Black Leader, a Clinton Ally, Tilts to Obama  —  MILWAUKEE — Representative John Lewis, an elder statesman from the civil rights era and one of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's most prominent black supporters, said Thursday night that he planned to cast his vote as a superdelegate …

Not Serious  —  About national security, that is.  Over the last 36 hours, Congressional Democrats have again demonstrated a casual, even frivolous attitude toward their Constitutional duty to assist in keeping Americans safe from attack.  —  First, the Senate joined the House …

Five dead in NIU shooting  —  Gunman kills four before shooting himself  —  A gunman opened fire with a shotgun and a handgun Thursday afternoon in a lecture hall at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, killing 4 people before shooting himself to death, authorities said.

The SEIU Picks Obama  —  The national executive board of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) endorsed Barack Obama Thursday evening.  The members of the board voted electronically following a conference call scheduled for 6 p.m. The official announcement will come at a press conference on Friday.

Nicaraguan leader calls Obama's campaign ‘revolutionary’  —  MANAGUA, Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega, who led the 1979 revolution in Nicaragua, says Barack Obama's presidential bid is a “revolutionary” phenomenon in the United States.  —  “It's not to say that there is already a revolution under way in the U.S. ...

OUT FOR THEMSELVES.  —  The New York Times reports: … Put another way: If Hillary Clinton does not win delegates out of a majority of contested primaries and caucuses, her aides are willing to rip the party apart to secure the nomination, to cheat in a way that will rend the Democratic coalition …

Seeking Superdelegates  —  As the Democratic Party's superdelegates decide whether to support Clinton or Obama, will they take into account the $890,000 they've received from the candidates?  —  At this summer's Democratic National Convention, nearly 800 members of Congress …

Countdown Special Comment on FISA: President Bush Is A Liar And A Fascist  —  Keith Olbermann's Special Comment on today's Countdown was a scathing rebuke of President Bush for continuing to play the fear card, trying to scare the hell out of the American people and vowing to veto …

Mughniyeh Was in Midst of Planning Mass Terror Attack  —  (IsraelNN.com) A Kuwaiti newspaper reports that Hizbullah terrorist chief Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in a car-bomb attack in Damascus on Tuesday, was in the midst of planning major terrorist attacks in moderate Arab countries when he was killed.

Seton Hall Law Students Uncover Proof that Guantánamo Interrogations Routinely Videotaped  —  General Reports More than 24,000 Interrogations Conducted Since 2002;  —  Assertions that All Interrogations Were Videotaped Affect Impending 9/11 Trials  —  Newark, NJ—Seton Hall Law's Center …

U.S. Plans to Shoot Down Broken Spy Satellite  —  President Bush, acting on the advice of his national security advisers, has decided to attempt to shoot down a malfunctioning spy satellite that is expected to crash to the Earth by early next month.  —  National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe …

Did Hillary Clinton Really Support NAFTA?  Aides, Biographers Say No  —  As the 2008 campaign shifts to economically hard-hit states like Ohio, so too do the topics of political debate.  This week, Sen. Barack Obama's campaign has attacked Sen. Hillary Clinton on trade …

WON'T GO THERE  —  In the thick of a campaign it is easy to overrate the importance of an endorsement or a political hit.  But it is difficult to overstate the significance of John Lewis' switch from the Clinton to Obama camps because it is a devastating blow on two or three levels wrapped together in a single person.