July 5, 2009
Election 2008: John McCain in the news
Palin's popularity holds steady in GOP
WASHINGTON - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is stepping down, fueling speculation about her intentions for another bid for national office - one that would be difficult for the self-styled hockey mom to achieve.
Palin accuses enemies of filing frivolous complaints
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Gov. Sarah Palin says her political enemies are abusing state law with a flurry of frivolous ethics complaints against her, putting her more than $500,000 in legal debt.
Sarah Palin rebuffs David Letterman's offer
At least she didn't say "when hell freezes over."
Is Palin running for prez? On LI, nobody's saying no
Nine months ago, the 2008 presidential campaign reached a late crescendo on Long Island with the final debate in Hempstead between Barack Obama and John McCain.
LI dinner has Sarah Palin watchers eyeing her next campaign
Since the end of her vice presidential campaign, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin hasn't been seen much south of Alaska.
Ellis Henican: Prez puts middle name front and center in Mideast
Finally, the middle name was a plus.
Sarah Palin will visit Long Island for fundraiser
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is coming to Long Island on Sunday to address a fundraising dinner in St. James hosted by an agency for the developmentally disabled.
New asking price for Westerley: $45 million
Southampton's Westerly has a new agent - and a new asking price. Now listed with Tim Davis of The Corcoran Group, the 14.5-acre estate is on the market for $45 million.
Experts: Sotomayor confirmation seems to be on track
WASHINGTON - Despite strong opposition by conservative activists, U.S. Circuit Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor of New York appears to be on track to become the first Hispanic and third woman to serve on the Supreme Court, several experts said Tuesday.
Rick Brand: Nassau GOP eyes legislator to take on Suozzi
When Tom Suozzi first ran for county executive eight years ago, Nassau Republicans put up gun-loving Wall Street financier Bruce Bent, whose loose lips and decade of GOP baggage did him in.
Some of Biden's 'rhetorical flourishes'
President Barack Obama has gingerly defended his vice president, Joe Biden, as prone to "rhetorical flourishes." Here are a few:
Schumer working on immigration reform -- again
When President Ronald Reagan signed the historic but ultimately ineffective 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act, one lawmaker he thanked by name was Chuck Schumer.
Clinton wins confirmation as secretary of state
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton will start her first day as secretary of state today, taking on a perilous portfolio that includes two wars and a crisis in the Middle East, after the Senate confirmed her in a 94-2 vote yesterday afternoon.
King, McCain seek pardon for boxer Jack Johnson
WASHINGTON - The outspoken, handsome and daring boxer Jack Johnson paid a steep price for becoming the first black heavyweight world champion by knocking out a white opponent a century ago.
Nation briefs: Mass. teen kills siblings
A man on a rampage fatally stabbed his 17-year-old sister, decapitated his 5-year-old sister in front of a police officer and then turned toward his 9-year-old sister with a knife in his hand before officers shot him dead in what their chief described as "a killing field." There was no clear motive for the events that unfolded Saturday, the day after the 5-year-old's birthday, in a tony Boston suburb that also is home to Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. But there was no doubt at the carnage wrought by 23-year-old Kerby Revelus against his sisters in the two-family home they shared with their parents and grandmother. Five-year-old Bianca was killed as a cake for her birthday sat on the kitchen table. Nine-year-old Sarafina dialed 911 and watched police shoot her brother as her elder sister, 17-year-old Samantha, lay dead on the floor. Sarafina was hospitalized yesterday with defensive wounds to her hands and stab wounds in her abdomen and one of her legs, police said.
Poll shows tight race to fill Gillibrand's seat
NEW YORK - The race to fill Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's vacated House seat entered its final weekend as a virtual dead heat, with Democratic newcomer Scott Murphy taking a slight lead in the traditionally conservative Republican district, according to a new poll.
On mission to defeat al-Qaida
WASHINGTON - Widening war in "the most dangerous place in the world," President Barack Obama launched a fresh effort Friday to defeat al-Qaida terrorists in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, defending his strategy with shades of the dire language of George W. Bush.
Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan
Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan
Widening war in "the most dangerous place in the world," President Barack Obama launched a fresh effort Friday to defeat al-Qaida terrorists in both Pakistan and Afghanistan, defending his strategy with shades of the dire language of George W. Bush.
Obama, Bernanke: Economy's sound, recession nearing end
WASHINGTON - Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke said yesterday that the U.S. recession "probably" will end this year if the government succeeds in bolstering the banking system.
OBAMA'S FIRST 100 DAYS
President Barack Obama telephoned the leaders of Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and the Philippines Friday to discuss working together on the world's economic crisis, among other issues. The White House said Obama's conversation with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also touched on health care, climate change, counterterrorism and bird flu. Obama noted that he and Yudhoyono would attend the Group of 20 nations summit next month in London. The two leaders also discussed Obama's commitment to forging a new relationship with Islamic countries. Obama and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, another G-20 country and longtime U.S. ally in the Middle East, spoke about coordinating international efforts to restore economic growth. In his talk with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Obama commended her country's efforts against terrorism and in modernizing the military.
Palin's daughter, beau break up
WASILLA, Alaska - Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin, the daughter of Gov. Sarah Palin, have broken off their engagement, he said yesterday, about 2 1/2 months after the couple had a baby.
OBAMA'S FIRST 100 DAYS
President Barack Obama, in his first trip overseas since taking office, will stop in Britain, Germany, France and the Czech Republic when he travels to meetings on the economy and security, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said yesterday. Obama leaves March 31 to attend the Group of 20 industrial and developing nations summit in London that's intended to focus on unified efforts to combat the global recession. He also plans to attend a NATO meeting on the border between France and Germany and will conclude the trip with a meeting April 5 of European Union leaders in Prague.
Snapshot: Local opinion on Obama plan to end Iraq War
Now that President Barack Obama has outlined the end of one of America's longest and costliest wars, Newsday has taken a snapshot of local opinions by talking to current and former soldiers, and parents of some of those lost on the battlefield. In a speech before Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., last week, the president said he would withdraw all combat troops by August 2010, and have the remaining 35,000 to 50,000 support troops out of the country by December 2011. If he holds to that timetable, U.S. troops will have been in Iraq for nearly eight years. So far, at least 4,252 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq since President George W. Bush sent troops there in March 2003.
Obama calls for contract reviews to cut waste, fraud
WASHINGTON - Blasting Bush-era government contracting, President Barack Obama yesterday ordered an overhaul designed to halt the delays, waste and blatant fraud that exasperate the public and politicians alike.
Obama calls for contract reviews to cut waste, fraud
WASHINGTON - Blasting Bush-era government contracting, President Barack Obama yesterday ordered an overhaul designed to halt the delays, waste and blatant fraud that exasperate the public and politicians alike.
Snapshot: Local opinion on Obama plan to end Iraq war
Now that President Barack Obama has outlined the end of one of America's longest and costliest wars, Newsday has taken a snapshot of local opinions by talking to current and former soldiers, and parents of some of those lost on the battlefield. In a speech before Marines at Camp Lejeune, N.C., last week, the president said he would withdraw all combat troops by August 2010, and have the remaining 35,000 to 50,000 support troops out of the country by December 2011. If he holds to that timetable, U.S. troops will have been in Iraq for nearly eight years. So far, at least 4,255 U.S. military personnel have died in Iraq since President George W. Bush sent troops there in March 2003.
Fed spending bill contains billions in earmarks for LI
WASHINGTON - Among lawmakers feeling the heat from Sen. John McCain's scorching attack on the 8,570 earmarks in the $410-billion spending bill being debated in the Senate this week is Republican Rep. Peter King of Seaford.
Fed spending bill contains millions in earmarks for LI
WASHINGTON - Among lawmakers feeling the heat from Sen. John McCain's scorching attack on the 8,570 earmarks in the $410 billion spending bill being debated in the Senate this week is Republican Rep. Peter King of Seaford.
Critics assail earmarks in Obama spending bill
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will break a campaign pledge against congressional earmarks and sign a budget bill laden with millions in lawmakers' pet projects, administration officials said.
McCain backs Obama troop withdrawal plan
WASHINGTON - Sen. John McCain, who disagreed with Barack Obama most of the time during their race last fall, is supporting President Obama's new plan to pull most U.S. troops out of Iraq by the fall of 2010.
GOP guvs debate stimulus
WASHINGTON - With an eye toward the 2012 presidential contest, leading Republicans used the weekend's meeting of the National Governors Association to lay out divergent views of President Barack Obama's stimulus plan - and competing visions of their party's future.
Fraud suspect Stanford was a major political donor
R. Allen Stanford and his employees contributed $31,750 to Barack Obama's presidential run, making the new president the third-largest recipient of Stanford campaign cash among individuals, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Lobbyist linked to McCain settles suit against NY Times
RICHMOND, Va. - A Washington lobbyist has settled her $27-million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times over a story involving then-presidential candidate John McCain, both sides disclosed yesterday.
Ken Davidoff: Who are A-Rod's people behind the curtains?
When Alex Rodriguez emerged for his latest moment in the national spotlight Tuesday, a pair of men accompanied him.
Palin to pay back taxes on nearly $18,000 in expenses
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin will have to pay back taxes on nearly $18,000 in expenses she charged the state for living in her home instead of the state capital, Alaska officials said yesterday.
Stimulus signing, foreclosure aid on Obama agenda
WASHINGTON - Keeping the economy front and center, President Barack Obama heads west this week to sign the $787-billion stimulus bill and tackle the home mortgage foreclosure crisis.
OBAMA'S FIRST 100 DAYS
Hilda Solis edged closer to winning confirmation as labor secretary, after more than a month of delays over questions about unpaid taxes and her work for a pro-union group. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted yesterday to clear her nomination, sending it to the full Senate for a final vote likely this week. An earlier committee vote last week was abruptly postponed after news that her husband paid about $6,400 to settle outstanding tax liens against his auto repair business.
