Today's installment of campaign-related news items that won't necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* The Obama campaign released a rather brutal new ad this morning, connecting Mitt Romney's "47 percent" problem to his tax-return problem. This is the first Obama ad to make use of the secretly-recorded video.
* The Romney campaign released a new ad of its own, accusing President Obama of refusing to "stand up to China." The spot comes a week after the Obama administration filed its seventh case against China at the World Trade Organization.
* A new Politico/GWU Battleground poll shows Obama leading Romney nationally by three points, 50% to 47%.
* In Ohio, a new Ohio Newspaper Organization poll shows Obama up by five over Romney, 51% to 46%. The same poll shows Sen. Sherrod Brown (D) leading Josh Mandel (R) by seven, 52% to 45%.
* In Colorado, PPP's latest gives Obama a six-point advantage, 51% to 45%. A few weeks ago, PPP found the president's lead at only three points in Colorado.
* In Florida, PPP found Obama with a four-point lead, 50% to 46%, while a Tampa Bay Times/Miami Herald/Bay News 9 poll shows the president's lead at only one point, 48% to 47%.
* The latter also found Sen. Bill Nelson (D) with an eight-point lead over Rep. Connie Mack IV (R), 48% to 40%.
* The Romney campaign is launching another bus tour of Ohio today. He'll be followed by former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland (D), who'll make stops in the same cities.
* In Massachusetts, Sen. Scott Brown (R) continues to be preoccupied with Elizabeth Warren's (D) ethnic background, launching another attack ad on the subject.
* And in Montana, the latest Mason-Dixon poll shows Rep. Denny Rehberg (R) leading incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D) by three points, 48% to 45%.