Schmidt takes control of day-to-day operation  —  Steve Schmidt is taking over the day-to-day operation of John McCain's campaign, according to multiple campaign sources.  —  At a staff meeting in the campaign's Arlington, Va., headquarters this morning, campaign manager Rick Davis made the announcement about Schmidt's new role.

McCain Travels South, Searching for Message  —  Why is John McCain in Colombia?  —  Is his commitment to free trade so deep that he needed not one foreign trip (to Canada last month) but two foreign trips to make that clear to people?  Is the issue of free trade so central to the outcome …

Cochran recounts McCain dustup with the Sandinistas  —  GULFPORT —Notably mild-mannered Republican Sen. Thad Cochran shocked many earlier this year with comments about John McCain's volatile temper.  He has since mended fences with the GOP presidential nominee.

Obama Got Discount on Home Loan  —  Shortly after joining the U.S. Senate and while enjoying a surge in income, Barack Obama bought a $1.65 million restored Georgian mansion in an upscale Chicago neighborhood.  To finance the purchase, he secured a $1.32 million loan from Northern Trust in Illinois.

Well Known Liberal Blogger Shot In Washington, D.C.  —  Brian Beutler, a well-known progressive blogger, was shot and seriously injured during a mugging last night in Washington, D.C.  —  One bullet damaged Beutler's spleen, and he had it removed during surgery this morning at the Washington Hospital Center.

Believe Me, It's Torture  —  What more can be added to the debate over U.S. interrogation methods, and whether waterboarding is torture?  Try firsthand experience.  The author undergoes the controversial drowning technique, at the hands of men who once trained American soldiers to resist—not inflict—it.

Late-Period Limbaugh  —  At one time, Limbaugh did his program from a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper he dubbed, with tongue-in-cheek grandiosity, the Excellence in Broadcasting Building.  These days, he mostly broadcasts out of a studio in Palm Beach, Fla., which he calls the Southern Command …

Fox News airs altered photos of NY Times reporters  —  On the July 2 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-hosts Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade labeled New York Times reporter Jacques Steinberg and editor Steven Reddicliffe “attack dogs,” claiming that Steinberg's June 28 article on the …

15 Hostages Held by Colombian Rebels Are Rescued  —  CARACAS, Venezuela — Colombia announced Wednesday that it had rescued 15 captives held by the FARC rebel group, including Ingrid Betancourt, a former presidential candidate, and three American military contractors held by the guerrillas for more than four years.

Christian Conservatives Uniting Behind McCain  —  At a meeting Tuesday in Denver, about 100 conservative Christian leaders from around the country agreed to unite behind the candidacy of John McCain, a politician they have long distrusted, marking the latest in a string of movement that bodes …

RNC creates independent expenditure arm  —  The Republican National Committee has tapped a GOP media consultant to run an independent expenditure campaign set up to target Barack Obama, according to a source familiar with the plan.  —  Brad Todd will run the new arm of the RNC …

Liberal Bloggers Accuse Obama of Trying to Win Election  —  The liberal blogosphere was aflame today with new accusations that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) is trying to win the 2008 presidential election.  —  Suspicions about Sen. Obama's true motives have been building over the past few weeks …

Obama to lay out ambitious national service plan  —  (CNN) — Continuing his week-long focus on patriotism and national service, Sen. Barack Obama will lay out a plan Wednesday to create new volunteer and service opportunities to address some of the nation's most pressing challenges.

The Wrong Stuff  —  On the way back from Unity, N.H., Friday evening, Barack Obama's plane got diverted by bad weather.  Instead of landing at Reagan airport, it landed farther out at Dulles.  —  Before he got into his S.U.V., Senator Obama walked hesitantly toward the press, who were standing nearby.