," and acknowledged that Romney had scored "style points." "This is a race to 270 electoral votes," Messina said. "In states like Ohio and Virginia and Florida, Romney's positions on tax cuts and Medicare are going to be real problems for him. And he doubled down on those all night." But Obama didn't score a knockout punch against Romney, declining to employ the controversial video about the "47 percent" of Americans whose votes the GOP nominee had essentially dismissed. Obama declined to talk about Romney's record at Bain Capital or the personal income tax rate paid by Romney – two major, effective lines of attack used by the Democratic campaign over the summer. NBC's David Gregory, Savannah Guthrie and Chuck Todd provide analysis immediately following the first 2012 presidential debate between GOP nominee Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama. Romney also parried many of the president's attacks by largely embracing the essence of many of Obama's own policies – from health care to education and regulation – while emphasizing the areas in which the two of them differed. Romney said he supports repealing the Dodd-Frank financial regulatory reform law, but replacing it with an alternative of his own. He has said that about immigration, and defused a briar patch involving his and Obama's similar health care plans by seizing upon process. "I like the way we did it in Massachusetts. I like the fact that in my state, we had Republicans and Democrats come together and work together," said Romney. "What you did instead was to push through a plan without a single Republican vote." Toward the end of the debate, Obama struck back by questioning whether Romney's own promises were too good to be true. "At some point, I think the American people have to ask themselves, is the reason that Gov. Romney is keeping all these plans to replace secret because they're too good?" Obama asked. The immediate fallout of the debate will be most quickly reflected in media cycles on Thursday and into the weekend, though it might take days' worth of polling to identify whether tonight's debate moved the needle. Obama and Romney will next meet Oct. 16 for the second of three debates. Before then, Vice President Joe Biden and Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan will debate next Thursday in Kentucky.

Man arrested for arson of Ohio Islamic center

Courtesy of The Toledo Blade A security video captures an image of a man -- believed to be Randy Linn, 52, of Indiana -- who lingered outside the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo as a fire burned inside. Linn was charged Wednesday. By Isolde Raftery, NBC News Police have arrested a man they believe set fire to the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo on Sunday, the Toledo Blade reported. Randy Linn, 52, of Saint Joe, Indiana, was charged Wednesday with two counts of arson and one count each of aggravated burglary and carrying a concealed weapon. The arson was the latest in a string of recent acts of violence, vandalism and threats against mosques since July, the beginning of Ramadan, a month of fasting for Muslims. The arson is the latest in a string of threats and vandalism against U.S. mosques since last summer, including a mosque in Joplin, Mo. that burned down in early August – one month after it was the target of another apparent arson. Related: Mosque in Missouri burns to the ground one month after arson attack  According to Thom Harmann, host of The Big Picture, the number of anti-Muslim hate groups tripled between 2010 and 2011. Since Aug. 5, nine mosques or places of worship have been vandalized or attacked across the U.S., according to the non-profit, American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. In Hayward, Calif., four people fired lemons, oranges, eggs and BB guns at a mosque. In Ontario, Calif., two women reportedly threw pig legs on the site of a proposed mosque, according to the ADC. Allen County Sherriff Dept. Randy Linn, 52, was charged Wednesday in the arson of an Islamic center in Ohio. On Aug. 12 in Oklahoma City, vandals shot paintballs at the Grand Mosque while worshipers prayed, according to the Tulsa World. Previously, in January, a man threw a firebomb into a mosque in Queens, N.Y., according to NBCNewYork.com. There were no injuries. "We recommend a security guard during prayer hours," Abed Ayoub, ADC's legal director told NBC News. "Take measures and use common sense. Keep an eye on people who don't seem to fit in. We ask them to install video cameras at the doors and throughout the mosque. Limit access to areas such as the kitchen, furnace or storage where someone could hide." Related: Attacks on US mosques prompt Muslim security concerns Back in Ohio, Linn was captured by a surveillance camera as he lingered outside the the Islamic center at the time of the fire, according to the Blade. Most of the smoke and water damage took place on the second floor of the prayer room, officials told the Blade. More content from NBCNews.com: No Halloween for sex offenders? They challenge California city's restrictions Pedestrians, bicyclists beware in New York, Los Angeles Veterans angle for a overdue shout out during tonight's debate Woman rides wild manatee in Florida, turns herself in Video: Dangling base jumper rescued from cliff Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Turkey strikes targets in Syria

