A legislative committee investigating Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin says she unlawfully abused her authority in firing the state's public safety commissioner. The probe examined the dismissal of Walter Monegan, who says he lost his job because he resisted pressure to fire a state trooper involved in a bitter divorce with the governor's sister.

Hundreds of voters in an upstate New York county are sent absentee ballots in which they could vote for "Barack Osama." Election officials in Rensselaer County say the goof is just a typo, not a malicious attempt to link the Democratic presidential nominee with the world's most wanted terrorist.

With polls pointing to an increasing edge for Democrat Barack Obama, emotions run high at rallies for Republican presidential hopeful John McCain. Some in the crowd lash out at Obama with angry shouts of "terrorist" and "get him." And party stalwarts say McCain hasn't gone after Obama hard enough.

Sen. Barack Obama's campaign buys 30-minute blocks of time on CBS and NBC to run a half-hour commercial at 8 p.m. on Oct. 29, six days before Election Day. The move allows the Democratic presidential nominee an opportunity to make a closing argument to the entire country.

Alaska lawmakers are reviewing a sensitive ethics report on whether Gov. Sarah Palin, the GOP running mate, abused her power when she fired her public safety commissioner. They're expected to vote today on releasing that 300-page report. The Alaska Supreme Court on Thursday refused to stop the Palin probe.

Some Democratic strategists are now thinking what had been the unthinkable: a scenario where Barack Obama gets more than 350 electoral votes -- 80 more than is needed to win the presidency. The landslide could play out if the Democrat triumphs in four large states where Republican John McCain had been positioned to win. Obama May Steal Virginia From GOP