News in terror hot spots appears to aid Obama  —  Barack Obama's long-awaited and much-hyped trip overseas, in large part intended to overcome a perception that he's not up to the job of commander-in-chief, seems to have come at the perfect time as recent events in Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran have played into his message.

Barack Obama's Butterfly Effect  —  Today on CBS's Face the Nation, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in Afghanistan, told the paparazzi-pursued correspondent Lara Logan that “the objective of this trip was to have substantive discussions with people like President Karzai or Prime Minister Maliki …

The Long Run: After 2000, McCain Learned to Work Levers of Power  —  Once better known for criticizing the Senate than for influencing it, John McCain has evolved into perhaps the chamber's most influential member.

Influx of Voters Likely to Test New Machines  —  With millions of new voters heading to the polls this November and many states introducing new voting technologies, election officials and voting monitors say they fear the combination is likely to create long lines, stressed-out poll workers and late tallies on Election Day.

McCain's senior foreign policy advisor tied to global petro-influence peddling  —  John McCain's senior foreign policy adviser is a close business associate of Stephen Payne, the lobbyist caught on tape offering access to top administration officials in exchange for donations to the Bush Library.

Dobson shifts positions, may endorse McCain  —  Conservative Christian leader James Dobson has softened his stance against Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, saying he could reverse his position and endorse the Arizona senator despite serious misgivings.

Slaying suspect once found sanctuary in S.F.  —  The man charged with killing a father and two sons on a San Francisco street last month was one of the youths who benefited from the city's long-standing practice of shielding illegal immigrant juveniles who committed felonies from possible deportation, The Chronicle has learned.

ATLAS EXCLUSIVE: FINAL REPORT ON OBAMA BIRTH CERTIFICATE FORGERY CHANGE YOU CAN BELIEVE IN  —  Techdude delivers a final report that exceeds my wildest expectations.  It is irrefutable, empirical evidence - Obama's birth certificate is a forgery. … My deepest thanks and appreciation …

No Substitute for Victory  —  I'll go out on a limb and say that Barack Obama will be well received when he speaks in Berlin on July 24.  —  O.K., it's not exactly a limb.  A recent poll shows that the German public prefers Obama to John McCain by 67 percent to 6 percent.  —  But there is angst in Germany.

Gordon Brown aide a victim of honeytrap operation by Chinese agents  —  A top aide to Gordon Brown has been a suspected victim of a “honeytrap” operation by Chinese intelligence agents.  —  The aide, a senior Downing Street adviser who was with the prime minister on a trip to China earlier this year …

McCain and Obama Agree to Attend Megachurch Forum  —  It has taken a man of God, perhaps, to do what nobody else has been able to do since the general election season began: Get Barack Obama and John McCain together on the same stage before their party conventions later this summer.