Obama faces work on stimulus package, new loan plan
WASHINGTON - The Obama administration postponed the announcement of its new bank rescue plan yesterday so it could concentrate on pushing passage of economic stimulus legislation in Congress.
Senate to tackle stimulus bill again today
WASHINGTON - Senate moderates worked to cut tens of billions of dollars from economic stimulus legislation yesterday in hopes of clearing the way for passage as the government spit out grim new jobless figures and President Barack Obama warned of more bad news ahead.
President: ‘I take responsibility’
WASHINGTON - Two weeks into his presidency, Barack Obama proved that even a clearly gifted politician cannot escape the gravitational pull of Washington forces that have humbled many of his predecessors.
Other Obama appointee screw ups
Several high-level nominees of President Barack Obama have been dogged by questions over tax problems, an ethics investigation, previous decisions and whether their appointment violates Obama's no-lobbyists pledge. They include:
Cross-partisan fundraiser to aid Andrew Cuomo
Tonight comes one of those cross-partisan fetes that can fill an incumbent's heart and campaign fund: A $1,000-per-ticket Park Avenue cocktail party in support of Democratic state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. The host: former Republican Sen. Alfonse D'Amato, who's been in the spotlight for his fundraising for Gov. David A. Paterson and ties to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, both Democrats.
New York lobbies for stimulus funds
New York's congressional Democrats have been laboring mightily to help shape the $819 billion fiscal stimulus package that is now taking its final form in Washington.
Clinton critic Samantha Power gets White House job
Samantha Power, who earned notoriety for calling Hillary Rodham Clinton a "monster" while working to elect Barack Obama president, will take a senior foreign policy job at the White House, The Associated Press has learned.
Bears fan Obama will be rooting for Steelers
President Barack Obama is a Bears fan who apparently will root for the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII. Why? Because Steelers owner Dan Rooney was a major Obama supporter during the election.
What Obama owes his young legions
'We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."
Clinton wins confirmation as secretary of state
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton will start her first day as secretary of state today, taking on a perilous portfolio that includes two wars and a crisis in the Middle East, after the Senate confirmed her in a 94-2 vote yesterday afternoon.
Clinton wins confirmation as secretary of state
WASHINGTON - Hillary Rodham Clinton will start her first day as secretary of state today, taking on a perilous portfolio that includes two wars and a crisis in the Middle East, after the Senate confirmed her in a 94-2 vote yesterday afternoon.
Obama speech eyes change, responsibility
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama didn't always soar in his inaugural address yesterday, but he scored the points he needed to satisfy the legion of hopeful supporters eagerly listening to the new president here and around the world.
Janison: As Obama ascends, NY pols are behind the curve
For all its pretense to life on the cutting edge, New York finds itself playing catch-up when it comes to certain political trends. The rise of Barack Obama is the latest example.
A day of pomp and symbolism
Listening to president Barack Obama's inaugural address, I thought of a star diver coming to the board for the final dive of the competition, with the obligatory moves needed to win spelled out precisely: Acknowledge the gravity of the economic crisis without being alarming; reassure Americans that things will get better without raising unrealistic expectations; call for unity and responsibility; remind our enemies of our resolve without sounding belligerent. Be eloquent without grandiloquence.
Obama speech strong but anti-climatic
Barack Obama didn't always soar in his inaugural address Tuesday, but he scored the points he needed to satisfy the legion of hopeful supporters eagerly listening to the new president here and around the world.
As Obama ascends, NY's pols are behind the curve
For all its pretense to life on the cutting edge, New York finds itself playing catch-up when it comes to certain political trends. The rise of Barack Obama is the latest example.
Obama summons Americans to join him in service
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama stood at the threshold of the White House yesterday, summoning fellow Americans to join him in service as tens of thousands flocked to the nation's capital to celebrate his inauguration as the first black president.
Obama praises McCain at bipartisan dinner
WASHINGTON - Calling John McCain an American hero who set a standard of patriotism and bipartisanship for all to follow, President-elect Barack Obama lavished praise on his former election rival at a dinner last night.
What Barack Obama must accomplish in inaugural speech
More than any other incoming president in the past, Barack Obama faces high expectations for the inaugural address he is to deliver Tuesday from the west steps of the U.S. Capitol building.
A whirlwind of inaugural pomp and circumstance
Today, as the nation pauses to remember Martin Luther King Jr., it awaits the stunning event King never lived to see: the first African-American president taking the oath of office.
Clinton leaves NY politics having won over critics
Ten years ago, when Secret Service motorcades appeared on the byways of rural New York carrying the first lady of the United States on an exploratory "listening tour" for a U.S. Senate run, commentators noted that she certainly showed an abundance of one local talent: chutzpah.
Clinton leaves NY politics having won over critics
Ten years ago, when Secret Service motorcades appeared on the byways of rural New York carrying the first lady of the United States on an exploratory "listening tour" for a U.S. Senate run, commentators noted that she certainly showed an abundance of one local talent: chutzpah.
The day history will be made
"Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther King could walk. Martin Luther King walked so Obama could run. Obama's running so we all can fly." - Jay-Z
HISTORIC JOURNEY: BATTLING McCAIN
Obama's battle with John McCain captivated the nation through the summer and into the fall, with enough twists and turns to keep a spy novel fan happy. They included everything from Sarah Palin's emergence on the national scene to Tina Fey's impersonation of her to the economic meltdown to the presidential candidates butting heads in three widely watched debates, including one at Hofstra University.
How He Got Here
When the American son of an African man is sworn in as our president, his hand will be on a Bible once held by Abraham Lincoln, his feet planted before a U.S. Capitol erected by African slaves.
Michelle Obama tight-lipped about inaugural fashion
"Who, who?" is the owlish cry of the fashion obsessed when it comes to the fashion choices Michelle Obama will make when she orbits into position as the world's most watched woman on Tuesday.
East Setauket teen: Inauguration trip a "dream come true"
Intent on witnessing Barack Obama's inauguration Tuesday as the nation's 44th president, scores of Long Islanders will be traveling to Washington, D.C., by car, train, plane and, in one case, a rented 32-foot RV. Today Newsday begins a series of profiles of some who are making the trip.
8 DAYS TO INAUGURATION
Dick Cheney is offering some advice to his successor, Joe Biden: make sure you know what the president wants you to do. Cheney said that will determine what kind of meetings the vice president attends and what kind of policy matters the vice president gets involved in. How influential is the vice president? Cheney said that depends almost entirely on the president and what he wants. Cheney said being vice president is nothing like being senator. It's a mix of jobs, including being a surrogate for the president sometimes. President-elect Barack Obama and longtime Delaware Sen. Biden take office on Jan. 20. Cheney spoke on CNN's "Late Edition" yesterday.
Palin: Couric 'not the center of everyone's universe'
Now we know how Sarah Palin really feels about the media - and Katie Couric, too.
Joe the Plumber to be Joe the War Correspondent
TOLEDO, Ohio - Joe the Plumber is putting down his wrenches and picking up a reporter's notebook.
Joe the Plumber to be Joe the War Correspondent
TOLEDO, Ohio - Joe the Plumber is putting down his wrenches and picking up a reporter's notebook.
Isaac Toussie's father had his own conviction tossed
President George W. Bush's first-ever retraction of a pardon - for convicted real-estate scammer Isaac Toussie - has the potential to become a defining legal precedent. If so, Toussie, 37, will have found the weirdest way yet to follow in the footsteps of his businessman father Robert Toussie - who long ago had the U.S. Supreme Court void his own conviction for having failed to register for the draft.
Bush legacy formed by personality as well as record
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush will be judged on what he did. He will also be remembered for what he's like: a fast-moving, phrase-mangling Texan who stays upbeat even though his country is not.
United States to send 20,000 troops to Afghanistan
KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - The United States is preparing to pour at least 20,000 extra troops into southern Afghanistan to cope with a Taliban insurgency that is fiercer than NATO leaders expected.
Take the Kidsday quiz: It all happened in 2008
Here are 20 questions about things that happened in 2008. See if you know all the answers.
Lobbyist linked to McCain sues The New York Times
RICHMOND, Va. - A Washington lobbyist sued The New York Times for $27 million yesterday over an article that she says gave the false impression she had an affair with Sen. John McCain in 1999.
Targeting arm-swelling in breast cancer survivors
WASHINGTON - Hospitals in about a dozen states are testing whether some simple steps, such as arm-strengthening exercises, could reduce the risk of one of breast cancer's troubling legacies - the painful and sometimes severe arm swelling called lymphedema.
Palin's daughter gives birth to boy
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The teenage daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, whose quest for the vice presidency began to go downhill the day she announced the pregnancy, has given birth to a son, a magazine reported yesterday.
White House backs pardon, reversal of LI realty scammer
The White House yesterday defended its actions in the case of Isaac Robert Toussie, the Brooklyn developer convicted of a large-scale Suffolk real estate scam, who received a pardon from President George W. Bush on Tuesday, only to have Bush reverse the pardon the next day.
36 DAYS TO INAUGURATION
GOP Sen. John McCain pledged yesterday to work with his former Democratic rival, President-elect Barack Obama, on economic and national security issues. He also rejected Republican attempts to link Obama to the scandal surrounding Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich. The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mike Duncan, has accused Obama of not fully addressing contacts with Blagojevich concerning the Senate seat vacated by Obama. "You know, in all due respect to the Republican National Committee and anybody, right now, I think we should try to be working ... together, not only on an issue such as this, but on the economy, stimulus package, reforms that are necessary," McCain said in a broadcast interview. "I don't know all the details of the relationship between President-elect Obama's campaign or his people and the governor of Illinois, but I have some confidence that all the information will come out," McCain said. "It always does." The Arizona senator said he will disagree sometimes with Obama on important issues, but that the nation's problems are too daunting for political divisiveness.
Senate report: Bush officials blamed for detainee abuses
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other senior U.S. officials made decisions that led to the mistreatment of prisoners at American detention facilities in Cuba, Iraq and Afghanistan, the Senate Armed Services Committee said in a report.
