latimes.com

West Virginia could spell trouble for Obama

May 10, 2008 3:00 AM EDT

Scant support among white working-class Democrats, especially men, could dog him into November.

In Hardy County, Democrats outnumber Republicans more than 2 to 1. But there is little enthusiasm for Barack Obama in this mountainside enclave, a portent of trouble for the Illinois senator in next week's West Virginia primary and the general election beyond.

Libertarian Bob Barr: a Ralph Nader for John McCain?

May 10, 2008 3:00 AM EDT

He lacks mass appeal, but some say Barr could nevertheless be a 'spoiler' for Republicans -- if he runs.

There's little evidence in Bob Barr's office that the former Republican congressman is on the verge of running for president.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama beat John McCain in Los Angeles Times poll

May 10, 2008 3:00 AM EDT

She's seen as best able to manage voters' top priority, the economy, and the Republican is seen as least able.

Although Democrats are tangled in a fractious primary contest, both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama probably would win the White House against presumptive GOP nominee John McCain if the election were held now, according to a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll.

Unfazed, Hillary Clinton presses on

May 10, 2008 3:00 AM EDT

The candidate and her supporters remain energetic and hopeful for an upset that could sway superdelegates.

With deep concern etched on her face, Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton listened intently Friday morning as Jordan Kokich, a willowy 22-year-old cancer survivor, described her heart-rending history of debilitating health problems.

9 more superdelegates endorse Barack Obama

May 10, 2008 12:45 AM EDT

With the endorsements, some tallies put him ahead of Hillary Clinton in the crucial count as both candidates focus on the Oregon primary.

Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton each insisted Friday that the race for the Democratic presidential nomination wasn't over, even as Obama racked up at least nine more superdelegate commitments -- including another Clinton defector.

For Hillary Clinton, no 'clear path to victory' -- nor to an exit

May 9, 2008 3:00 AM EDT

Her supporters, largely resigned to losing, discuss a way out as she continues to campaign.

She's darting around the country like a full-fledged presidential candidate, but within Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's circle of advisors and donors, the conversation has turned to how she can make a dignified exit from the race.

FBI is called slow to join the terrorism fight

May 9, 2008 3:00 AM EDT

A Senate committee wonders whether the bureau can transform itself. Gaps in training and vacancies in key positions are among the issues cited.

Nearly seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI "has yet to make the dramatic leaps necessary" to become an effective intelligence-gathering organization and protect the country from terrorism, a congressional analysis released Thursday said.

John McCain backed a land swap that would benefit donor

May 9, 2008 3:00 AM EDT

A company hired to build houses on some of the acreage is run by a man who has given $100,000 to the Republican candidate.

Sen. John McCain championed legislation that will let an Arizona rancher trade remote grassland and ponderosa pine forest here for acres of valuable federally owned property that is ready for development, a land swap that now stands to directly benefit one of his top presidential campaign fundraisers.

Medicare targets marketing abuses with rules proposal

May 9, 2008 3:00 AM EDT

Senior citizens in Medicare have reported being sold coverage they don't want or need. Some people aren't sure if the federal government can enforce the proposed rules.

Medicare proposed new rules Thursday to curb marketing abuses that have cropped up as the role of private insurance plans has grown in the giant healthcare program for the elderly and disabled.

Rep. George Miller seeks criminal investigation into Crandall Canyon Mine deaths

May 9, 2008 3:00 AM EDT

The Martinez congressman says the mine operator may have 'willfully misled' the Mine Safety and Health Administration. He has referred the matter to the Justice Department.

Federal prosecutors should open a criminal investigation into the deaths of nine people in a Utah mine collapse last year, Rep. George Miller (D-Martinez) said Thursday.