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- Barack Obama gave another big-theme speech in Colorado Springs, CO, today -- his third this week. This one called for a renewed commitment to national service.
- John McCain was in Colombia to discuss free trade but the timing was pretty bad as a major McCain backer's firm (Chiquita Brands International) plead guilty to giving nearly $2 million to a Colombian paramilitary group designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.
- Steve Schmidt is taking over day-to-day operation of the McCain campaign, leaving Rick Davis free to pursue a more long-term strategy role. Marc Ambinder reports that this will likely result in an abandonment of the "regional campaign manager" organizational structure and that this large of a shake-up is probably a recognition that "the campaign had not sufficiently scaled up to fight against what is the best-run, best organized Democratic campaign in the history of the universe."
- The Washington Post ran what I suppose was designed to be controversial breaking news: that the Obamas were able to secure a low interest rate, 30-year fixed mortgage for their Chicago mansion! Nate Silver yawns and points out that "the Obamas were exceptionally creditworthy. So indeed, Obama received a "discount" -- the same discount that any borrower in his position would have received."
- Today's Gallup poll confirms that Hispanics are solidly behind Obama, except, of course, among conservative Hispanics and Republican Hispanics.
- The RNC is set to run $3 million worth of ads attacking Barack Obama in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
- SEIU is ramping up for the general election, and has $75 million set aside to bankroll ads and promote union membership in battleground states up and down ticket.
- Elizabeth Edwards will be headlining Healthcare for America Now, a $40 million campaign focused on promoting universal health-care this Fall.
- At a meeting in Denver, 100 conservative Christian leaders pledged their support for John McCain's presidential run.
--Mori Dinauer