'Joe the Plumber' disillusioned with McCain
TOLEDO, Ohio - Turns out that "Joe the Plumber" isn't such a big fan of John McCain after all.
Families hope removing Ground Zero ramp means progress
Family members of Sept. 11 victims expressed hope yesterday that the removal of the construction ramp that leads to Ground Zero is evidence that work on a new memorial is on schedule.
High court won't hear case Obama citizenship case
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court has turned down an emergency appeal from a New Jersey man who says President-elect Barack Obama is ineligible to be president because he was a British subject at birth.
In the war: McCain, in Kabul, sees worse days ahead
The situation in Afghanistan will get more difficult before it gets easier, "just like the surge in Iraq was," Sen. John McCain said yesterday in Kabul. McCain, who is to report back to President-elect Barack Obama, visited the southern province of Helmand, where NATO forces are at a stalemate with insurgents. There has been progress in eastern Afghanistan, where most U.S. forces are stationed, but Afghanistan's south deserves attention, he said. With him on the trip to Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Iraq are Sen. Joe Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham.
Smithtown senior helps raise cancer research funds
Bernadette Schmidt, a senior at Smithtown High School West, has helped raise more than $50,000 over the last five years through MONARCH, a nonprofit founded by her family that benefits the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. The organization was established in memory of Schmidt's aunt, Monica Williams, who died of ovarian cancer in 2003.
45 DAYS TO INAUGURATION
Former Sen. Tom Daschle, the top health policy adviser to President-elect Barack Obama, said reworking the U.S. health care system is a necessary part of an economic recovery plan. High health costs hurt the ability of U.S. businesses to stay competitive and create new jobs, making it a "top priority" that health-system changes not be delayed, said Daschle, speaking Friday in Denver at a health care forum. Daschle, who is head of health policy for the president-elect's transition team, has accepted Obama's offer to become Health and Human Services secretary, a Democratic official familiar with the matter said last month.
Palin hair, makeup cost GOP $95,000
Republican presidential nominee John McCain's campaign spent more than $95,000 on hair and makeup services for his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Palin hair, makeup cost GOP $95,000
Republican presidential nominee John McCain's campaign spent more than $95,000 on hair and makeup services for his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
Supreme Court to consider Obama citizenship challenge
CHICAGO - The U.S. Supreme Court will consider today whether to take up a lawsuit challenging President-elect Barack Obama's U.S. citizenship, a continuation of a New Jersey case embraced by some opponents of Obama's election.
Obama raised record $750M for his campaign
Barack Obama raised more than $750 million for his presidential campaign, a record that surpassed what both presidential nominees took in four years earlier.
Paterson: Stimulus funds would be put to work quickly
New York would start a host of building projects "within a month" of receiving federal stimulus money, Gov. David A. Paterson said yesterday.
Nation briefs: Palin campaigns for Georgia senator
Sarah Palin was enlisted by Sen. Saxby Chambliss to rally conservatives while Democratic challenger Jim Martin pushed to activate black voters as they grappled for advantage in a Georgia runoff tomorrow. Palin, the Alaska governor who was John McCain's vice-presidential running mate, attended private fundraisers last night and was to speak at rallies across the state today. Martin campaigned with prominent Democrats, including Rep. John Lewis, as he sought to rekindle the strong African-American showing in the general election that President-elect Barack Obama sparked. Neither Chambliss nor Martin crossed the 50 percent threshold Nov. 4.
As secretary of state, Clinton faces tough juggling act
WASHINGTON - When Hillary Rodham Clinton steps up next to President-elect Barack Obama in Chicago today to accept the nomination as secretary of state, she will be taking on a portfolio whose importance was underlined dramatically by the recent deadly terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India.
Questions and answers about our health care system
What's wrong with our health care system?
Know the law before pulling from retirement accounts
The shaky economy and plunging stock market are leading many Americans to cut back on their spending.
Her Northport 'Big Bash' raises $16G for epilepsy
A group of 415 students from William E. DeLuca Jr. Elementary School in North Babylon formed a human chain earlier this month to transport food to the North Babylon Food Pantry a few hundred yards away. The event was a culmination of a monthlong drive in which students collected nearly 3,000 nonperishable food items.
70½? There are tax consequences to protecting that nest egg
The shaky economy and plunging stock market are leading many Americans to cut back on their spending.
55 DAYS TO INAUGURATION
President-elect Barack Obama is meeting with the nation's governors in Philadelphia on Tuesday to discuss how the economic crisis is crimping states and their budgets. Nick Shapiro, a spokesman, said the meeting will provide an opportunity for Obama to talk with state chief executives about "the unique challenges facing our states."
McCain returns to where he hoped he wouldn't
WASHINGTON - He has returned to where he did not wish to return.
Long Island students raise homeless awareness
Ten students at Riverhead High School raised awareness to the plight of homeless people earlier this month through "Be Homeless," an annual program in which teens sleep in boxes outside the school. The event raised nearly $500 for Maureen's Haven, a consortium of local churches that offer meals and shelter to the needy.
School makes own history
Some public figures wait a lifetime - or longer - to see their names affixed to airports, bridges and public schools.
Arizona's Napolitano may be Homeland Security nominee
WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama's expected nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, helped investigate the biggest U.S. terrorist event before Sept. 11 - the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing - and has been a national leader on immigration and border-security issues.
PUNCHLINES
Comedy writer Pedro Bartes: "Mark Cuban was charged with insider trading for selling shares of the company Mamma.com, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday. I always knew that he was the kind of guy that would even sell his own Mamma to make a quick buck."
McCain narrowly wins Missouri electoral votes
WASHINGTON - John McCain scored a narrow victory over President-elect Barack Obama in Missouri, putting the state's status as a presidential bellwether in jeopardy.
Al-Qaida uses racial term to describe Obama
BERLIN - Al-Qaida's second-in-command used a racially demeaning term to refer to President-elect Barack Obama in a videotape released yesterday, and said Obama's election represented "the American people's admission of defeat in Iraq."
November 20: City vs. suburbs, Payne on race, ditch the fat cats, tax the rich
Payne doesn't know me
Stevens loses Senate seat; Dems welcome Lieberman
Sen. Ted Stevens, the longest serving Republican in Senate history, narrowly lost his re-election bid yesterday, marking the downfall of a Washington political power and Alaska icon who couldn't survive a conviction on federal corruption charges.
Obama and McCain to work on Washington's "bad habits"
CHICAGO - President-elect Barack Obama and former Republican rival John McCain pledged yesterday to work together on ways to change Washington's "bad habits," though aides to both men said it was unlikely McCain would serve in an Obama Cabinet.
Giuliani: I may run for governor--or president
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Rudy Giuliani said yesterday he will consider running for governor of New York and isn't ruling out a second attempt at the U.S. presidency.
TODAY'S PICKS
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (8:30 p.m., CBS/2) - Robin rediscovers a group of single girls who like to party (one of whom is played by "The Sopranos'" Jamie-Lynn Sigler).
Elwood-John H. Glenn High takes honors at Game Day
A 16-student team from Elwood-John H. Glenn High School beat out 20 teams from the metropolitan area last month to take top honors at the third Annual Game Day sponsored by BEST, an Alabama-based nonprofit that promotes careers in science. The team also took third place for robot performance and second place in the team spirit and sportsmanship and engineering categories.
ASKING THE CLERGY: What advice would you offer the new president?
Rabbi Emily Ilana Losben, Sinai Reform Temple, Bay Shore:
Obama names longtime friend Jarrett as senior adviser
WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama is naming his longtime friend and supporter Valerie Jarrett to be his White House senior adviser.
Schumer launches Dems' ad in Senate runoff in Georgia
WASHINGTON - Flexing the muscle of his well-funded Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) yesterday launched a new ad in the Senate runoff election in Georgia.
Schumer launches ad in Senate runoff in Georgia
Flexing the muscle of his well-funded Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) yesterday launched a new ad in the Senate runoff election in Georgia.
TRANSITION WATCH
A yearslong legal dispute between the White House and Congress over testimony by President George W. Bush's aides probably will be resolved under the incoming Obama administration, former government lawyers from both political parties agreed yesterday. At issue is whether the Democratic-led Congress can force top Bush aide Joshua Bolten and former aide Harriet Miers to testify in front of lawmakers or hand over documents about the 2006 firings of nine U.S. attorneys. Democrats say the firings, which led to the resignation of former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales last year, were politically motivated. Additionally, the lawyers said Obama probably will seek to declassify more Justice Department legal memos than did the outgoing GOP administration.
Hearing out veterans in Nassau County
Among the many messes that confronted Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi when he took office in 2002, there was the county's approach to serving veterans.
TRANSITION WATCH
President-elect Barack Obama has endorsed keeping Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) in the Democratic caucus, suggesting to leadership that the two sides reach a compromise in the conflict over the former Democratic vice presidential nominee's future. Obama told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in a phone conversation last week he's not interested in seeing Democrats oust Lieberman over his endorsement of Republican John McCain, saying it would hurt the message of bipartisanship and unity that he wants for his new administration, a Senate Democratic aide said yesterday, speaking anonymously. Obama "didn't get into the minutiae. It was more along the lines of, 'Let's find a way to put the campaign behind us,'" the aide said.
Palin sets her sights on 2012 presidential race
WASHINGTON - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has put the "brutal" 2008 campaign behind her and has the next presidential race in her sights, with a flurry of national television interviews and a high-profile appearance at the Republican Governors Association meeting this week.
Latinos hailed as key voting bloc in recent election
DENVER - Latinos are hailed as a key voting bloc, even though they show their power at the polls only sporadically. When they turned out in record numbers to vote for Democrat Barack Obama, they not only erased recent gains by Republicans but shattered the myth of a black-Latino divide.
Obamas get the Executive tour
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama visited the White House yesterday for a long and cordial meeting with the man he will succeed, setting aside two years of withering criticism of President George W. Bush's record to discuss the economy and tour the presidential living quarters.
