Senators of both parties wrote to Cuban President Raul Castro on Tuesday to plead for the release of American Alan Gross on humanitarian grounds. Read more...

Obama says the “violence and intolerance” that occurred in Benghazi, Libya, “has no place in our United Nations.”

Researchers say terrorist groups are using anxiety about the air strikes to increase their footholds in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.

Romney joked about Bill Clinton introducing him, saying he just has to "wait a couple days for that bounce."

The Republican National Committee (RNC) released a Web video Tuesday morning blasting President Obama for calling the recent anti-American protests in the Middle East “bumps in the road” during an appearance on CBS's "60 Minutes."

The video blends violent images of the burning U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and armed street clashes with alarming headlines. It then shows Obama's cool demeanor in the TV interview, which aired Sunday.

“These are not 'bumps in the road,' ” the video concludes. “This is a crisis of leadership.”

Your morning global affairs speed-read

President Obama delivers one of the first – and most watched – speeches at the United Nations this morning. He's expected to deliver remarks on the recent violence in the Middle East and vow to stay engaged in the region as it undergoes radical change. Read The Hill's preview here.

Also taking the stage today:

• France's president, Francois Hollande, addresses the situation in northwest Africa and the possibility of international action in Mali as French special forces take the lead in fighting al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb [Le Figaro];

• Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai speaks in the afternoon as the United States prepares to draw down its forces;

• And Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, delivers an update on the economic crisis gripping the eurozone.

Eye on Kenya: Assistant Secretary for Conflict and Stabilization Operations Rick Barton arrives in Kenya for a week of meetings with political leaders and civil society organizations to ensure free and fair general elections next March and avoid the bloodshed of 2007.

"There is no video that justifies an attack on an embassy," Obama will say to the General Assembly on Tuesday.

Obama will “send a clear message that the United States will never retreat from the world,” a spokesman said.

In a call with reporters, Cantor said the U.S. needed “a much stronger hand at the helm” of foreign policy.