McCain unsure how many houses he owns  —  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said in an interview Wednesday that he was uncertain how many houses he and his wife, Cindy, own.  —  “I think - I'll have my staff get to you,” McCain told us in Las Cruces, N.M. “It's condominiums where - I'll have them get to you.”

The joke's on McCain: Late-night comedians lay off Obama  —  A hilarious new study of late-night political jokes, due to be released later today, finds the network comedians clearly avoiding humor about Democratic candidate Barack Obama, while piling the jokes on President Bush and Sens. John McCain and Hillary Clinton.

Expertinent: Why Obama Could Use a Big Convention ‘Bump’  —  Right now, much of the political world is obsessing over a series of new polls indicating that the gap between Barack Obama and John McCain is shrinking.A just-released Quinnipiac survey, for example, shows McCain cutting Obama's lead …

Exclusive: No single-term pledge for McCain  —  LAS CRUCES, N.M., — John McCain stated unequivocally in an interview with Politico Wednesday that he would not pledge to serve only a single four-year term, rejecting a suggestion that some allies believe would allay questions about his age …

Obama on His Veep Thinking  —  TIME: Your speeches seem to be getting far tougher.  —  Well, it's getting to be crunch time.  Now is the time where people are going to start paying attention, leading up into the convention, and we've got to make sure that people understand the choices that are at stake.

U.S., Iraq Are Said to Have Set Withdrawal Timetable  —  BAGHDAD — U.S. and Iraqi negotiators reached agreement on a security deal that calls for American military forces to leave Iraq's cities by next summer as a prelude to a full withdrawal of combat troops from the country, according to senior American officials.

Republicans Plan to Grab Some Denver Limelight  —  John McCain and the Republican Party have their own plans for next week in Denver, including a parade of high-profile surrogates, a Web site touting new attack videos, and a tagline for the Democrats' convention: A Mile High and an Inch Deep.

Russia warns of response to US missile shield … MOSCOW (AP) - Russia says its response to the further development of a U.S. missile shield in Poland will go beyond diplomacy.  —  Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying the U.S. missile shield plans are clearly aimed at weakening Russia.

New Guidelines Would Give F.B.I. Broader Powers  —  WASHINGTON — A Justice Department plan would loosen restrictions on the Federal Bureau of Investigation to allow agents to open a national security or criminal investigation against someone without any clear basis for suspicion …

In N.H., a Deal to Close  —  LYNDEBOROUGH, N.H. — Secretary of State Bill Gardner is as much of a New Hampshire tradition as the presidential primary he assiduously protects from all challenges.  He may not know every voter in the state, but he knows every vote.

Petraeus Book ‘Endorsement’ Draws Fire  —  Gen. David Petraeus is used to controversy surrounding the war in Iraq, but his publicized thoughts on an Army chaplain's book for Soldiers put him squarely in the middle of the ongoing conflict over religious proselytizing in the U.S. military.