• Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is taking steps to allow Vladimir Putin to return as president in 2009. According to Russian sources, Medvedev may push for changes to the constitution so former President Putin can return to power. — Reuters [1]
• US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has traveled to the Middle East. Today she is in Israel to participate in peace talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials. — Voice of America [2]
• Rebels in the Congo have taken over more villages, as they extend their control in the eastern region of the embattled country. — BBC News [3]



• Democrats picked up another seat in the Senate, as Democrat Jeff Merkley defeated five-term incumbent Republican Gordon Smith of Oregon. — Huffington Post [4]
• The Bradley effect, the theory that people lie to pollsters or to themselves about voting for a black candidate, did not exist on Tuesday. Experts now say there is no point in continuing the discussion about how closeted racists impact polling. — New York Times [5]

Source [6]