AP - Sarah Palin was a relative newcomer to politics when she took on Alaksa's Republican boss and quietly challenged his ethics. From the outside, though, it looked as if she might be part of cover-up, and Palin feared her once-promising political future was over almost before it began.

AP - Democrat Joe Biden has tapped Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm to be the stand-in for Sarah Palin as he prepares for next month's vice presidential debate.

Politico - With Sarah Palin facing unrelenting press scrutiny and enjoying off-the-charts excitement from voters, John McCain’s campaign is quickly moving to augment her staff and put in place an infrastructure that can address the unexpected wave of interest.

AP - Republican Rep. Ron Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas lawmaker who attracted a devoted following in the GOP primaries, said Wednesday he rejected an appeal to endorse John McCain's presidential bid.

AP - Barack Obama says kids who want to be president one day might want to think again.

AP - Republican presidential nominee John McCain and his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, equated lawmakers' requests for funding for special projects with corruption on Wednesday even though Palin herself has requested nearly $200 million in so-called "earmarks" this year.

AP - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Wednesday accused Republican John McCain's campaign of using "lies and phony outrage and Swift-boat politics" in claiming he used a sexist comment against vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

AP - Tamil Tiger rebels launched an air raid and a ground assault led by a team of suicide commandos on a military complex in northern Sri Lanka early Tuesday. The military said 25 people, including a civilian, were killed in the attack.

AP - The Alaska state trooper at the heart of a legislative investigation into whether Gov. Sarah Palin abused her power said Tuesday he has not been contacted by the man overseeing the inquiry.

AP - John McCain took a risk in picking little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a running mate, but now the campaign's playing it safer. She's sticking to a greatest hits version of her convention speech on the campaign trail and steering clear of questions until she's comfortable enough for a hand-picked interviewer later this week.

Politico - Barack Obama and his Democratic allies are intensifying their attacks on Sarah Palin, as her sustained and surprising central role in this race is upending Obama’s strategy and often overshadowing McCain.

AP - With a pair of easy primary victories behind them, comedian-turned-politician Al Franken and Sen. Norm Coleman wasted no time diving into the homestretch of their already long-running Minnesota Senate battle.