Charlton Heston, 84; actor played epic figures  —  Charlton Heston, the Oscar-winning actor who achieved stardom playing larger-than-life figures including Moses, Michelangelo and Andrew Jackson in historical epics and went on to become a best-selling author, a contentious Hollywood labor leader …

In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop  —  SAN FRANCISCO — They work long hours, often to exhaustion.  Many are paid by the piece — not garments, but blog posts.  This is the digital-era sweatshop.  You may know it by a different name: home.

Obama Campaign: “McCain Is Not A Warmonger”  —  Yesterday evening, Senator Barack Obama dropped by a fundraiser for North Dakota Democrats.  The campaign arranged with the state party to allow a print pool reporter to accompany the senator, but no cameras were allowed, which has been typical at fundraisers …

Analysis: Iraqi PM wins rare support  —  BAGHDAD - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's faltering crackdown on Shiite militants has won the backing of Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties that fear both the powerful sectarian militias and the effects of failure on Iraq's fragile government.

North Carolina Democratic Primary  —  North Carolina: Obama 56% Clinton 33%  —  In North Carolina, Barack Obama has opened up a twenty-three percentage point lead over Hillary Clinton.  The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that Obama attracts 56% of the vote while Clinton earns 33%.

I Did Not Make This Up.  —  Hugh Hewitt really wrote this: … The man is completely cracked.  I guess if I were a family member I'd be worried, but since I'm not, I just think it's funny.  —  If you have the time and inclination, I strongly suggest you e-mail Hugh “evidence” and for the love of god, cc me.

Housing Crisis Hits Its Own  —  Mortgage Bankers Group Faced With Tougher Terms  —  A year ago, the Mortgage Bankers Association was thrilled to sign a contract to buy a fancy new headquarters building in downtown Washington.  Interest rates were low, the group's revenues were steady …

“PINK SLIP NATION”  —  That's how the Minneapolis Star Tribune headlined its story on last month's decline in payroll jobs in its print edition: … I'm sorry to see unemployment climb to 5.1%, but by historic standards, that's not exactly a “grim picture.”

Two Questions for the Supply Siders  —  Troy posted a link to the video of the CRFB dinner's panel discussion on “Are Fiscally Responsible Elections Possible?”  From the lineup, you might have expected this to get interesting.  Mark Halperin was the moderator.

MCCAIN, OBAMA, CLINTON, PETRAEUS  —  Gen. David Petraeus' return engagement on Capitol Hill next week will be of particular interest to a few of the senators on committees hearing his testimony: Sens. McCain, Obama and Clinton.  —  McCain, as the AP's Liz Sidoti points out today …

The Media's defense of McCain's 100-years in Iraq comment  —  It's not surprising that McCain's Media must defend him at every turn.  Here's a typical example from emailer Candice: … We know that wasn't the case, Mr.Williams.  —  Bob Somerby asks: “Are these life-forms actually human?”

Colombia to Penn: You're Fired  —  More fallout from the Mark Penn Colombia episode:  —  The Colombian government said on Saturday that it was ending its relationship with Burson-Marsteller, the global public relations firm headed by Mark Penn, who is also Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's pollster and chief strategist.