Behind the scenes at the HRC/LOGO presidential forum...  I'm just getting settled into the press area at The Production Group Studios where the The Visible Vote '08: A Presidential Forum, put together by HRC and LOGO.  They have us pretty squeezed into a dark room (surrounded by black curtains …

Romney's Cash Beckons Iowans To Straw Poll  —  As thousands of Republican activists prepare to descend on Ames, Iowa, tomorrow for the straw poll meant to gauge support for the GOP's presidential contenders, the event has all the markings of a historic mismatch.

Cheney urging military strikes on Iran  —  WASHINGTON — President Bush charged Thursday that Iran continues to arm and train insurgents who are killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq, and he threatened action if that continues.  —  At a news conference Thursday, Bush said Iran had been warned …

Internet News Audience Highly Critical of News Organizations  —  Views of Press Values and Performance: 1985-2007  —  Summary of Findings  —  The American public continues to fault news organizations for a number of perceived failures, with solid majorities criticizing them for political bias …

1998 no longer the hottest year on record in USA  —  Here's a story of scientific investigation and discovery I'm proud to have had a small part in.  —  Regular readers may remember that I posted about a climate station in Detroit Lakes MN last week, surveyed by volunteer Don Kostuch …

Earlier Terrorist Screening to Begin for Flights Into U.S.  —  By early next year, passengers on flights bound for the United States will have their names checked against terrorist watch lists before departure, instead of after takeoff, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced Thursday.

Mortgage Losses Echo in Europe and on Wall Street  —  Turmoil in the home loan market ricocheted from the United States to Europe and back again yesterday as stocks on Wall Street suffered their biggest one-day decline since February, reflecting growing concerns about tightening credit worldwide.

UPDATED: Daily (News) Show — the one where, oh. nevermind  —  The Daily N....oh, heck, I'm just speechless over this.  Wow.  —  OK, I will say on thing in response to Stu's column, which is probably going to crash the Daily News server with angry emails any second.

Deported Canadian Was No Threat, Report Shows  —  Canadian intelligence officials anticipated that the United States would ship Maher Arar, a Syrian-born Canadian who was detained in New York in 2002 on suspicion of terrorism, to a third country to be tortured, declassified information released on Thursday shows.

Democratic Candidates Address Gay Rights Issues  —  First-Ever Televised Presidential Forum Underlines Increasing Importance of Community in Elections  —  At the first-ever televised presidential forum devoted to gay rights issues, the Democratic front-runners, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton …

Matthews: Where have all the "big, beefy" "every-way big guy" Democrats gone?  —  While discussing the Democratic presidential candidates on the August 8 edition of MSNBC's Hardball, host Chris Matthews asserted: "I don't see a big, beefy alternative to [Sen.] Hillary Clinton [D-NY] — a big guy.

E-male  —  IT'S WORTH remembering that the blogosphere is still so new it baffles spell check.  For that matter, if I type "blogger" on my screen, my retro software offers alternatives like "loggers," "floggers," and "boggler."  —  It "boggles" my mind to realize how quickly a piece of Internet terrain has gained power in politics.

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan announces candidacy  —  Citing her son as inspiration, a tearful Cindy Sheehan announced her candidacy Thursday for the U.S. House of Representatives.  —  The anti-war activist is running as an independent against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has represented San Francisco in Congress since 1987.

Evacuees flee forest fires in Montana  —  SEELEY LAKE, Mont. - Smoke hung heavy Thursday over this western Montana town where most businesses have closed as fire crews battle a voracious forest fire that has threatened numerous homes along the western edge of Seeley Lake.

Friday Line: Two Hot Governors Races in 2007  —  WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Even though we're spending most of our time tailing various Republican candidates for president this week, it wouldn't be a Friday without the Line.  —  This week we tackle the gubernatorial playing field.

Getting the Rescue Right  —  Help has been way too slow in coming for the estimated 1.7 million people who will lose their homes to foreclosure this year and next.  A modest bill to bolster funds for state, local and nonprofit agencies that help hard-pressed homeowners renegotiate their mortgages …