TIM RUSSERT DIES FROM APPARENT HEART ATTACK … Tim Russert, NBC journalist and political heavyweight host of “Meet the Press,” has died after collapsing at NBC's Washington news bureau.  He was 58 years old.  —  Television sources said Russert was recording a voice-over when he collapsed in the studio today.

NBC's Tim Russert Dies  —  Tim Russert, the host of “Meet the Press,” and NBC's Washington bureau chief, has died.  He was 58.  —  Mr. Russert was a towering figure in American journalism and moderated several debates during the recent presidential primary season.

Reports: Tim Russert dead after heart attack; was working in NBC Washington bureau  —  He was 58.  —  Reports coming in from the NYPost and NYTimes.  —  He was a fixture of Beltway political journalism, good on the entitlement crisis, and by all accounts, a good-humored guy.

NBC's Tim Russert Dies at 58  —  Host of ‘Meet the Press’ Suffers Heart Attack  —  Tim Russert, the Democratic operative turned NBC commentator who revolutionized Sunday morning television and infused journalism with his passion for politics, died this afternoon.

Vigilance needed on campaign claims  —  Big issues, not smears, need to be the focus  —  RUSSERT ON POLITICS … Msnbc: Tim, www.fightthesmears.com is a web site launched by the Barack Obama campaign to combat potentially damaging rumor about the candidate and his wife, Michelle.  Is this necessary?

On Tim Russert  —  News of the sudden death of Tim Russert, Washington bureau chief of NBC News and host of “Meet the Press,” will have a large — and lasting — impact on the world of politics and journalism.  —  Russert was, without question, the single most influential political journalist working in Washington.

Town hall talks break down  —  The talks between the McCain and Obama campaigns on debates appear to have broken down, with Obama's campaign — evidently concluding that the format could favor McCain, or at least give McCain some oxygen — offering just one town hall and one extra debate in response to McCain's suggestion of 10.