AP - In two short years, Sarah Palin moved from small-town mayor with a taste for mooseburgers to the governor's office and now — making history — to John McCain's side as the first female running mate on a Republican presidential ticket.

AP - There's no room at the Xcel Energy Center for maverick Ron Paul, so his acolytes have packed their cars, hitched rides on "Ronvoys" and will pitch tents at Ronstock '08 in Minneapolis in defiance of next week's GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn.

AP - The Maine artist who brought LOVE to the world is doing the same with HOPE.

Reuters - Hurricane Gustav strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Saturday, as it churned across warm Caribbean waters toward western Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

AP - Even against his hometown team's third-stringers and scrubs, Alex Smith demonstrated why he's no longer the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback.