NBC's Tim Russert dead at 58  —  Washington bureau chief, ‘Meet the Press’ moderator collapsed on job  —  Tim Russert at the Newseum in Washington on Nov. 14.  —  Live video  —  LIVE: Remembering Tim Russert  —  LIVE VIDEO: Watch MSNBC's coverage of the life of NBC News Washington …

Obama Defines Social Security ‘Doughnut’ Plan  —  COLUMBUS, Ohio — Sen. Barack Obama today plans to make a firm commitment to a Social Security tax hike on people making more than $250,000 a year, stepping away from an earlier plan he floated last year to boost the 12.4 percent payroll tax …

McCain Slams The Supreme Court's Habeas Decision  —  PEMBERTON, N.J.—I am still sitting in a John McCain town hall, so have not had time to transcribe the full quotes, but wanted to post this quick.  After a day of consideration, the McCain Campaign has decided to come out hard against yesterday's 5 …

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.

AP Files 7 DMCA Takedowns Against Drudge Retort  —  I'm currently engaged in a legal disagreement with the Associated Press, which claims that Drudge Retort users linking to its stories are violating its copyright and committing “'hot news' misappropriation under New York state law.”

Noonan: Obama Is An Unpatriotic, Effeminate, Cynical, Immoral, Godless Opportunist  —  Today, Nooner bases her entire column on this comparison: … You can see right away where this is headed, don't you? … Translation: Obama hates America. … Yup, and apparently, in Old America …

McCains report more than $100,000 in credit card debt  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and his wife reported more than $100,000 of credit card liabilities, according to financial disclosure documents released Friday.  —  The presidential candidate and his wife Cindy reported piling up debt on a charge card between $10,000 and $15,000.

This Is Why Facts Matter  —  Senior Brookings Fellows Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack gave a report today and entertained questions at a Brookings briefing on Iraq.  It was the single most illuminating presentation I have witnessed on the status of Iraq and the potential way forward.

Dems Not Backing Obama?  Rahm Will Deal With It  —  As the man who guided (and pressured and arm-twisted) Democrats to historic congressional gains in 2006, what is Rep. Rahm Emanuel doing now about party members like Rep. Dan Boren who have balked at publicly endorsing Sen. Barack Obama?

Gallup Daily: Obama 46%, McCain 43%  —  Obama's lead shrinks slightly compared with earlier this week  —  PRINCETON, NJ — Barack Obama leads John McCain in national registered voter preferences for the election, but by a slightly narrower margin than he had earlier this week, 46% vs. 43%.

Al-Sadr: New force to fight U.S. in Iraq  —  BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is establishing a new fighting force to battle U.S.-led troops in Iraq, he said in a letter read in Iraqi mosques Friday.  —  Al-Sadr's letter said that “the resistance will be exclusively conducted by only one group.