Elections Directory USA

AP - Firmly and finally ending the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, President Barack Obama will have but a moment before trying to hasten peace nearby between Israelis and Palestinians. Left unclear is whether winding down the war that inflamed Arab passions will do anything to help long-shot Mideast talks.

AP - U.S. Senate hopeful Joe Miller on Monday renewed accusations of campaign irregularities as the Alaska Division of Elections prepared to count absentee and questioned ballots in the tight primary race.

AP - President Barack Obama met privately Monday with more than two dozen wounded U.S. soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

AP - Democrats' House campaign committee is starting its first advertising blitz of the fall election cycle Tuesday with a TV spot hammering Wisconsin GOP candidate Sean Duffy, one of several Republicans who are threatening to wrest an open Democratic seat.

McClatchy Newspapers - WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama signaled Monday that he'll tackle rather than run from the economy as he campaigns for Democrats this fall.

AP - John McCain's Democratic challenger is replacing his campaign manager.

AP - Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidate Doug Racine is officially seeking a recount.

Reuters - Vice President Joe Biden flew into Iraq on Monday to assure Iraqis the United States is not abandoning them as it stops combat operations, a milestone in the 7-1/2 year war the Obama administration is trying to end.

Reuters - A U.S. debate over plans for an Islamic center near New York's World Trade Center site has been politicized ahead of the congressional election, the Muslim cleric heading the project and other city imams say.

Reuters - The U.S. government will have unmanned surveillance aircraft monitoring the whole southwest border with Mexico from September 1, as it ramps up border security in this election year, a top official said on Monday.

AP - It's an audacious gamble, even with anti-establishment fever running high: a former hedge fund lawyer trying to unseat a nine-term congresswoman popular in her district.

AP - The White House says there are two words President Barack Obama will not say Tuesday night in his speech about the end of the U.S. combat role in Iraq: "Mission accomplished."

The Upshot - American Crossroads, the conservative group linked to former Bush advisers Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, plans to spend more than $10 million on a massive get-out-the-vote program ahead of the midterm elections this fall. It's another sign that outside groups are quickly moving in to assume roles generally filled by the Republican National Committee, which [...]

Reuters - Streamlining export restrictions on defense goods and high-technology products will help create manufacturing jobs while boosting national security, President Barack Obama said on Monday.

Reuters - President Barack Obama said on Monday he and his economic team discussed additional steps to promote economic growth, including looking at tax cuts for businesses.

The Upshot - A slew of self-funded wealthy candidates in New Hampshire's GOP Senate primary have combined to help put this year's race on track to becoming the most expensive primary in the state's history. Before the Sept. 14 primary for the state's open U.S. Senate seat, the four top Republican candidates are expected to spend a combined [...]

Reuters - President Barack Obama will make a statement on the economy at 12:30 p.m. EDT (1630 GMT) Monday in the White House Rose Garden, the White House said.

The Upshot - Nearly 3 in 5 Americans don't think Sarah Palin would be an "effective president," according to a new 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll. Fifty-nine percent of respondents in the survey think Palin wouldn't be effective in the White House. But a deeper look at the numbers, on the basis of party affiliation, shows just how politically [...]

The Christian Science Monitor - During this midterm election season, the Monitor will feature a series of "one-minute debates" on top political issues.

Reuters - A public opinion poll showing Americans are increasingly convinced, wrongly, that he is Muslim does not trouble him, President Barack Obama said on Sunday.