Monday, Nov. 10, 2008
In West Hempstead, 46 percent of voters cast ballots for Barack Obama on Election Day, while 54 percent chose John McCain. West Hempstead appeared twice in Thursday's chart, "How LI Voted," and neither listing gave the correct total percentages.
November 10: Bye Bloomberg, healthy eating, endangered Republicans, embracing Obama
Bye, Bloomberg
Conservative-GOP dream is dazed, not dead
Sen. John McCain's defeat is leaving Republicans dispirited, but they will be re-energized quickly - first by a series of events within the Republican Party, and, second, by a fundamental misread of the electorate by the Obama administration and the MoveOn.org Congress.
Obama plans to use executive orders, aide says
WASHINGTON - President-elect Barack Obama plans to use his executive powers to make an immediate impact when he takes office, perhaps reversing Bush administration policies on stem cell research and domestic drilling for oil and natural gas.
TRANSITION WATCH
With Missouri still not called, President-elect Barack Obama is now at 365 electoral votes. Reports Nebraska's Omaha World-Herald: "Democrat Barack Obama won the Omaha-based 2nd Congressional District on Friday, scooping up one of the state's five electoral votes. Obama won 8,434 of 15,039 mail-in ballots counted Friday by Douglas County election officials ... Obama's win will assuredly spark interest in the split electoral system, which only Nebraska and Maine use. All other states are winner-take-all on electoral votes." It is the first time in more than four decades a Democrat won any of Nebraska's electoral votes. John McCain won the popular vote statewide and four electoral votes to bring his tally to 162, with only Missouri's 11 electoral votes undecided.
THE NOMINEE
Obama addresses 200,000 cheering people in Berlin on July 25 as part of an overseas tour aimed at bolstering his credentials as a potential world leader. His appearance evokes memories of famous speeches by former presidents John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan in the same city. Obama also visits Iraq and Afghanistan.
Is this a moment of shifts made to last?
Does the election of Barack Obama mark a profound shift in U.S. politics, forging a new majority coalition likely to define the direction of the country for years to come?
Debate begins in Republican Party on how to regroup
WASHINGTON - After their worst electoral drubbing in more than three decades, Republicans began a difficult and potentially divisive search for a path out of a dark political wilderness.
Bush, Obama to meet as transition starts
WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama on Monday will hold their first substantive talks about the nation's daunting priorities as the transition to a Democratic administration accelerates.
Obama adds North Carolina to White House win
RALEIGH, N.C. - President-elect Barack Obama won North Carolina yesterday, a symbolic triumph that underscored his political strength as he turned nine states that President George W. Bush won in 2004 to Democratic blue.
Iraqis don't expect quick U.S. troop withdrawal
BAGHDAD - Iraqi officials said yesterday they don't expect Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. troops hastily from Iraq because he told them last summer that he wouldn't make a decision without consulting them and U.S. commanders on the ground.
Thursday, Nov. 06, 2008
John McCain was responding to Rep. John Murtha's calling western Pennsylvania a "racist area" when he mistakenly said he "couldn't agree with him more." This was erroneously described in the "Spin Cycle" column yesterday in Newsday.
Obama takes Long Island by narrower margin than 2-1
A day after Barack Obama's historic victory in the presidential race, unofficial results showed he took Long Island, too, but by a narrower margin than the nearly 2-1 split exit polls initially indicated.
Despite hoopla, voter turnout on LI about average
After all the hoopla about the inspirational impact of
Knicks' Duhon admires Obama, who also has some serious game
Chris Duhon is looking forward to the day when he might get the call from Washington. Get here immediately, the president needs you.
How business could fare in Obama administration
Wracked by the global financial meltdown, American businesses, unable to borrow because of the credit crunch and watching helplessly as their stock prices plummet, have been anxiously awaiting a change in administrations - either Barack Obama or John McCain.
McCain planning role as he returns to Senate
PHOENIX - Before resting from the grueling presidential race, John McCain began discussing with senior aides what role he will play in the Senate now that he has promised to work with the man who defeated him for president.
Campaign '08 ignites young Long Islanders' interest
From get-out-the-vote drives on college campuses to student blogs from the campaign trail, this presidential election unleashed a wave of enthusiasm among young voters.
Election night brings history to life for students
The 12th-graders were bleary-eyed but elated yesterday, after following election returns as a class until past midnight at Sachem High School East in Farmingville.
Punchlines
Comedy writer Jake Novak: "Republicans are looking at the bright side after their big losses last night. The Democrats didn't get 60 Senate seats, Obama did not get 400 electoral votes, and now that he's vice president, no one will ever have to listen to Joe Biden ever again."
Obama takes Long Island by narrower margin than 2-1
A day after Barack Obama's historic victory in the presidential race, unofficial results showed he took Long Island, too, but by a narrower margin than the nearly 2-1 split exit polls initially indicated.
Despite hoopla, voter turnout on LI about average
After all the hoopla about the inspirational impact of Barack Obama's candidacy - and despite dramatic morning lines at polling places Tuesday - the final returns analyzed Wednesday showed Nassau voters went to the polls Tuesday in almost exactly the same 70 percent rate as they did in choosing between Democrat John Kerry and Republican George W. Bush in 2004.
Grassroots efforts shifted red to blue on LI
The nation's red and blue map wasn't the only one that changed with the election of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th president.
Dems make inroads all across nation
WASHINGTON - Democrats retained control of the U.S. House and pushed for historic gains in their majority by solidifying their dominance in the Northeast and making inroads in the South and West.
Near-perfect campaign, gloomy backdrop give Obama win
To many voters, the choice came down to this: John McCain felt like yesterday. Barack Obama felt like tomorrow.
Obama sweeps to victory as first black president
Barack Obama, riding a wave of economic discontent and with the wind of history at his back, was elected the nation's first black president last night in a sweeping victory that stretched from the deep South to the frontier West, ending eight years of Republican rule and beginning a new era in America's complex racial history.
SPIN CYCLE: Maverick McCain now political martyr
In the end, we got to know the meaning of "Country First."
OBAMA: A vote for history
CHICAGO - Barack Obama accepted John McCain's concession last night and asked his Republican rival for help in leading the country.
Long Islanders vote for Obama by nearly 2-1
Long Islanders voted for Barack Obama for president by nearly 2-1, according to preliminary exit polls conducted yesterday, reflecting a statewide trend that saw Obama dominate John McCain among voters of every race and age amid deep worries over the economy.
THE LONG WAIT: Voters came in droves
Lines stretched around buildings and down city blocks yesterday as voters in some precincts waited hours to cast ballots in the historic presidential race between Barack Obama and John McCain.
The warrior falls short: McCain praises Obama victory
PHOENIX - Republican presidential candidate John McCain conceded the presidential race to Barack Obama before a crowd of supporters late last night, saying the Democrat has achieved a "great thing" for himself and the country with his historic victory.
HISTORIC ELECTION: 'A long time coming'
Barack Obama, riding a wave of economic discontent and with the wind of history at his back, was elected the nation's first black president last night in a sweeping victory that stretched from the deep South to the frontier West, ending eight years of Republican rule and beginning a new era in America's complex racial history.
Change in the air: 'An incredible feeling'
The voting booth gives citizens a rare chance to actually grasp the levers of democratic power, and the experience moved one first-timer yesterday to describe the moment in sacramental terms.
Change for America
Change won. A nation burdened with economic insecurity and war placed its faith in a young senator from Illinois yesterday, after an extraordinary presidential campaign that captivated the public with its intensity and excitement and culminated in a euphoric celebration by an enormous crowd last night in Chicago.
Party planned to raise money for Bernard Kerik
Friends of Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner, are trying to raise funds to help pay his legal defense bills.
Voting to expand our kids' American dream
I did not have to sell very hard to persuade my children to join me in the voting booth yesterday. At 9 and 11, they have been fascinated by the dramatic turns of this election for almost a year. They followed along as I made my choices, then each put a hand on the red-topped lever to register the vote, and they pulled.
Near-perfect campaign, backdrop of gloom give Obama win
To many voters, the choice came down to this:
Add party martyr to McCain's list of sacrifices
In the end, we got to know the meaning of "Country First."
Long Islanders vote for Obama by nearly 2-1
Long Islanders voted for Barack Obama for president by nearly 2-1, according to preliminary exit polls conducted Tuesday, reflecting a statewide trend that saw Obama dominate John McCain among voters of every race and age amid deep worries over the economy.
Networks go slow in announcing Obama win
Tim Russert's famous declaration in 2000 was "Florida, Florida, Florida," and knowing a good thing when they heard it, the networks collectively chanted, "Ohio, Ohio, Ohio" in 2004. Last night viewers heard caution, caution, caution, which could be called a state of mind.
First-time voters inspired to cast ballots
The voting booth gives citizens a rare chance to actually grasp the levers of democratic power, and the experience moved one first-timer Tuesday to describe the moment in sacramental terms.
'08 presidential race - finally - down to the wire
After nearly two years of nonstop campaigning, Americans are mere hours away from learning the identity of their next president.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: YOUR PULLOUT GUIDE
If Democrat Barack Obama takes most of the key battleground states in the East, as polls indicate he might, Americans could have a good idea as early as 9 or 10 p.m. who will be their next president, election experts say. But if John McCain makes a race of it in those states, which include Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina, we could be in for a long night.
AT STAKE TODAY
PRESIDENT. Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are on the ballot in 50 states and the District of Columbia. Independent Ralph Nader is on 44 ballots, while Libertarian Bob Barr is on 43.
On election eve, Obama, McCain both promise change
TAMPA, Fla. - Barack Obama radiated confidence and John McCain displayed the grit of an underdog yesterday as the presidential rivals reached for the finish line of a two-year marathon with a burst of campaigning across battlegrounds from the Atlantic Coast to Arizona.
Officials expect heavy LI voter turnout on Tuesday
Long Islanders go to the polls today in a hotly contested presidential race, several hard-fought state Senate races that may be crucial to control of the body and dozens of races for the Assembly, local courts and spots in town government.
