 |
|
The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
Dean ends his campaign
 |
Howard Dean, pictured here with his wife Judith Steinberg Dean, announced Wednesday that he would end his campaign.
Story Tools
| ON CNN TV | 
An interview with John Kerry -- fresh from his endorsement in Washington by the AFL-CIO -- highlights the Thursday edition of "Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics" at 3:30 p.m. ET.
|
VIDEO
|
Gallup's Frank Newport on a new poll's indications about Kerry vs. Bush.
CNN's Candy Crowley on the rise and fall of Howard Dean.
CNN's John King on poll indications that Bush may be losing credibility with voters.
|
SPECIAL REPORT
|
|
|
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
• DEAN DROPS OUT: Dean withdrew from the Democratic presidential race yesterday with much more than souvenirs from Milwaukee. In short, he showed Democrats that it was possible to confront the White House with a populist rallying cry and win over voters. The two remaining major contenders now echo Dean's lines.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Dean quits
• TWO-MAN RACE: A once-crowded race for the Democratic presidential nomination is now a streamlined, two-man, coast-to-coast contest.
The News & Observer: Contest comes down to a duel
• SECOND PLACE WILL NO LONGER DO: Put simply, second place will no longer do. After John Edwards's closer-than-expected showing in the Wisconsin primary Tuesday, the big question in American politics was whether he could overcome significant financial and political obstacles and actually deprive the front-runner, John Kerry of the Democratic presidential nomination.
The New York Times: Second place or close wins are no longer Edwards's options
• PROTECTION PLAN: Massachusetts Democrats are devising a plan to keep John Kerry's US Senate seat in their party's hands by blocking Governor Mitt Romney from naming an interim replacement if Kerry wins the White House.
The Boston Globe: Democrats eye plan to protect Kerry Senate seat
• CAMPAIGN CASH: The Federal Election Commission said on Wednesday that advocacy groups that were established to get around fund-raising restrictions in the new campaign finance law could continue to spend unlimited contributions for television commercials and other communications, though they must do so under far more restrictive rules.
The New York Times: Advocacy groups allowed to raise unlimited funds
• GET A GRIP: Democratic presidential candidates have made the loss of U.S. jobs to international competition the centerpiece of their campaigns, but even some of the candidates' economic advisers acknowledge that remedies offered -- such as closing tax loopholes on overseas income and offering tax breaks for domestic hiring -- would probably do little to stop the bleeding.
The Washington Post: Democrats can't get firm grip on jobs issue
• TRADE-ING JABS: With the battle for the Democratic nomination reduced to a two-man race, John Kerry and underdog John Edwards jabbed at each other over trade and electability Wednesday as they pointed to a potentially decisive 10-state showdown on March 2.
The Washington Post: Kerry, Edwards spar over trade
• KERRY CONTRIBUTIONS: Sen. John F. Kerry sent 28 letters on behalf of a San Diego defense contractor who pleaded guilty last week to illegally funneling campaign contributions to the Massachusetts senator and four other congressmen.
The Los Angeles Times: Kerry lobbied for contractor who made illegal contributions
• THE KERRY KISS: Can Kerry match the Gore convention kiss?
The Washington Post: A kiss is just a kiss?
Compiled by Heather Riley
