Obama Records Radio Ad for Georgia's Martin

Senator apologizes for comment posted from his office

(NEWSER) - Sen. Saxby Chambliss issued a formal apology yesterday for the anti-gay comments posted to a website by a member of his staff ... who savvily did so while at work in the senator's office. "I am sorry for the hurt this incident has caused," Chambliss said in a written statement. "Such comments are simply unacceptable and not befitting those who work in the US Senate, and I will not tolerate them from my staff." However, his office would not say who actually posted the slur, notes the Journal-Constitution . More»

Northeast, Midwest would lose seats if today's census was used

(NEWSER) - The South is gaining population and power at the expense of the Northeast and Midwest, according to Census Bureau estimates released yesterday. If House seats were distributed based on the estimates, which are believed to be a strong predictor of the 2010 census results, Texas would be the big winner, gaining three seats, with Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Nevada, South Carolina, Utah, and Washington each adding one. More»

Cleland describes how he survived grenades and Republican attack ads

(NEWSER) - Max Cleland may be a living symbol of dedication to country—the former Georgia senator lost both legs and an arm to a grenade in Vietnam—but that didn't stop Karl Rove's political machine from ending his political career with attacks on his patriotism. "There are plenty of reasons to go after me, but my military service is not one of them," Cleland tells NPR while discussing his new memoir, Heart of a Patriot. More»

(NEWSER) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the "positive signals" coming from Barack Obama's camp could lead to warmer relations between the two countries, Reuters reports. “If these are not just words, if they get transformed into a practical policy, then of course our reaction will be adequate and our American partners will feel this at once,” said Putin, in a marked contrast to heated rhetoric during the Georgia crisis. More»

(NEWSER) - Republican Saxby Chambliss has held onto his Senate seat in Georgia, a crucial win that prevents Democrats from reaching a filibuster-proof 60 seats, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Chambliss handily defeated Democratic challenger Jim Martin in today's runoff. He led 57% to 43% with 99% of returns in. Although Minnesota's Senate race remains undecided, the best Democrats can hope for now is 59 seats. More»