ON THE TRAIL
Democrat Barack Obama came up a big winner in the presidential race in Dixville Notch, N.H., where the nation's first Election Day votes were cast and counted early Tuesday.
Officials expect heavy LI voter turnout on Tuesday
Long Islanders go to the polls Tuesday in a hotly contested presidential race, several hard-fought state Senate races that may be crucial to control of the body and dozens of races for the Assembly, local courts and spots in town government.
What to expect as Election Day goes on
If Democrat Barack Obama takes most of the key battleground states in the East, as polls indicate he might, Americans could have a good idea as early as 9 or 10 p.m. EST who will be their next president, election experts say. But if John McCain makes a race of it in those states, which include Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia and North Carolina, we could be in for a long night.
News media using more caution analyzing exit polls
TV networks and news agencies were burned badly in 2000 when many called Florida - and by extension the U.S. presidential race - for Al Gore, and got it wrong.
Republicans: Democrats will run amok if they sweep
WASHINGTON - Elect Republicans or else.
ON THE TRAIL
Joe Biden made fun of a small group of protesters in Tallahassee, Fla., yesterday, then told supporters that the raucous Republicans are the same people they need to embrace once the election is over. About two dozen supporters of Republican John McCain wailed loudly outside an event next to Florida State University's football stadium, causing the Democratic vice-presidential candidate to stop and say, "I thought it was a siren, it's just a whine." Acknowledging the group, Biden said he would speak louder. "The economic policies of the last eight years are the cause of the economic crisis we find ourselves in now," Biden said, his voice rising. "John - as my mother would say, God love him - continues to cling, cling to those same economic policies."
Odds are, you won't cast deciding vote for president
WASHINGTON - Voting for president and having your ballot be the deciding one cast - statistically, that is like trying to hit the lottery. The odds for the average person are 60 million to 1 against it, a study shows.
McCain, Obama campaigns push to get out the vote
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Barack Obama and John McCain uncorked massive get-out-the-vote operations in more than a dozen battleground states yesterday, millions of telephone calls, mailings and door-knockings in a frenzied, fitting climax to a record-shattering $1 billion campaign.
Monday-morning quarterbacking the political campaigns
On the eve of this political judgment day, reviews have already begun of what could have been done and what should or should not have been said. To honor the wrap-up of this longest-ever, costliest-ever national campaign, here's a bipartisan sampling of statements that our power players would like to have worded differently, or not made at all, or later apologized for, or would just as soon have everyone forget:
Monday, Nov. 03, 2008
John McCain campaigned in Pennsylvania and New Hampshire yesterday, while Barack Obama attended rallies in Ohio. Their schedules were incorrect in some editions yesterday.
Good Grief! 'Peanuts' updated for Web
Barack Obama, John McCain ... or Linus? In a batch of 20 new Webisodes, Charlie Brown and the gang have been brought back to animated life, much in the style of their classic holiday TV specials, The Associated Press reports. But Lucy, Snoopy and others have been remade for the Web in 3- to 4-minute videos taken directly from classic 1964 comic strips.
Presidential campaigns set spending records
WASHINGTON - What's your vote worth? Because Barack Obama and John McCain can spend about $8 to get it.
And down the stretch they come
Barack Obama and John McCain uncorked massive get-out-the-vote operations in more than a dozen battleground states Sunday, millions of telephone calls, mailings and door-knockings in a frenzied, fitting climax to a record-shattering $1 billion campaign.
Monday-morning quarterbacking the political campaigns
On the eve of this political judgment day, reviews have already begun of what could have been done and what should or should not have been said. To honor the wrap-up of this longest-ever, costliest-ever national campaign, here's a bipartisan sampling of statements that our power players would like to have worded differently, or not made at all, or later apologized for, or would just as soon have everyone forget:
Sleepover studies
When the polls close on Election Day, the night will be just beginning for most of the senior class at Mattituck High School.
Dueling words by Obama, McCain on campaign trail
John McCain and Barack Obama began the final weekend before the presidential election campaigning in traditionally Republican-leaning states, with travel schedules reflecting the lead Obama enjoys in nationwide and state polls.
Guantanamo's fate awaits election result
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba - Camp Justice, erected six months ago for the first U.S. war-crimes trials in a half-century, already feels like a ghost town.
On the trail at LI schools
Planned or recent election-related events in LI schools:
ON THE TRAIL
The Obama campaIgn distributed an e-mail linked to a video on You-Tube.com showing Vice President Dick Cheney endorsing John McCain in Wyoming yesterday. The unpopular vice
Developments in the McCain and Obama campaigns
John McCain poked fun at his presidential campaign's financial shortcomings in an appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live." The presidential hopeful made a cameo appearance on the show with Tina Fey reprising her memorable impersonation of McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. The two said they couldn't afford a half-hour campaign commercial on network television like Barack Obama aired earlier this week. They said they'd sell campaign products on the QVC shopping channel instead. Among other things, McCain advertised a set of knives to cut "tough pork" in Washington, while Fey, portraying Palin, advertised a set of "Joe" dolls commemorating Joe the Plumber, Joe Six Pack and her Democratic rival, Joe Biden. The pretend Palin said she wouldn't be returning to Alaska after the election. "I'm either running in four years or I'm going to be a white Oprah," she said.
Obama says he didn't know aunt's residency status
CHICAGO - Barack Obama said yesterday he didn't know his aunt was living in the United States illegally and believes laws covering the situation should be followed.
History just a few days away
WASHINGTON - On Tuesday night, history will walk across the American stage, no matter who wins.
Some presidential elections prove polls wrong
While Republican John McCain is behind in late polls, so were other presidential candidates who ended up winning or dramatically closing the gap. Following are races where the underdogs surprised pollsters and the public in the final days of the campaign:
McCain's options limited as he tries to catch up
With two days left before Election Day, John McCain faces a very narrow path for a come-from-behind victory in the presidential election, according to polling data and a variety of experts.
THE NEWSDAY EDITORIAL BOARD ENDORSES: For president
Leading the nation through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, two wars and excruciating anxiety about what the future holds will demand intellect, judgment, pragmatism and the more intangible ability to nourish the American spirit.
Sharing the angst of a tough decision: Where's a vision?
The parties chose candidates representing two extremely different ideologies and sets of experience. My problem is that neither represents the middle of the political spectrum. And neither has given me enough specific information as to why he is the better candidate.
Sharing the angst of a tough decision: A scary campaign
I'm not a New York resident, so I don't have the luxury of being able to wait until Election Day to go to the polls. Instead, I'm pressured to fill out my absentee ballot early and make sure it's sent in on time so that my vote counts. After constant deliberation with myself, I don't even have the confidence to open the ballot, let alone vote.
Sharing the angst of a tough decision: The weight of expectation
I am a 34-year resident of South Floral Park. I am also a black American. Being black, I have come to understand that certain behaviors are expected of me. Sometimes these expectations are rooted in racist beliefs and result in discrimination against me; sometimes they come from people of my own race trying to define how a black person in our society should act.
Sharing the angst of a tough decision: Vote for a third party?
I was able to take Barack Obama off my list early on. His universal health care and other liberal ideas are exactly the opposite of my moderate conservative leanings.
Certain stocks will benefit by who gets elected
Who will do well post-Election Day?
THE CANDIDATE FOR VICE PRESIDENT: JOE BIDEN: DEMOCRATIC
John McCain may have picked a Washington outsider, but Barack Obama went a different route when he tapped veteran Sen. Joe Biden for the second spot on the Democratic ticket. After almost 36 years in Congress, Biden brings experience and political know-how to the relatively young Obama camp.
THE CANDIDATE FOR VICE PRESIDENT: SARAH PALIN: REPUBLICAN
John McCain shocked the nation when he announced little-known Sarah Palin, the first female governor of Alaska and former beauty queen, would be his vice presidential running mate.
THE RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE: JOHN McCAIN: REPUBLICAN NOMINEE
John McCain is known as a fighter - whether for surviving five years as a prisoner of war, voting against his party on key issues or overcoming a lackluster performance in the Republican primaries early on to later secure the GOP presidential nomination.
Schools: Western Suffolk
Eighth-graders at Howard T. Herber Middle School in Malverne spent a week cataloging the migration of the monarch butterfly last month through Monarch Watch, a University of Kansas-sponsored network of students, teachers and volunteers dedicated to the butterfly's study. As part of the program, 45 students collected eggs from the school's outdoor butterfly garden and later tagged the butterflies' wings to track their flight to Mexico.
Developments in McCain, Obama, Nader campaigns
The NAACP resumed efforts to force Virginia to put more voting machines in minority polling places, setting up a court hearing 15 hours before voters head to polls in the battleground state. The Virginia chapter of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will return to federal court Monday afternoon to argue the state is inadequately prepared to handle an expected voter surge Tuesday. Meanwhile, thousands of Colorado residents scratched from voter registration rolls will be allowed to cast ballots on Election Day and their votes will be given special protection to ensure they are counted, following resolution of a federal lawsuit filed against that state.
Palin attacks Obama's tax plan in Pennsylvania
LATROBE, Pa. - Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, on a bus tour of small towns in Pennsylvania as polls show the Democratic ticket leading there by a strong margin, said Friday that Democrat Barack Obama has an ideological commitment to higher taxes.
Candidates' final push before election
Democrat Barack Obama returned Friday to Iowa, where his victory in the presidential caucuses gave his drive for the White House a major boost, while Republican John McCain headed into the final weekend of the election season with a call to supporters to prove the polls wrong.
Vote for gay marriage a tough call this election
Vice presidential candidate Gov. Sarah Palin recently broke from her running mate, Sen. John McCain, by announcing that she would support a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage.
Manorville residents look past economic, tax woes
If John McCain manages to trump the pollsters and pundits by winning the presidency on Tuesday, it will be because of the support found in places like Manorville.
Marathon of final visits to crucial states
Democrat Barack Obama returned Friday to Iowa, where his victory in the presidential caucuses gave his drive for the White House a major boost, while Republican John McCain headed into the final weekend of the election season with a call to supporters to prove the polls wrong.
