NBC's Tim Russert dead at 58  —  Washington bureau chief, ‘Meet the Press’ moderator collapsed on job  —  Tim Russert at the Newseum in Washington on Nov. 14.  —  Live video  —  LIVE: Remembering Tim Russert  —  LIVE VIDEO: Watch MSNBC's coverage of the life of NBC News Washington …

Town hall talks break down  —  The talks between the McCain and Obama campaigns on debates appear to have broken down, with Obama's campaign — evidently concluding that the format could favor McCain, or at least give McCain some oxygen — offering just one town hall and one extra debate in response to McCain's suggestion of 10.

McCain Slams The Supreme Court's Habeas Decision  —  PEMBERTON, N.J.—I am still sitting in a John McCain town hall, so have not had time to transcribe the full quotes, but wanted to post this quick.  After a day of consideration, the McCain Campaign has decided to come out hard against yesterday's 5 …

McCain Cancels Event with Controversial Fundraiser  —  ABC's Rick Klein reports: Sen. John McCain on Friday abruptly cancelled a Monday fundraiser that had been scheduled at the home of a Texas oilman, after ABC News contacted the campaign inquiring about a verbal blunder the Texan made during …

Obama vs. The New Rochelle Train  —  David Mendell's Obama: From Promise to Power, p. 148-149: … Obviously, if Barack Obama were satisfied with an office job, not only would he have not spent three years as a community organizer, he probably wouldn't have ever run for office.

Obama Defines Social Security ‘Doughnut’ Plan  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sen. Barack Obama today plans to make a firm commitment to a Social Security tax hike on people making more than $250,000 a year, stepping away from an earlier plan he floated last year to boost the 12.4 percent payroll tax …

Giuliani Plans to Aid Hopefuls, for His Share  —  WASHINGTON — With the Republican Party in need of money for the November elections, former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani has offered to appear at fund-raisers around the country for G.O.P. candidates.  But there is a catch: He wants some cash out of the deal.

John Coleman's Comments Before the San Diego Chamber of Commerce  —  Global Warming and the Price of a Gallon of Gas  —  You may want to give credit where credit is due to Al Gore and his global warming campaign the next time you fill your car with gasoline, because there is a direct …

Court Deems Campaign Finance Rules Too Weak  —  The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled yesterday that the Federal Election Commission has failed to adequately enforce key aspects of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance restructuring that Congress passed six years ago …

Election 2008: Minnesota Presidential Election  —  Minnesota: Obama Continues to Dominate  —  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in Minnesota the state shows that Barack Obama leads McCain by double-digits, 52% to 39%.  That's the third straight month with virtually identical poll results.

This Is Why Facts Matter  —  Senior Brookings Fellows Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack gave a report today and entertained questions at a Brookings briefing on Iraq.  It was the single most illuminating presentation I have witnessed on the status of Iraq and the potential way forward.