The economy:

"Economists continue to pare their forecasts for hiring and economic growth as high oil prices and other uncertainties sap confidence among businesses," the Wall Street Journal reports.

Scot Lehigh of the Boston Globe Notes the "lamentable absence" of deficit talk this campaign season. LINK

Congress returns:

The House rebuked the Bush Administration on overtime rules. LINK

"The House of Representatives on Thursday defied a White House veto threat by voting to block new regulations that critics say deny overtime pay to millions of workers," reports the Los Angeles Times. LINK

House Democrats — and 20 Republicans — gave a resounding thumbs down to the new Bush overtime rules. The 223-to-193 vote blocks the new overtime rules, under threat of White House reprisals. LINK

The politics of guns:

The Los Angeles Times' Simon gets to the crux of the politics behind the somewhat quiet lapsing of the assault weapons ban. LINK

"The ban fell to intense lobbying by the National Rifle Assn. and to fears among Democrats that gun-control advocacy was draining support from rural voters."

Did the assault weapons ban work? LINK

The land of 5 + 2 = 7:

The Chicago Tribune's Howard Witt and John McCormick outline the anatomy of Texans for Truth, Noting the light speed with which a 527 can arise from the mind of a well-connected operative, from idea to group to attack ads on the air. LINK

SBVf"T":

Swift Boat Veterans for Truth goes on the air today with a new/old spot, with a $680,000 buy, running for seven days on national cable TV. The previously released "Medals" ad will run on the following news outlets: "

Script:
VO: "Symbols. They represent the best things about America. Freedom … Valor … Sacrifice. Symbols, like the heroes they represent, are meant to be respected. Some didn't share that respect … and turned their backs on their brothers."

KERRY: " … renounce the symbols which this country gives … and that was the medals themselves … I gave back — I can't remember — six, seven, eight, nine … "

VO: "How can the man who renounced his countries symbols now be trusted? Swift Boat Veterans for truth is responsible for the content of this advertisement.

ABC News Vote 2004: The Big Four: Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin:

The Columbus Dispatch's latest poll "of Columbus-area residents on terrorism, Iraq and related issues contains plenty of worries for both presidential candidates" according to their pollster. LINK

The Columbus Dispatch reports on a veteran in the archival footage in the SBVfT's ad who "is infuriated that the anti-Kerry group is using his image, captured during a 1971 Vietnam Veterans Against the War demonstration, to represent vets who betrayed their military comrades." LINK

Lesley Clark of the Miami Herald reports that while President Bush may have the incumbent advantage in Florida and hurricanes have all but blown him off the radar screen in the Sunshine State, Senator Kerry went on the air with two new ads there on Thursday — the first since July — airing in the state's four largest media markets: Miami, West Palm Beach, Tampa and Orlando. The Bush campaign went up with its own ad, criticizing Kerry's Medicare votes. LINK

ABC News Vote 2004: the battlegrounds:

Elvia Díaz of the Arizona Republic reports the anti-illegal immigration initiative known as Protect Arizona Now has widespread support across party lines, according to a new Arizona Republic Poll. In a survey of 600 registered voters, Republicans favor the measure by an 8-1 ratio and Democrats favor it by an almost 3-1 ratio .LINK

The politics of Hurricane Frances:

While residents of the Keys evacuate to get away from the oncoming storm, the Palm Beach Post reports that it could be another week before Palm Beach County has power restored — particularly given the unknown effects of Ivan. LINK

The Los Angeles Times sizes up the political punch of three hurricanes in the Sunshine State. LINK

"So far, the Bush administration has received good grades from residents, while the Kerry campaign has had to keep its distance so it doesn't appear to be capitalizing on the disasters."

"Still, the storms did hit hardest in core Republican counties that dominate central Florida and both coasts. And normally reliable conservative voters — as well as some Democrats — might be too caught up with their losses to even show up at the polls, experts say."