Obama, McCain sprint through battleground states
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - With the clock running down to the 100-hour mark before the election, Barack Obama sprinted through three battleground states yesterday as John McCain kept his singular focus on one critical to his campaign.
Obama to lend hand to Democratic candidates
WASHINGTON - Presidential candidate Barack Obama is using his popularity to help give down-ballot Democrats a boost, with plans to back House and Senate candidates in radio commercials during the campaign's final days.
Barack Obama's tax fantasy
We've heard a lot this month about how Sen. Barack Obama's tax plans would affect Joe the Plumber - the Ohio man who recently asked the Democratic nominee whether Obama planned to raise his taxes.
Punchlines
Comedy writer Alan Ray: "Halloween is Friday. It's where you put on fake hair and go door to door. Or, as Joe Biden calls it, 'Friday.'"
Poll of suburbanites shows Obama in lead as economy foremost on minds
Republican presidential nominee John McCain has lost the edge he held just a month ago over Democrat Barack Obama among suburbanites, according to a poll released yesterday by Hofstra University.
ON THE TRAIL
Democrats are dominating early voting in six key states President George W. Bush won four years ago, forcing Republican John McCain to play catch-up even before Election Day arrives. Democrats outnumber Republicans among early voters in Iowa, North Carolina, Florida, Colorado, New Mexico and Nevada, according to statistics from election and party officials in those states. Bush won all six in 2004, and McCain needs to win most of them to claim the White House this year. Voters can always cross party lines and no vote totals are announced until Election Day, but the early indications clearly favor Obama. It is unclear, however, whether they will translate into success on Nov. 4 because never before have so many cast their votes before Election Day. About a third of voters are expected to vote early, up from 22 percent in the last presidential election.
Obama ridicules McCain's charge he's a socialist
RALEIGH, N.C. - Barack Obama accused Republican rival John McCain yesterday of stooping to low tactics by labeling the Democrat a socialist.
Palin vows to remain a national figure if McCain loses
Republican running mate Sarah Palin yesterday said she believed John McCain would win next week but that she intends to remain a national figure even if the ticket loses.
An Obama camp first: Bill Clinton joins him on trail
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - Portraying harmony like never before, Bill Clinton hailed Barack Obama yesterday, a power pairing designed to inspire Democrats already smelling victory.
He said, she said on president race
John McCain supporters, take heart: This thing's not over.
Many Long Island veterans side with fellow vet McCain
Stephen Hayduk has been waiting for years to cast a vote for Sen. John McCain in a presidential election.
It's 'Payback' time for Margaret Atwood
Anyone looking for a practical alternative to staring dumbly at financial Armageddon may find a little solace in Margaret Atwood's guide to the psychic underpinnings of the credit crisis.
'Fox & Friends' is loose, funny, getting ratings
It was just after 7 a.m. on the set of "Fox & Friends," but the studio already looked like the scene of a college all-nighter. Papers and blue index cards littered the couch next to the three co-hosts, and the mood resembled the giddy intensity produced by sleeplessness and large doses of caffeine.
Many veterans on Long Island like their fellow vet McCain
Stephen Hayduk has been waiting for years to cast a vote for Sen. John McCain in a presidential election.
McCain, Obama calls on Sen. Ted Stevens to resign
WASHINGTON - John McCain and Barack Obama called on Alaska's Ted Stevens to resign from the U.S. Senate a day after his conviction on charges of failing to report more than $250,000 in gifts.
Still on the fence?
Greenlawn, a Suffolk County community south of Centerport and east of Huntington, has a low-key, hometown vibe and a comfortable mix of blue and white collars. Business may be slower than usual on its tree-lined main street, Broadway, but traffic is still steady with people dropping off dry cleaning and picking up pizza.
Campaign rages in swing states
HERSHEY, Pa. - Republican John McCain and running mate Sarah Palin told a Pennsylvania audience yesterday that "it's wonderful to fool the pundits" and vowed to pull out an upset win over Democratic rival Barack Obama.
Obama leads McCain in battleground states Florida, Ohio
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama is leading presidential rival John McCain in two battleground states, Florida and Ohio, where voters have more confidence in his ability to handle the troubled economy, a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll has found.
Obama revs up followers at Pa., Va. colleges
HARRISONBURG, Va. - From a Pennsylvania rainstorm to a thunderous Virginia rally, Barack Obama revved up his followers yesterday, offering promises of new politics and governing.
Campaign '08: A view from Greenlawn
Greenlawn, a Suffolk County community south of Centerport and east of Huntington, has a low-key, hometown vibe and a comfortable mix of blue and white collars. Business may be slower than usual on its tree-lined main street, Broadway, but traffic is still steady with people dropping off dry cleaning and picking up pizza.
Momentum grows for automakers' share in federal bailout
Momentum is building in Washington to aid wounded U.S. automakers with cash to help their finance arms and possibly even money to help seal a deal for General Motors Corp. to acquire Chrysler Llc.
Obama, Paterson gain high N.Y. approval ratings
ALBANY - Sen. Barack Obama's lead in New York State has grown to 62 percent over 31 percent for Sen. John McCain in the race for the White House, according to a Siena Research Institute poll released yesterday.
Presidential candidates near end of grueling campaign
WASHINGTON - During the next six days leading up to Nov. 4 Election Day, Barack Obama will try to seal his lead in the polls by returning to form and giving big speeches to big crowds, while his underdog rival, John McCain, appears prepared to stay on the attack to get back into the race. [CORRECTION: There are now six days of campaigning left before Election Day. A story yesterday about the presidential campaign's final push gave the wrong number of days because of an editing error. (A15 ALL 10/29/2008)]
Obama gives his closing argument in pivotal Ohio
CANTON, Ohio - Closing his case for the presidency, Barack Obama promised yesterday to restore economic prosperity and a sense of "higher purpose" to a tired, embattled nation.
Obama, McCain battle in economically hard-hit Ohio
CANTON, Ohio - John McCain fought Barack Obama for support in economically hard-hit Ohio yesterday, each man pledging to right the economy and turn the page on the Bush era in a state with an impressive record for picking presidents.
Will Ferrell, Dana Carvey join top 'SNL' presidents
'Saturday Night Live" has certainly got its mojo back this fall with its dead-on impersonations of presidential candidates John McCain (Darrell Hammond) and Barack Obama (Fred Armisen). With the election less than a week away, though, we'll probably see a lot less of one man in the near future. But the other, the winner, will undoubtedly go on to join this pantheon of presidential parodies we've seen on "SNL" over the years:
Presidential candidates near end of grueling campaign
During the next six days leading up to Nov. 4 Election Day, Barack Obama will try to seal his lead in the polls by returning to form and giving big speeches to big crowds, while his underdog rival, John McCain, appears prepared to stay on the attack to get back into the race.
Experts look to Obama, McCain on homeland security clues
Two years ago, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) proposed a homeland security bill containing federal regulations on chemical plants to secure potentially toxic materials from terrorist attacks.
Palin: Pricey wardrobe doesn't belong to me
TAMPA, Fla. - Vice presidential candidate said the $150,000 in clothes and accessories bought for her by the Republican National Committee don't belong to her.
SPIN CYCLE: Cunningham gets another No. 2 spot
Maybe the Garden City law firm Meyer, Suozzi, English & Klein can start sharing office space with the New York State executive branch.
LI Muslims say smears against Obama hurt them, too
Hearing people wrongly say that Sen. Barack Obama is a Muslim, Dr. Hafiz Ur Rehman cringes.
McCain distances himself from Bush on "Meet the Press"
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - Sen. John McCain said yesterday he and President George W. Bush share a "common philosophy" but insisted that he is his own man in his first appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" in more than nine months.
Making their cases: More than 100,000 greet Obama in Denver
DENVER - Roaring toward the finish, Barack Obama presided yesterday over two Colorado rallies that together drew about 150,000 people, a startling turnout in a key swing state.
LI Muslims say smears against Obama hurt them, too
Hearing people wrongly say that Sen. Barack Obama is a Muslim, Dr. Hafiz Ur Rehman cringes.
McCain, Obama's homeland security approach
Two years ago, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) proposed a homeland security bill containing federal regulations on chemical plants to secure potentially toxic materials from terrorist attacks.
Next president faces new and complex tests abroad
Whoever wins the White House will inherit simultaneous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan at a time when the United States faces new and complex challenges from abroad - global terrorism, nuclear proliferation, enemy doubts about American resolve and growing unease among U.S. allies who question America's reliance on military might and its motivation for intervention.
150 years after his birth, Teddy Roosevelt still admired
A century and a half after Theodore Roosevelt's birth, other politicians still want to be him.
ON THE TRAIL
After calling 911 to complain about traffic, the brother of John McCain has said he'll withdraw from campaign activities. Joe McCain, who lives in Alexandria, Va., also apologized for making the Oct. 18 call. The GOP presidential candidate's younger brother told Washington radio station WTOP he was returning from a campaign event in Philadelphia around 2 a.m. when he got stuck in traffic on Interstate 495 at the Wilson Bridge. Frustrated, he called 911 to find out what was going on. The operator asked him to "state your emergency." "Well, it's not an emergency, but do you know why on one side at the damn drawbridge of 95 traffic is stopped for 15 minutes and yet traffic's coming the other way?" Joe McCain said. The operator asked him if he was calling 911 to complain about traffic. McCain then uttered an expletive and hung up. McCain told WTOP he thought his cell phone was on mute. "I did not mean to swear at the officers themselves," McCain said. After hanging up with 911, McCain said he called Alexandria police to ask them about the bridge traffic and got a similar reaction. "I feel terrible about having hurt the campaign over this incident," he said. "I won't be doing any more campaigning."
McCain, Obama campaign in New Mexico, Nevada
ALBUQUERQUE - John McCain and Barack Obama's presidential duel moved west yesterday as the candidates held rallies in New Mexico and Nevada, key contests in the final 10 days of the race.
Experts debate whether race a factor in Obama polls?
