WASHINGTON GOP presidential nominee John McCain has past connections to a private group that supplied aid to guerrillas seeking to overthrow the leftist government of Nicaragua in the Iran-Contra affair.

Sarah Palin's promise for a new era of government openness as the reform governor of Alaska started to crack even before Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign built a wall of protectiveness around her.

WASHINGTON Nearly two decades later, John McCain is still haunted by his role in the Keating Five scandal.

COLUMBUS, Ohio It's one of Republican presidential candidate John McCain's most surefire applause lines, a vow to veto pork barrel spending like the road and bridge projects that lawmakers hold dear.

WASHINGTON Tuesday night's presidential debate offers Republican John McCain one of his last best chances to stop Democrat Barack Obama's recent surge in the race and turn it in his favor.

ASHLAND, Va. Barnstorming Virginia to fire up Democrats for Barack Obama's presidential bid is something Terry McAuliffe says comes naturally for him.

CLEARWATER, Fla. With 29 days remaining before the presidential election, Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin again went on the offensive, calling into question Sen. Barack Obama's patriotism and his association with the co-founder of the violent Weather Underground group whose members were blamed for several bombings.

ESTERO, Fla. Where else would you send the nation's most famous hockey mom to kneecap a Democratic rival, but a jam-packed ice rink in the Republican stronghold of Southwest Florida?

CLEARWATER, Fla. The self-described "hockey mom" from Alaska knows how to throw an elbow.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. As Barack Obama and John McCain arrive here for their second presidential debate Tuesday evening, they bring with them baggage from the 1960s and 1980s at a point in the campaign where nastiness has reached a new high.

IN THE HEADLINES

ASHEVILLE, N.C. The two men who supposedly exemplified a different kind of politics are engaged in an increasingly bitter campaign as character attacks are emerging to compete with issues like the troubled economy.

RICHMOND, Va. The wife of Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel plans to endorse Democrat Barack Obama.

COLUMBUS, Ohio A weeklong period in which Ohioans could register to vote and immediately cast a ballot ended Monday with turnout that didn't quite match the expectations of election officials - or the campaign predictions that preceded it.

WASHINGTON Running short on time, John McCain has the most riding on the second presidential debate, though Barack Obama will be out of his scripted comfort zone in the town hall-style confrontation. It could be ugly if Monday's tussling is any indication.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. As a state senator, Democrat Barack Obama awarded $75,000 in government grants to a Chicago social service organization led by a rabbi who is also his wife's cousin, records show.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin says she's an open book regarding an abuse-of-power investigation. Apparently her staff doesn't feel the same way.

WASHINGTON The Republican National Committee filed a complaint Monday alleging that Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign has received illegal contributions from foreigners and donations that exceed federal limits.

CLEARWATER, Fla. Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin expanded her attack on Democrat Barack Obama's character Monday to include his relationship with an incendiary former pastor as well as his ties to 1960s-era radical Bill Ayers.

WASHINGTON Republican John McCain on Monday raised the specter of illegal foreign contributions to rival Democrat Barack Obama by suggesting that a bulk purchase of T-shirts was sinister.

Throw the flag against: The McCain-Palin campaign.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Behind in the polls, Republican John McCain on Monday called Democratic rival Barack Obama a liar as he leveled his harshest criticism yet, and said the campaign boils down to one basic question: Who is Obama really?

ASHEVILLE, N.C. Democrat Barack Obama sought to keep the focus on the economy Monday as he took a break from preparing for Tuesday's debate with Republican John McCain.

THE POLL: CNN-Opinion Research Corp., national presidential race among likely voters

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Who does America want at the helm in a time of crisis, an erratic gambler or a dangerous radical?

WASHINGTON As stock markets around the world tumbled Monday, John McCain urged lower taxes and tough curbs on government spending, and Barack Obama pushed his plan for a quick stimulus package to help the ailing economy.

WASHINGTON As stock markets around the world tumbled Monday, John McCain urged lower taxes and tough curbs on government spending, and Barack Obama pushed his plan for a quick stimulus package to help the ailing economy.

WASHINGTON Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama launched a new round of negative attacks on each other Monday, with McCain trying to shift focus away from the economic crisis and Obama testing how hard to hit McCain on the issue.

SAO PAULO, Brazil Maybe they should have tried "John McCain."

WASHINGTON Both presidential candidates are promising federal dollars to help local governments fight crime and a review panel to examine the nation's crime-fighting priorities. Democrat Barack Obama would increase federal spending on programs popular with local law enforcement to put more cops on the beat and hire additional officers.

CINCINNATI President Bush reminded Americans Monday that his eight years of appointing conservative judges will affect the nation for decades, hoping to secure his legacy but also help fire up Republicans in must-win Ohio a month before the presidential election.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin says she's an open book regarding an abuse-of-power investigation. Apparently her staff doesn't feel the same way.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. Barack Obama said Monday that John McCain is trying to shift attention from the troubled economy because the issue is bad for the Republican presidential nominee's campaign.

JERUSALEM Three Israeli security figures said Monday they were duped into taking part in an ad supporting Barack Obama made by the same group that was behind comedian Sarah Silverman's "Great Schlep."

ASHEVILLE, N.C. The McCain and Obama presidential campaigns traded accusations of mudslinging Monday in the wake of new ads dredging up infamous events from 20, 30, even 40 years ago.

Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has continued but toned down her criticism Barack Obama's association with 1960s-era radical Bill Ayers and questioned the Democratic presidential candidates' relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, an incendiary former pastor. GOP presidential contender John McCain has previously condemned the North Carolina Republican Party in April for an ad that featured Wright. Here are the Republicans' remarks on the subjects:

NEW YORK It's starting to feel like Tina Fey is running for vice president.

A look at where Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain stand on a selection of issues:

GLEN MILLS, Pa. Like any good political operative, 80-year-old Frank Elwood checked a "street list" that broke down the party registration for members of his retirement complex, and found that Republicans outnumbered Democrats and independents 2-to-1.

WASHINGTON The next president will tip the courts, one way or another.

AURORA, Colo. A cartoon taped to the door of Barack Obama's campaign headquarters in Fort Collins, Colorado's fifth largest city, depicts a young man with a clothespin over his nose. The caption says, "I registered because the economy stinks."

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. Barack Obama likes to give himself star billing for his role in enacting ethics reforms in Illinois a decade ago, but he didn't act alone.

MIAMI On a muggy afternoon, more than 3,000 immigrants, most of them Hispanic, wave flags, cheer and weep as they swear to protect and defend the United States of America as its newest citizens.

IN THE HEADLINES

WASHINGTON By claiming that Democrat Barack Obama is "palling around with terrorists" and doesn't see the U.S. like other Americans, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin targeted key goals for a faltering campaign.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. Democrat Barack Obama, reacting to Republican charges about his links to a 1960s radical, fired back late Sunday with a Web video about John McCain's role in the Keating Five scandal from the early 1990s.

WASHINGTON The Republican National Committee plans to file a fundraising complaint against Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign Monday, alleging it has accepted donations that exceed federal limits as well as illegal contributions from foreigners.

OMAHA, Neb. Sarah Palin defended her claim that Barack Obama "pals around with terrorists," saying the Democratic presidential nominee's association with a 1960s radical is an issue that is "fair to talk about."

COLUMBUS, Ohio For the second day in a row, rock star Bruce Springsteen sang a few songs and urged thousands of potential voters in a battleground state to register and support Democrat Barack Obama.

WASHINGTON Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden has canceled his campaign appearances Monday and Tuesday after the death of his mother-in-law Sunday.