No one expected Hillary Clinton to cut short the roll call vote she had demanded as part of a “catharsis” for her embittered supporters. But suddenly there she was, on the floor with New York Governor David Patterson and Senior Senator Chuck Schumer, calling for the vote to stop, and Barack Obama to be nominated by acclamation. Delegates were stunned. Many were weeping. Laughing. Hugging. Screaming. I caught up with DNC chairman Howard Dean and asked him just how spontaneous it had been.  read more »

You don’t see too much of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama around the Senate these days. The rigors of the campaign trail hardly leave time for, say, voting on actual bills. But Tuesday both Democratic hopefuls dropped in on the Senate to cast votes on a pair of amendments tinkering with sky-high oil prices.  read more »

It's the issues, stupid! No seriously, what issues matter to you this November? This week we want you to tell Senators and Representatives - and as many as 2 million public radio listeners - what matters to you! Tell us if you want to ask your question on the air, and how we can contact you. Go to askyourlawmaker@cncnews.org - and check out Craig Newmark's blog on The Huffington Post and get connected!  read more »