WASHINGTON - In one week in 1982, a pre-election Field Poll's 6-point lead for Tom Bradley, the first major black candidate for governor of California, vanished as he lost to his white rival by about 50,000 votes out of 7.4 million cast.
October 26: Holday semantics, Greenspan's follies, sizing up the candidates
No holiday from controversy
Genre may be at stake as '30 Rock' begins new season
Anyone out there know how to make a hit TV comedy?
McCain: Obama, Democrats would hurt middle class
DENVER - Republican presidential nominee John McCain said Friday that if his Democratic rival Barack Obama is elected along with a Democratic Congress, the middle class is "going to be put through the wringer."
Obama uncertain ill grandmother will see Election Day
HONOLULU - Barack Obama, briefly a grandson instead of a candidate, spent some quiet family time Friday with the ailing woman who helped raise him, while a clutch of reporters, guards and gawkers waited outside her apartment building.
ON THE TRAIL
Scott McClellan, President George W. Bush's former press secretary who angered old colleagues with a tell-all book earlier this year, said yesterday he is backing Barack Obama for president. McClellan is the second former administration official to back the Democratic candidate this week. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell came out Sunday for Obama. McClellan did it at the taping of comedian D.L. Hughley's new talk show on CNN. McClellan said he's always planned to support the candidate that has the best chance for changing the way Washington works and getting things done. "I will be voting for Barack Obama," he said.
ON THE TRAIL
New campaign spending reports show John McCain had less than $24 million to spend on his presidential campaign as of last week. The Republican National Committee reported having nearly $60 million in the bank. McCain reported that as of Oct. 15 he had $25.2 million cash in hand and $1.2 million in debts. At his spending rate of $1.5 million a day, McCain likely has $12 million left to spend in the next 11 days. McCain filed his reports to the Federal Election Commission last evening. The Democratic National Committee reported it had $11 million, while Barack Obama had until midnight to file his latest spending and fundraising report for the period from Oct. 1 to 15.
McCain focuses on Florida; Obama campaigns in Indiana
ORMOND BEACH, Fla. - John McCain took his campaign to the crucial Interstate 4 corridor in Central Florida yesterday, stressing economic issues in this vote-rich region that could help decide who wins the presidency.
October 24: Election reflections, UN Day, analyzing immigration, term limits
Why have term limits at all?
Punchlines
Bill Maher, "Real Time with Bill Maher": "Joe the plumber, turns out, really isn't a licensed plumber, he's in trouble for not paying the taxes that he does owe, he isn't really close to buying any sort of plumbing company, and his name isn't Joe. Or, as the McCain campaign explained it, 'Who is Barack Obama?'"
Clothing expenses debatable under campaign finance law
The 2002 campaign finance law that bears John McCain's name specifically barred any funds that "are donated for the purpose of supporting the activities of a federal or state office holder" from being used for personal expenses including clothing.
GOP spent $150,000 on clothes, makeup for Palin
WASHINGTON - John McCain's presidential campaign said thousands of dollars worth of clothing purchased by the Republican Party for running mate Sarah Palin will go to a "charitable purpose" after the campaign.
Palin hammers Obama; McCain makes last grab at N.H.
GREEN, Ohio - John McCain struck an anti-tax chord yesterday in the state that launched him toward the Republican presidential nomination and in the home state of the plumber he hopes will help him reach the White House.
Obama brushes aside Republican charges of socialism
RICHMOND, Va. - Democrat Barack Obama brushed aside Republican charges that his tax plan amounts to socialism, but he acknowledged it involves "spreading around opportunity" so wealthier Americans - like himself - pay a little more to help lower-rung workers.
AP poll puts McCain nearly tied with Obama
While most national polls continue to have Barack Obama holding a statistically significant lead over John McCain, one survey released yesterday showed McCain within one percentage point of his Democratic rival.
GOP spent $150,000 on clothes, makeup for Palin
WASHINGTON - John McCain's presidential campaign said thousands of dollars worth of clothing purchased by the Republican Party for running mate Sarah Palin will go to a "charitable purpose" after the campaign.
McCain: I've faced test of crisis already
HARRISBURG, Pa. - Republican John McCain told voters in this key electoral state yesterday he was personally tested by the same kind of crisis that Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden warned Barack Obama will almost certainly face if elected president.
Obama: McCain offering 'willful ignorance' on economy
LAKE WORTH, Fla. - Democrat Barack Obama said yesterday that Republican John McCain is offering "willful ignorance, wishful thinking, outdated ideology" for an economy in crisis, seeking to capitalize on the main issue that is propelling him forward in the race for the White House.
Obama began October with large edge in campaign cash
WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spent $87.5 million last month and began October with nearly $134 million in the bank.
Tribunal drops charges against five terror suspects
Rocked by allegations of political meddling and misconduct, officials at the troubled war-crimes tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, announced yesterday that charges have been dropped against five terror suspects the Pentagon has said are dangerous al-Qaida operatives.
October 21: Obama on taxes, McCain on social security, Americans on the economy
Obama tax is no dream
Save public financing
Sen. Barack Obama racked up more than $150 million in campaign contributions last month, obliterating every fund-raising record in sight. He's raised about $600 million total, and is on course to top what Republican George W. Bush and Democrat John Kerry raised in 2004 - combined. His prodigious haul could be the death knell for public presidential campaign financing, a sad turn of events for ordinary people whose interests should be paramount in Washington.
Comic Caliendo makes good impression on 'Frank TV'
Not known as a topical comedian, impressionist Frank Caliendo is getting a lot of mileage out of politics these days.
Obama, McCain views of unequal-pay case are revealing
Roe v. Wade wasn't the only important Supreme Court case mentioned during the final presidential debate at Hofstra University last week. The candidates also had a tense exchange over a less famous case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear, which involved a woman named Lilly Ledbetter, who received unequal pay at her job for years without realizing it.
On the trail: Palin would ban same-sex marriage
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin says she supports a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a break with John McCain who has said he believes states should be left to define what marriage is. In an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network, the Alaska governor said she had voted in 1998 for a state amendment banning same sex marriage and hoped to see a federal ban on such unions. "I have voted along with the vast majority of Alaskans who had the opportunity to vote to amend our Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman. I wish on a federal level that's where we would go. I don't support gay marriage," Palin said.
Russians get McCain donor letter in mix-up
UNITED NATIONS - The Russians have turned down Sen. John McCain's request for campaign money - and had a bit of a laugh at his expense.
Once a hot issue, immigrants overlooked by campaigns
They are everywhere on Long Island - cashing checks in Hempstead, sharing multifamily houses in Brentwood, trimming hedges in Southampton.
Long Islanders take opposing views on immigrants
When Walter Gezari looks at day laborers wandering through Greenport, he sees a liability: All those undocumented newcomers, he says, cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for schools, hospitals and other services.
In Missouri, McCain blasts Obama, feminists and media
ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Republican John McCain and his supporters branded Democrat Barack Obama a liberal and criticized feminists and the media yesterday as they rallied their conservative base in Missouri, a hotly contested bellwether state, two weeks before the election.
Long Islanders take opposing views on immigrants
When Walter Gezari looks at day laborers wandering through Greenport, he sees a liability: All those undocumented newcomers, he says, cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars for schools, hospitals and other services.
Immigration absent in presidential race
They are everywhere on Long Island - cashing checks in Hempstead, sharing multifamily houses in Brentwood, trimming hedges in Southampton.
Plumbing the depths of Nassau County politics
How ironic was it that Sen. John McCain chose the Town of Hempstead as the place to start making Joe the Plumber into a campaign legend as he attacked Sen. Barack Obama's tax plan in their final debate?
Town board candidates squeezed for voter attention
Sally Pope was trying to get the attention of the voters in Speonk.
Colin Powell endorses Obama for president
WASHINGTON - Colin Powell, a Republican and retired general who was President George W. Bush's first secretary of state, broke with the party yesterday and endorsed Democrat Barack Obama for president, calling him a "transformational figure" while criticizing the tone of John McCain's campaign.
ON THE TRAIL
The Obama campaign announced yesterday it had raised more than $150 million in September, obliterating fundraising records and giving the Democrat an enormous tactical advantage over John McCain in the final weeks of the presidential campaign. With tens of millions more to spend, Barack Obama has gone on the offensive in dozens of states, including North Carolina, Virginia and Missouri, once considered long shots. The campaign has raised so much money that it is considering passing some along to Democratic Party committees to try to help grow their majorities in Congress, according to a campaign source.
McCain evokes "Joe the Plumber" in Ohio rallies
TOLEDO, Ohio - Evoking "Joe the Plumber" once again near his hometown in this pivotal state, Republican John McCain cast himself yesterday as the guardian of middle-class workers and small-business owners who fuel the economy.
Obama campaigns in conservative-leaning North Carolina
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama brought his campaign to the conservative-leaning eastern part of North Carolina yesterday, warning people not to be "hoodwinked" by a series of Republican charges in the final weeks of the campaign.
October 20: Farmworker shortage, gas price lags, challenging Big Auto
Our food supply needs farmers
Nastiness: Let party without sin cast first stone
At a moment when America faces hard choices and perhaps hard times, the presidential election campaign has largely degenerated into a vicious squabble whose poisonous effects are likely to be felt for years to come.
NYPD bans cops from expressing political preferences
With Election Day nearing, the New York Police Department has told its officers to keep their political feelings to themselves, instructing them not to place any campaign bumper stickers or posters on department property.
ON THE TRAIL
Colin Powell, the retired general and former Bush administration Secretary of State once considered a potential running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), may today endorse his opponent, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Republican sources told Politico.com. Powell was to appear live this morning on NBC's "Meet the Press" and some in McCain's camp were reported to believe his endorsement of Obama would occur then. Powell, 71, a professional soldier for 35 years, has advised the past three Republican presidents.
