Des Moines

(Newser) - John McCain showed his combative side in a videotaped interview with the Des Moines Register yesterday, taking umbrage at questions about whether Sarah Palin might be inexperienced and whether some of his campaign ads might have stretched the truth. “I have always had 100%, absolute truth, and that's been...

(Newser) - Floodwaters breached a levee and a temporary barrier today near a residential neighborhood in Des Moines, forcing authorities to call for a mandatory evacuation of 270 homes, the AP reports. “There’s not anything else we can do,” said a city official. Storms throughout the region have killed...

(Newser) - The best cities are those where you can not only find work and affordable housing, but are also infused with culture and creativity, Kiplinger's Personal Finance writes. Its (somewhat surprising) top 10:

1. Houston: Flush with museums, nightlife, and a teeming job market.

(Newser) - Looking for love on this Valentine's Day? Maybe you should join a presidential campaign, the Christian Science Monitor reports. With the trail drawing energized, like-minded activists, traditionally tame vote-first states are earning new slogans like “what happens in Iowa stays in Iowa.” Indeed, staffers are finding love in...