Nevada political update: Election news in a battleground

By Lisa Mascaro · October 20, 2008 · 11:21 AM

WASHINGTON -- Greetings, Early Liners. This is one of those what-it’s-like-living-in-a-swing-state-weeks, with Bill Clinton’s visit yesterday and Sarah Palin’s stop on Tuesday.

Of course, I’m not there, but here in Washington, where Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is testifying before the House Budget Committee, as Congress continues investigating the financial crisis.

(Update: Porter's office said the congressman missed today’s Budget Committee hearing because he is presenting a purple heart medal to an Army veteran who had served in Iraq. Porter will be submitting a statement to the committee, and also plans to attend upcoming hearings before the Ways and Means Committee, on which he also serves.)

Here’s a quick recap of the weekend’s political news:

-- Republican John McCain’s robo-calls are "scummy," says Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. The McCain camp is trying to forge a link between Democratic candidate Barack Obama and 60s radical Bill Ayers.

-- Porter challenger Dina Titus stretched the truth in her latest TV ad, so says Sun reporter Megan McCloskey’s Truth Squad.

-- New details emerge in the 33-page civil suit filed against the governor by the woman who says he assaulted her, reports the Sun’s Jeff German.

-- A robust explanation of the union card check issue, which has been a not-so-secret weapon in Republican efforts to halt Democratic momentum this cycle.

-- Look for windmills in Searchlight.

-- Endorsements are here from the Sun and R-J.

-- Let the early voting begin.

And lastly, for those of you readers digging into the weeds with questions on credit default swaps, stay tuned. I’ve amassed a decent collection of potentially helpful stories from the weekend papers, and will post those in just a bit.

That’s it for now. Check back later for updates.