Palin makes pitch to Pa. voters for a comeback
LANCASTER, Pa. - Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin made a pitch for a ninth-inning comeback from a minor-league baseball field. The Alaska governor, trailing with Republican presidential nominee John McCain in statewide polls, told the packed Lancaster Barnstormers stadium yesterday she was counting on Philadelphia Phillies fans to turn "an underdog into a victor."
Biden decries GOP's phone calls to voters about Ayers
HENDERSON, Nev. - Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden accused Republicans of employing "scurrilous" campaign tactics and urged supporters not to be distracted from the economic issues affecting their lives.
Obama talks values to 100,000 in St. Louis
ST. LOUIS - Democrat Barack Obama drew his largest U.S. crowd to date yesterday - an estimated 100,000 people who came to hear him speak at the Gateway Arch - as he campaigned in battleground Missouri just 17 days ahead of the election.
Red states slip from GOP grip
WASHINGTON - In presidential politics, states don't get much more Republican red than Indiana.
Iraq, Afghanistan consigned to issues back burner
Both John McCain and Barack Obama wear bracelets given to them by parents who lost sons in Iraq. But for those whose friends and loved ones died, fought or are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mantra of this campaign - "it's the economy" - neglects their No. 1 political concern. For them, "it's the wars" - the conflicts' meaning, purpose and consequences.
NOTEBOOK: Focusing on presidential candidates
More than 300 students at Walter S. Boardman Elementary School No. 9E are getting a taste of presidential politics this month by collecting facts about Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain recited in the morning announcements. As part of the program, students in grades 1-6 vie to answer trivia questions about the candidates, campaigns and the election process.
Uncertainty in red states hurting McCain
In presidential politics, states don't get much more Republican red than Indiana.
ON THE TRAIL
Cindy McCain paid $1.1 million in federal taxes on adjusted gross income of $4.2 million in 2007, returns released by John McCain's campaign Friday show. The income was nearly $2 million less than she reported the previous year. Cindy McCain's $1.1 million in taxes amounts to a tax rate of about 26 percent. She reported nearly $530,000 in itemized deductions and showed she got a refund of $954,112, which she applied to next year's taxes. The McCain campaign said her losses were in investment income directly related to her family business, Hensley & Co., an Arizona beer distributorship of which she is chairwoman. She and her husband file separate tax returns. McCain's campaign released her 2006 return in May but said Cindy McCain had requested an extension on her 2007 return. McCain released his own tax return last April, reporting a total income of $405,409 in 2007, and $84,460 in federal income taxes.
In a shift, Dole faces uphill battle in re-election
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The resume that propelled consummate Washington insider Elizabeth Dole to the Senate six years ago is reading more like a rap sheet as the political winds are blowing against Republicans.
McCain: Obama tax plan akin to 'welfare'
MIAMI - Republican John McCain told crowds in this battleground state yesterday to "hold on to your wallet" because his Democratic presidential rival, Barack Obama, has talked of spreading the wealth around.
Obama says McCain's Medicare cuts would hurt seniors
ROANOKE, Va. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday that Republican rival John McCain wants to cut $882 billion from Medicare over a decade to finance his health care plan and the result would be more costly drugs, diminished services and lower quality care for seniors.
October 18: Race baiting, disability vote, teaching child safety, environment and elections
Disability vote is substantial
Man in pipe bomb case denied bail
A man accused of attempting to take a pipe bomb on board a jet at Long Island MacArthur Airport was ordered held without bail Friday by a federal magistrate who said he "poses a danger to the community."
GOP focuses on taxes as it seeks to hold State Senate
The debate circus has left town, but political drama on Long Island is just starting to escalate. From now until Election Day, a key portion of New York's power balance will be decided right here as the Nassau-based GOP struggles to save its last power domain, the State Senate.
ON THE TRAIL
The World Series hasn't gone as far as a sixth game since 2003, at which time Barack Obama was a little-known candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in Illinois. But if the Phillies and their opponent extend the 2008 Fall Classic past the fifth game, then Obama will be the reason for the later-than-scheduled, first-pitch time. Fox, interested in airing a half-hour commercial from Obama from 8 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 29, asked Major League Baseball to push back the first pitch from about 8:20 to 8:35. The MLB agreed. The Hollywood Reporter reported that Fox would receive about $1 million for Obama's "buy"; the Democratic candidate for president will air his ad on CBS and NBC at the same time.
McCain and Obama focus on confronting climate change
After years of federal inaction on global warming, presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have made confronting climate change the focus of their environmental and energy plans.
Obama and McCain trade humorous shots at Smith dinner
With 18 days left to go, John McCain and Barack Obama spent Thursday campaigning in crucial swing states, fundraising and briefly sharing a stage, where they took shots at themselves and each other.
Joe the Plumber's story has sprung a few leaks
HOLLAND, Ohio - Joe the Plumber's story sprang a few leaks yesterday.
FBI investigating ACORN voter fraud claims
WASHINGTON - The FBI is investigating whether the community activist group ACORN helped foster voter registration fraud around the nation before the presidential election.
ACORN continues activity on LI despite investigations
There's a new twist to community organizer Pete Nagy's pitch.
Uproar over bilingual audio ballot problems in Nassau
Nassau election officials were upset that the supplier of bilingual audio ballots for disabled voters asked them to choose between having the names of some presidential candidates garbled, or having the offices they are seeking read in English instead of Spanish.
Obama and McCain trade humorous shots at Smith dinner
With 18 days left to go, John McCain and Barack Obama spent Thursday campaigning in crucial swing states, fundraising and briefly sharing a stage, where they took shots at themselves and each other.
GOP focuses on taxes as it seeks to hold State Senate
The debate circus has left town, but political drama on Long Island is just starting to escalate. From now until Election Day, a key portion of New York's power balance will be decided right here as the Nassau-based GOP struggles to save its last power domain, the State Senate.
NYPD bans cops from expressing political preferences
With Election Day nearing, the New York Police Department has told its officers to keep their political feelings to themselves, instructing them not to place any campaign bumper stickers or posters on department property.
ACORN continues activity on LI despite investigations
There's a new twist to community organizer Pete Nagy's pitch.
McCain finds himself, but perhaps too late
It took three debates, but John McCain finally found a voice last night to land some attacks on Barack Obama and pitch his own candidacy without coming off as too mean or too angry.
Candidates try to make points in testy debate
In their last and most aggressive debate, John McCain and Barack Obama brought their increasingly negative campaigning to an across-the-table conversation that often grew testy, even as they tried to make their economic and domestic policies relevant to the average voter.
At long last, a debate with fireworks
Again, Sen. Barack Obama sported an American-flag lapel pin.
BEST OF SPIN CYCLE
BODY LANGUAGE SAYS IT ALL. McCain came in needing a momentum shift, and he didn't get it. The snap polls showed Obama won big for the third time. ... McCain's line about Bush - you're not running against him, you're running against me - was a good one. ... McCain attacked too much before, and he did it again. He rolled his eyes at some of Obama's answers. He smirked when he thought he scored some snarky point. On the issues, he was even or better. But in three straight debates, the body language and the negativity seemed to be his undoing. - John Riley
New York needs 21st century voting
Last night, Barack Obama and John McCain met up right in our backyard. If watching that debate inspired a new Long Island voter to finally think, "This year, I'm going to register and vote," it's too bad. New York's voter registration deadline was Friday.
Debate, take three
John McCain and Barack Obama's across-the-table meeting at Hofstra University last night was the most engaging debate of the three, but it marked the end of their face-to-face encounters. Now we're in the homestretch in this year's presidential race.
McCain links Obama to ACORN 'voter fraud'
WASHINGTON - Over the past year and a half, paid employees of ACORN, a liberal-leaning community organizing group, have helped 1.3 million mostly young, mostly poor people register to vote, enrolling more new voters overall than any nonpartisan group.
ON THE TRAIL
Democrat Barack Obama's campaign sharply rejected yesterday a conservative columnist's report that civil rights leader Jesse Jackson expects Obama to reduce Israel's clout at the White House. Jackson himself denounced New York Post columnist Amir Taheri for "selectively imposing his own point of view and distorting mine" in the column that appeared Tuesday. The column said Jackson predicted to a policy forum in France last week that "decades of putting Israel's interests first" would end and added in an interview that Zionists would lose a great deal of their clout if Obama is elected. Obama's national security spokeswoman Wendy Morigi said Jackson does not advise Obama and is "in no position to interpret or share Barack Obama's views on Israel and foreign policy."
Verizon and AT&T provide McCains with free cell towers
Early last year, just as her husband launched his presidential bid, Cindy McCain decided to resolve an old problem - the lack of cellular telephone coverage on her remote 15-acre ranch near Sedona, Ariz.
Hofstra students get front-row seats to debate mania
Hofstra University freshman Yuliya Semenovych first heard the whir and lights of network satellite trucks outside her dorm at 3 a.m.
McCain expected to make amends on Letterman show
The debate's over. Now on to the important stuff. You know, hugging it out with Dave.
Iraq War protesters gather near Hofstra on debate day
A series of Iraq war protests throughout the day culminated with the arrest of 15 people on disorderly conduct charges at the gates of Hofstra University.
The undecided voters
Newsday asked five voters who were on the fence before the debate what issues were important to them in the campaign, and what either candidate could do to sway them. And they agreed to speak after watching the debate to share their impressions.
The undecided voters
Newsday asked five voters who were on the fence before the debate what issues were important to them in the campaign, and what either candidate could do to sway them. And they agreed to speak after watching the debate to share their impressions.
Pre-debate parties draw Hofstra students
Hip-hop music blared in the darkened room adorned with red, white and blue balloons where Hofstra University students looking for a party vibe gathered last night to watch a simulcast of the presidential debate on a giant screen.
Warped facts in last presidential debate
WASHINGTON - Facts went astray on tax cuts, negative campaign advertising and oil exports when Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain engaged in their third and final presidential debate. Here are some examples:
October 16: Women and guns, counting older couples, Obamanomics, mayoral politics, socialism
Empowerment of target shooting
At long last, a debate with fireworks
Again, Sen. Barack Obama sported an American-fla