Obama seeks special prosecutor in fraud inquiry  —  WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Obama campaign announced Friday that it is asking Attorney General Michael Mukasey to turn over any investigations of voter fraud or voter suppression to Special Prosecutor Nora Dannehy.

Behind McCain, Outsider in Capital Wanting Back In  —  Cindy McCain was new to Washington and not yet 30 when she arrived at a luncheon for Congressional spouses to discover a problem with her name tag.  —  It read “Carol McCain.”  That was the well-liked wife John McCain had left to marry Cindy …

UPDATED DAILY ENDORSEMENT TALLY: Obama Widens Lead  —  NEW YORK The Obama-Biden ticket maintains its strong lead in the race for newspaper endorsements, picking up 17 more papers in the past day, including the giant Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune on Friday afternoon (see separate story) …

Biden lashes out at Palin's ‘pro-America’ comment  —  (CNN) — Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Biden ripped into recent comments by his Republican counterpart that suggested that some places in the U.S. are more “pro-America” than others.  —  Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin told a fundraiser …

Obama Viewed as Winner of Third Debate  —  Completes “sweep” of three debates for Obama  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Round three of the presidential debates went to Barack Obama, according to a one-night USA Today/Gallup poll of debate watchers conducted Oct. 16, completing a sweep of the three debates for Obama.

Questions Linger About McCain's Prognosis After Skin Cancer  —  In May, the presidential campaign of 72-year-old cancer survivor John McCain tried to put to rest doubts about his health by allowing a few reporters to inspect his medical records, but the effort has failed to quell questions …

Barack Obama vows to ‘change the world’  —  Barack Obama has vowed that he will “change the world” even as he urged his supporters to guard against complacency.  —  The supremely confident demeanour and exalted rhetoric of the Democratic nominee at a New Hampshire event betrayed that he is a man convinced he is poised to make history.

Obama's Ad Effort Swamps McCain and Nears Record  —  PHILADELPHIA — Senator Barack Obama is days away from breaking the advertising spending record set by President Bush in the general election four years ago, having unleashed an advertising campaign of a scale and complexity unrivaled in the television era.

Fact Check: Would McCain make ‘drastic cuts’ in Medicare?  —  The Statement:  —  At a campaign stop Friday, October 17, in Roanoke, Virginia, Sen. Barack Obama took aim at Sen. John McCain's health care plan.  “The Wall Street Journal recently reported that it was actually worse than we thought.

Republicans file new lawsuit against Brunner  —  Rebuffed at U.S. Supreme Court, they turn to Ohio's top court  —  Having lost before the U.S. Supreme Court in a lawsuit involving the verification of new voter registrations, Republicans now are turning to the Ohio Supreme Court.

“I Am Joe The Plumber?”  Well, Not Exactly  —  The Republican National Committee is sending around this Associated Press photo of overall-clad McCain supporters standing outside an Obama rally, clutching plungers and a sign proclaiming “I Am Joe The Plumber”:  —  The only problem?

Some Surveys Indicate Tighter Presidential Race  —  Differences in Predicting Outcome Result From How Pollsters Gauge Voter Turnout and Weight Party Affiliation  —  A spate of widely publicized newspaper and network polls over the past week have shown Barack Obama opening a big lead over John McCain.

In Philly, Conservative Talk Radio Host Backs Obama  —  On his talk show on WPHT today, conservative Philadelphian Michael Smerconish endorsed Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.  —  Listen HERE.  —  Smerconish did so by reading a couple paragraphs from his pending op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

‘Axis of Diesel’ forced to change its ways by plummeting oil price  —  James Bone in New York, Tony Halpin in Moscow and Michael Theodoulou in Nicosia  —  Together they form an “Axis of Diesel”.  Buoyed by petrodollars, Russia, Iran and Venezuela hectored the West as they extended their reach abroad …

MCCAIN'S LEGIONS  —  If you thought those McCain-Palin crowds were feral inside the auditoriums, they've even more rancid waiting in line to get in ...

Confident Dems take Senate fight into deep-red South  —  Sen. Charles Schumer and Senate Democrats are hoping to turn the tide blue in the South with a massive television advertising campaign in four southern states.  —  Democrats are on the air in the former Republican strongholds of Georgia …

Worldwide Financial Crisis Largely Bypasses Canada  —  Tight Regulations, Strict Lending Practices Encourage Optimism  —  While the United States reels from the global financial crisis, with credit markets still frozen and stock prices careening from highs to lows, Canada has remained relatively insulated.

3 Nations Win Security Council Seats  —  UNITED NATIONS — Japan easily drubbed Iran in the election on Friday for a two-year seat on the Security Council, while the recent financial meltdown in Iceland appeared to have contributed to its loss against Austria and Turkey in the heavily fought contest …