the latest news on the election, “The Politics of Jesus” in Newsweek, Iraq, Nicaragua, and cluster bombs
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Full news summary:

Election Day-lead stories from major papers.

New York Times: Candidates Make Dash for Finish Line – “Candidates, party committees and interest groups flooded voters with a flurry of late advertising and heavy spending on turnout operations.”

Chicago Tribune: Caustic campaigns for Congress, governor go to bitter end – “On the last full day of costly and caustic campaigning before Tuesday’s general election, Republicans and Democrats raced to reach millions of voters in competitive House and Senate seats around the nation, while women candidates were poised to make historic gains in Congress.”

Washington Post: Angry Campaigns End on an Angrier Note – “As the 2006 campaign staggered to an angry close, national security and the Iraq war dominated the final-day debate of midterm elections in which national themes, not simply local choices, have framed the most competitive races.”

Los Angeles Times: Voting in a neck-and-neck nation – “The 2006 campaign, one of the nastiest battles and the most expensive ever for control of Congress, came to an end amid indications that months of debate over Iraq, political corruption and the Republican dominance of Washington could produce the highest voter turnout in decades for a midterm election.”

Boston Globe: Congressional rivals go at it for last round – “With control of Congress at stake and many key races too close to call, Democrats and Republicans used the last 24 hours before Election Day to make a flurry of closing arguments to sway voters and air a last round of television commercials.”

Philadelphia Inquirer. Balance hangs on key races – “Today, voters here and elsewhere will decide who controls Congress. The campaigning has stopped, the negative commercials are fading to black, and a bitter political season is coming to an end. Now, it’s up to the voters.”

The Politics of Jesus: Newsweek cover features. An Evangelical Identity Crisis – “Sex or social justice? The war between the religious right and believers who want to go broader.” Church Meets State – “The left often complains that evangelicals have too much influence in American life. But evangelicals themselves grumble that the politicians they help elect leave much of their agenda undone. So what impact has the religious right actually had on public policy? An overview.” A New Social Gospel – “Many evangelicals are chafing at the narrowness of the religious right. A new faith-based agenda.”

Iraq. Many Oppose Death Penalty for Hussein – “European politicians, including Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, spoke out against the death sentence for Saddam Hussein.” U.S. churches sharply divided on Iraq war – “America’s churches are still sharply divided on the war in Iraq as their flocks prepare to go to the polls, although backing for the conflict has dimmed even among the once solidly supportive evangelical community.”

Nicragua. Ortega back in power, polls show – “Former Sandinista head triumphs in Nicaraguan first round.” Leftist Headed Toward Victory in Nicaragua – “Partial results indicated that Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist president, would win the presidential election.”

Cluster bombs. Red Cross calls for ban on cluster bombs – “The international Red Cross called Monday for the abolition of cluster bombs, saying the indiscriminate deaths they cause–including children attracted by their bright color and the tiny parachute sometimes attached–outweigh any military advantages.”

Op-Ed. A state of missed opportunities (Israeli novelist David Grossman, The Guardian) – “This year, it is not easy to look at ourselves. We had a war. Israel flexed its huge military biceps, but at its back its reach proved all too short and brittle. We realised that our military might alone cannot, when push comes to shove, defend us. In particular, we discovered that Israel faces a profound crisis, much more profound than we imagined, in almost every part of our collective lives.”