Agreement Reached on Bailout Ahead of High-Level Meeting  —  Proposal Breaks $700 Billion Into Installments  —  A bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers left a two-hour-plus meeting in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday saying they have a “fundamental agreement” on a $700 billion plan to bail out U.S. financial markets.

Palin takes questions from press corps for first time  —  NEW YORK (CNN) — Sarah Palin took questions from her traveling press corps Thursday for the first time since being tapped as John McCain's running mate.  —  Speaking to a small pool of reporters following a visit to Ground Zero in lower Manhattan …

Bill Clinton: Don't ‘Overly Parse’ McCain Request to Delay Debate  —  ABC News' Nitya Venkataraman Reports: Former President Bill Clinton defended Sen. John McCain's request to delay the first presidential debate, saying McCain did it in “good faith” and pushed organizers to reserve …

Being Close To Russian Entails......  The next installment in Katie Couric's interview with Gov. Sarah Palin.  —  Watch CBS Videos Online  —  COURIC: You've cited Alaska's proximity to Russia as part of your foreign policy experience.  What did you mean by that?

Obama Will Make Debate A Townhall If McCain Doesn't Show  —  UPDATE: An adviser Barack Obama says he expects John McCain to attend: … Barack Obama is committed to hosting a public, televised event Friday night in Mississippi even if John McCain does not show up, an official close to the Obama campaign tells the Huffington Post.

Let's Keep People In Their Homes  —  There is a broad consensus that Congress must act to stave off deeper turmoil on Wall Street.  Irrespective of the final agreement yet to be reached, there are several principles that must be part of a broader reform effort that begins this week and continues in the coming months.

Palin: ‘What The Bailout Does Is Help Those Who Are Concerned About Health Care Reform’  —  This morning on the CBS Early Show, Katie Couric previewed the second half of her interview with Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK).  During the interview, Couric asked Palin why she believes the Wall Street bailout is needed.

McCain has not sponsored a banking bill this Congress  —  Republican presidential nominee John McCain has not introduced any banking or housing bills in the 110th Congress, while Democratic rival Barack Obama has proposed five.  —  Both candidates are traveling to Washington on Thursday …

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert: Mock the Vote  —  With just five weeks left until election day, our favorite pundits discuss the power of Sarah Palin, why TV news is about as credible as Muzak, and whether Barack Obama is going to be “sworn in on a gay baby”

What liberals are up in arms about this morning  —  McCain revealed in an interview with a Cleveland TV station Tuesday that he hadn't yet read the administration's three-page bailout proposal.  —  “I have not had a chance to see it in writing,” McCain said.  “I have to examine it.”

A Bailout We Don't Need  —  Now that all five big investment banks — Bear Stearns, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley — have disappeared or morphed into regular banks, a question arises.  —  Is this bailout still necessary?  —  The point of the bailout …

Gallup Daily: Race Back to a Tie at 46% Each  —  PRINCETON, NJ — John McCain has gained ground and is now tied with Barack Obama among registered voters in the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update for Sept. 22-24, with each candidate getting 46% support.

Obama grant being probed  —  A $100,000 state grant for a botanic garden in Englewood that then-state Sen. Barack Obama awarded in 2001 to a group headed by a onetime campaign volunteer is now under investigation by the Illinois attorney general amid new questions, prompted by Chicago Sun-Times reports …

McCain huddling with Boehner, Kyl to rally GOP support  —  The Senate clearly doesn't need McCain's help in pushing through the bailout deal, so McCain has returned to the Capitol and is meeting in Minority Leader John Boehner's office to discuss the legislation.

Palin, Muthee And The “Israelites”  —  If you go to 1:20 into this Youtube, you will hear Muthee, who later anointed Palin, say the following words in Palin's presence: … Sure they vetted her.

Times puzzle is clueless about McCain  —  On Jan. 8, 2005, I purposefully and unapologetically became the first person to ever construct a crossword puzzle for The New York Times that featured this five-letter answer:  —  OBAMA.  —  Earlier this week, Steve Schmidt, John McCain's senior campaign adviser …

Unsevered Ties?  —  Regulatory filings indicate that McCain campaign chief Rick Davis remains an officer with his lobbying firm.  —  Rick Davis, John McCain's campaign manager, has remained the treasurer and a corporate director of his lobbying firm this year, despite repeated statements …

Pelosi: There's a Deal, Boenher: No Deal  —  Roll Call confirms my reporting with a Breaking News alert titled: Members Say Deal Near; Boehner Disagrees.  Pelosi, Frank, Dodd, Schumer and the whole Democratic leadership crew have been crowing about how a bipartisan deal is happening, they are just dotting the i's and crossing the t's.