Smoke rises after shells landed Wednesday in Akcakale, a town in southeastern Turkey's Urfa province. NEW: No evidence of broader conflict, U.S. defense official says NEW: NATO council is meeting on the situation Turkey strikes targets in Syria following shelling of a Turkish border town Akcakale "was hit by artillery fire belonging to the Syrian regime forces," Turkey says (CNN) -- Turkey fired on targets in Syria in response to the shelling of a Turkish border town in which five civilians were killed Wednesday, a statement from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office said. The town of Akcakale "was hit by artillery fire belonging to the Syrian regime forces," the statement said, in the first clear assertion of blame for the shelling. "Our armed forces on the border responded immediately to this atrocious attack within the rules of engagement, and points in Syria determined by radar were hit with artillery fire," it said. "Turkey, within the confines of the rules of engagement and international law, will never leave these types of provocations aimed at our national security unanswered." Nine people were also injured when the shell landed on the town in Sanliurfa province, near the Syrian border, the statement said. The retaliatory step marks a significant increase in tension between the two countries. The Syrian government did not immediately respond to the accusation that its forces were responsible. The North Atlantic Council, NATO's most senior political governing body, was holding an urgent meeting on the situation, NATO said. Akcakale Mayor Abdulhakim Ayhan said earlier that three children, their mother and a female neighbor died when a house was hit. Two police officers were among those hurt, he said. The artillery shell was fired from the Syrian district of Tel Abayad, according to Turkey's semiofficial Anadolu news agency. Relations between Turkey and Syria were already under strain over Damascus' response to an 18-month-long uprising against the government of President Bashar al-Assad. Before launching its military strike against Syrian targets Wednesday, Turkey reached out to NATO and U.N. chiefs. Selcuk Unal, a spokesman for the Turkish Foreign Ministry, told CNN that Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu had contacted the Arab League and U.N. special envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, about the incident. Davutoglu contacted NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen after the deadly shelling in Akcakale, NATO said. A senior U.S. defense official said the Pentagon is watching the situation with some degree of concern, "but at this point, there's nothing to suggest it's going to become a broader conflict." The official said the reciprocal fire appeared to be a smaller-scale border skirmish rather than a large-scale aerial bombardment. "We think this is Turkey basically saying, 'Don't mess with us. Whatever is going on inside Syria, don't mess with us,'" the official told CNN. Both nations would have an interest in not allowing the conflict to escalate, according to the official. "In some ways, Turkey would have more to lose in that kind of fight than Syria. They've already got a potential refugee problem coming from Syria, and a fight would only make that worse, the official said, adding that "Syria has so many problems right now, the last thing the government needs is to add another." Turkey's foreign minister called U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to express his government's "deepest concern" about the shelling, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said. Ban issued a statement expressing condolences to the shelling victims in Turkey. He called on Syria to respect the territorial integrity of its neighbors. "The secretary-general has repeatedly warned that the ongoing militarization of the conflict in Syria is leading to tragic results for the Syrian people," Ban said. "Today's incidents, where firing from Syria struck a Turkish town, again demonstrated how Syria's conflict is threatening not only the security of the Syrian people but increasingly causing harm to its neighbors." Musa Ozer, who lives next to the house where the artillery shell landed, was crying as he spoke on the phone with CNN in the aftermath of the attack. The Syrian refugee crisis Official: Syria a victim of terrorism "The bomb fell on us. My head's really not in the right place right now," he said. "My uncle was injured and his wife died. What am I to make of this?" Ayhan said the shell landed on one house but debris from the impact scattered across a wider area, leading to the high number of injuries. He also voiced the concern felt by residents of the southeastern town. "The people of Akcakale are rising up against this. They live in fear," he told CNN Turk. The mayor said the shell that caused the deaths was the second to land Wednesday on Akcakale. Syrian refugees in Turkey: Police are forcing us from homes Salih Aydogdu, a local neighborhood mayor, called for authorities to act to prevent such incidents. "Over the last month, we've had these types of incident five or six times. This is a small place; every time it happens, we can hear it. We are right on the border with Syria," he said. "The people of Akcakale are upset. We want the governor and the police to take precautions. This was Turkey's most peaceful and tranquil area. Now we have neither peace nor tranquility." For the past two weeks, schools have been closed in the town, and the teachers have left, he added. Syria's internally displaced languish in squalor at Turkish border Akcakale has been rocked by previous fighting just across the border in Syria. Last month, Turkish residents watched as Syrian shells crashed into Syrian territory, barely a stone's throw away from the Turkish border fence. The close artillery barrage forced Turkish authorities to temporarily shut schools in Akcakale and close off roads leading to the Syrian border. Rebel leadership announces move from Turkey to Syria Only two years ago, Syria and Turkey enjoyed cozy bilateral relations. The neighbors had instituted visa-free travel for their citizens, and cross-border trade was booming. Diplomatic relations ruptured, however, months after the Syrian uprising began. Last March, Turkey shuttered its embassy in Damascus and the Syrian government declared Turkey's ambassador, Omer Onhon, persona non grata. Erdogan has repeatedly denounced Syrian President al-Assad, publicly calling on him to step down after accusing him of massacring his own people. The Syrian government, meanwhile, has accused Turkey of arming and funding Syrian rebels. CNN journalists have witnessed light weapons in the form of assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns coming from Turkey to Syrian rebels. In addition, Turkey is currently hosting more than 93,000 Syrian refugees in camps. Turkish officials estimate another 40,000 to 50,000 unofficial refugees live in Turkey outside refugee camps. This is not the first deadly cross-border incident between the two neighbors. On Tuesday, Turkish officials announced at least two suspected Kurdish fighters were killed after a clash broke out along the border in Turkey's Mardin province. In June, the Syrian government announced it had shot down a Turkish military reconnaissance jet after it crossed into Syrian airspace. Two Turkish pilots were killed in the incident. The Turkish government continues to insist the jet was shot down by a surface-to-air missile after it left Syrian airspace -- claims that the Syrian government denies. CNN's Gul Tuysuz, Talia Kayali, Richard Roth, Chris Lawrence, Nick Paton Walsh and Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report.