To the Point

Kerry, Edwards, and the Swing States

The Democratic ticket was completed only yesterday, but John Kerry and John Edwards have already begun their first tour of so-called -swing states.- Today, in Cleveland, Ohio, they appeared with members of their family. Later today, the candidates will be in Florida, the state that made the difference four years ago. By Saturday, they will have crisscrossed the country, ending up in Edwards- home state of North Carolina, where President Bush was today. What do voters want to hear about the economy, the war in Iraq and the threat of terrorism? What local issues could turn the tide? What about Ralph Nader? Warren Olney gets a progress report on the presidential campaign from journalists and political scientists in Florida, Georgia, Arizona, Washington and Missouri. Making News: New Emergency Laws in Iraq In Baghdad today, Iraqi security forces were engaged by insurgents in a rare, daytime gun battle. Meantime, Iyad Allawi gave himself sweeping new powers, including the freedom to search and detain people without judicial orders. Annia Ciezadlo, who reports for the Christian Science Monitor, updates the situation in Baghdad and discusses several of the Prime Minister's emergency powers. Reporter's Notebook: Oregon Diocese First to File Bankruptcy In recent years, major corporations have declared bankruptcy to protect themselves against massive produce-liability damage suits. Now, the Catholic Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon has done the same thing, but in this case, the claims it fears are those related to sexual abuse by priests. Chuck Zech, a specialist in church finance and the author of Why Catholics Don-t Give-and What Can Be Done about It, calls the news a real shocker.