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The Morning Grind / Political Hot Topics |
Independent ads plucking at heart strings
 |  Sen. John Kerry speaks in Las Vegas Tuesday. Kerry travels to two showdown states Wednesday. |
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 VIDEO |
 CNN's Carol Costello previews the candidates' campaign day.
 CNN's Bill Hemmer explores the chance of another Election 2000.
 CNN's Jeff Greenfield on Jewish and Hispanic votes in Florida.
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Check out the links below to hot political stories around the country this morning.
EMOTIONAL APPEAL: With tens of millions of dollars to spend and messages that often pack a greater emotional punch than those of Bush and Kerry, independent groups are blitzing the airwaves in the presidential campaign's final stretch.
The Washington Post: Ads aiming straight for the heart
FAKE VOTERS?: Registrations that are faked or tossed out have emerged in key states struggling to comply with ballot reform and a flood of new sign-ups.
The Los Angeles Times: Signs of voter fraud appear
GOT IT COVERED: A new study of campaign reporting concludes that Senator John F. Kerry, buoyed by his performances in the presidential debates, was covered by the media far more favorably than President Bush in recent weeks.
The Boston Globe: Kerry winning the battle over coverage, study says
COURTING THE JEWISH VOTE: Republicans contend that after three years of strong support for Israel and tough talk on terrorism, the ''Jewish vote," to the extent that it is monolithic, is no longer reliably Democratic.
The Boston Globe: Courting of Jewish vote reaches a critical phase
TROUBLED EVANGELICALS: Conservative Christians are still in his camp, but some are troubled by Iraq and other issues.
The Los Angeles Times: Conflicted evangelicals could cost Bush votes
LONG DAYS, SHORT NIGHTS: With yesterday marking the longest day of Kerry's general election campaign, at 20 hours, the most grueling stretch of the presidential season has clearly arrived.
The Boston Globe: Down homestretch, Kerry steps up pace
ELECTION LAWSUITS BEGIN: Democrats in Florida already are pursuing nine election-related lawsuits, accusing state election officials of conspiring to disenfranchise minority voters.
The Washington Times: Democrats file 9 suits in Florida
HELP WANTED: Just a week before the most scrutinized presidential election in decades, election officials across the nation are struggling to recruit and train the poll workers crucial to a smooth voting process.
USA Today: Scarcity of poll workers persists
WILD CARD RACE: Many newly registered voters with uncertain allegiances are the focus of an intense tug of war in closely contested states.
The New York Times: As voting rolls increase, so do the wild cards
TIE POSSIBILITIES: A computer analysis finds no fewer than 33 combinations in which 11 battleground states could divide to produce a 269 to 269 electoral tie.
The Washington Post: Electoral college calculus
VOTERS FEAR FRAUD: Many Americans are worried about the accuracy of the voting process next week, a national poll finds, but election officials in most battleground states believe an influx of new voters and a high turnout will cause logistical problems -- not increase the specter of fraud.
The Washington Times: Electorate more fearful than officials of vote fraud
ROARING '90S: Trolling for votes on behalf of John Kerry, former President Bill Clinton brought his '90s nostalgia tour to the largely Jewish area of Boca Raton.
The New York Times: Clinton, campaigning in Florida, calls Kerry a stalwart friend of Israel
SWITCHING SIDES: 36 newspapers that endorsed President Bush four years ago and have flip-flopped, to coin a phrase, into Kerry's corner.
The Washington Post: 36 papers abandon Bush for Kerry
Compiled by Heather Riley
