Day: June 15, 2008

Luke Russert touches the chair his father occupied on Meet the Press for more than 16 years. The chair sat empty Sunday for a tribute to Russert in the program’s normal time slot (Reuters Photo)

Tim Russert’s chair was empty on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, two days after his unexpected death.

But Russert was very much present on the full-hour tribute to this giant of political journalism who hosted NBC’s public-affairs program for more than 16 years.

Americans dissatisfied with political sound bites are turning to the Internet for a more complete picture, a new study finds.

In a report Sunday, the Pew Internet and American Life Project said that nearly 30 percent of adults have used the Internet to read or watch unfiltered campaign material — footage of debates, position papers, announcements and transcripts of speeches.

Former Democratic vice presidential nominee John Edwards said Sunday he would have to "seriously" consider another shot at the job if asked by White House hopeful Barack Obama.

But the former North Carolina senator, who unsuccessfully ran for the party’s nomination this year and was on John Kerry’s ticket in 2004, reaffirmed that he was not actively seeking to be Obama’s running mate.

Barack Obama celebrated Father’s Day by calling on black fathers, who he said are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," to become active in raising their children.

House rank and file Republicans are tens of millions of dollars short of meeting fundraising targets set by their own campaign committee in advance of this fall’s elections, according to figures circulating among the leadership, heightening concerns inside the party about major losses in November.