ABC News Vote 2004: Nader-Camejo '04:

The Miami Herald 's Lesley Clark reports that a judge in Tallahassee has knocked Ralph Nader off the Florida ballot, apparently siding with Democrats who argued that though he won the Reform Party's nomination, the party itself isn't nearly the organization of Ross Perot and Pat Buchanan (We tend to find the balloon argument a little suspect.). Note that Nader has gotten on the ballot in about 23 states, but challenges and shortfalls of signatures have kept him off in Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Arizona. LINK

The Orlando Sentinel's John Kennedy has Nader spokesman Kevin Zeese arguing that Nader is being held to a different standard than other candidates. LINK

Steve Bousquet of the St. Pete Times Notes that Nader did not have a lawyer at the six-hour hearing on Wednesday, but lawyers for four voters, the Democratic Party and the Ballot Project were there. Bousquet writes that Nader campaign manager Theresa Amato said she had to search for a local lawyer to represent Nader, and found Kenneth Sukhia, 51, a partner in the Fowler White firm in Tallahassee and a former federal prosecutor. LINK

"The lawyer she chose gave more ammunition to Democrats' allegations that Republicans are helping Nader. . . . Sukhia was a member of the team of Republican lawyers who assisted President Bush in the 2000 recount, and was nominated by President Bush to a federal judgeship in 2001. His name was withdrawn because of Democratic opposition in the Senate."

Nader is calling the Dems' efforts to challenge his ballot status "political bigotry," the Chicago Tribune's Sarah Frank writes. LINK

Steve Miller of the Washington Times compares and considers the third-party presidential candidates who pose a threat to Bush in the way Nader rivals John Kerry. By Miller's count, the Libertarian Party is now on the presidential ballot in 44 states, the Constitution Party in 35 states, and the Green Party is now on the ballot in 28 states. LINK

Florida ballots may have been certified without Ralph Nader, but don't count him out yet. Any combination of a myriad of attorneys for Nader, the Reform Party and the state could appeal the Circuit Judge's decision today. LINK

Ralph Nader predicted a Kerry defeat at the breakfast formerly known as the Sperling Breakfast. LINK

David T. Cook of the Christian Science Monitor reports on what Nader believes history will say about his candidacy in 2004, "The way Bush is leading is way beyond any percentage we have . . . Our campaign was a little pony carrying water, offering water, to a panting, large horse in a race with another large horse. And the horse is not drinking. They [Kerry campaign] are not responding." LINK

Peter Wong of the Statesman Journal reports Ralph Nader's name will appear on the few thousand Oregon ballots being mailed overseas. However, it's still up in the air as to whether it will make a repeat appearance on state ballots Nov. 2. LINK

The politics of immigration:

Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson says it is "not realistic" to think millions so of illegal immigrants can be arrested and deported and doubts Americans have the "will … to uproot" those immigrants, reports Jerry Seper of the Washington Times . LINK

The politics of trade:

"A coalition of labor and industry groups, seeking to put election-year pressure on the Bush administration, filed a petition yesterday calling for a confrontational U.S. stance against China's currency policies — and was promptly rebuffed by administration officials" reports Paul Blustein of the Washington Post . LINK

Politics and the movies: Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post reviews the movie "Bush's Brain." "It would be easy to dismiss 'Bush's Brain' as mere ax-grinding if the filmmakers hadn't found some of Rove's erstwhile Republican allies to testify to his methods, which have ranged from the gleefully mischievous to the almost murderously vindictive," writes Hornday. LINK

Politics:

Michael Moore can't use a New York Times article in his next book, says the Times . LINK

MSG will profit little or nothing from the convention, the New York Times reports. LINK

The AP reports at least five Western and Midwestern governors received envelopes in the mail Thursday that were rigged to ignite when opened, prompting the evacuation of part of the state Capitol in Montana. Though there were no injuries, the envelopes were arranged with matches set to ignite when opened and were sent to the governors of Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Washington and Utah. LINK

"Jack and Bobby" — no relation, but yes, similarities — will debut on the WB this Sunday, Sept. 12. As the man from Hope, AR, recovers this weekend, he can relax and watch the boy from Hart, MO, start his own journey to the White House. From the West Wing's Executive Producer Tommy Schlamme and the other West Wing's Clinton alum Steven "Scoop" Cohen comes the new WB drama about two teen brothers, one of whom will become president of the United States in the year 2041. Set mostly in contemporary times, the series regularly flashes forward to 2049 with historians and former colleagues assessing the McCallister presidency as if being interviewed in a documentary.

"The West Wing" will be gone soon, and those of you who need a fix are likely to find your home here on this high buzz show.

The brothers' road to the White House begins Sunday at 9:00 pm ET; check your local listings. LINK

In Pennsylvania Thursday, former Vice President Al Gore "called Republican Senator Arlen Specter 'the Zell Miller of Pennsylvania'" while stumping for Rep. Joe Hoeffel, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. "Gore accused Specter of betraying his moderate roots and abandoning the environment and gun control." LINK