AP - John McCain voiced concern for Gulf Coast residents fleeing the path of Hurricane Gustav on Saturday and made plans to visit Mississippi even as he reintroduced running mate Sarah Palin to a raucous crowd in a key battleground state.

AP - Likely GOP presidential nominee John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, are traveling to Mississippi on Sunday to check on people getting prepared for Hurricane Gustav.

AFP - China on Thursday ruled out Taiwan joining agencies of the United Nations, frustrating hopes that its stance might soften after the island elected a more China-friendly president earlier this year.

AFP - Barack Obama and John McCain were to hold rival rallies in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania Saturday as the race for the White House intensified with McCain's surprise pick of Alaska's little-known governor, Sarah Palin, as his running mate.

AP - If Democrats hoped to portray John McCain as captive to the oil industry, their task became more complicated with his selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate.

AP - In two short years, Sarah Palin moved from small-town mayor with a taste for mooseburgers to the governor's office and now — making history — to John McCain's side as the first female running mate on a Republican presidential ticket.

AP - Democrat Barack Obama's latest ad carefully avoids direct criticism of GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin while seeking to make the case that John McCain's campaign offers no change from President Bush.

AP - Barack Obama expressed hope Saturday that the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina three years ago would help to protect the Gulf Coast from Hurricane Gustav this time. His running mate, Joe Biden, urged people to pray that the levees in New Orleans hold.

AP - Keep your eyes on Pennsylvania and Michigan.

AP - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Thursday of pushing Georgia toward war and said he suspects a connection to the U.S. presidential campaign — a contention the White House dismissed as "patently false."

AFP - Barack Obama and John McCain were to hold rival rallies in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania Saturday as the race for the White House intensified with McCain's surprise pick of Alaska's little-known governor, Sarah Palin, as his running mate.

AP - Republican John McCain introduced first-term Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate Friday, a stunning selection of a little-known conservative newcomer who relishes fighting the establishment.