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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| McCain seeks to win back momentum | McCain seeks to win back momentum |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| US Republican presidential candidate John McCain is to campaign in Colorado, as he seeks to take advantage of his rival's brief absence from the trail. | US Republican presidential candidate John McCain is to campaign in Colorado, as he seeks to take advantage of his rival's brief absence from the trail. |
| Barack Obama has halted campaigning to see his ill grandmother, citing fears she will not live until election day. | |
| Polls show Mr Obama's lead growing in some states, but narrowing in Florida. | |
| Meanwhile, Mr McCain's running mate Sarah Palin is to give a deposition to a second inquiry into her alleged abuse of power as governor of Alaska. | |
| It comes as two leading Republicans announced they had chosen to endorse Mr Obama rather than their party's own candidate. | It comes as two leading Republicans announced they had chosen to endorse Mr Obama rather than their party's own candidate. |
| They are former Bush White House press secretary Scott McClellan and Republican Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson. | They are former Bush White House press secretary Scott McClellan and Republican Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson. |
| The news, only days after former Secretary of State Colin Powell gave his endorsement to the Democratic candidate, may dent Mr McCain's efforts to seize back the initiative, correspondents say. | The news, only days after former Secretary of State Colin Powell gave his endorsement to the Democratic candidate, may dent Mr McCain's efforts to seize back the initiative, correspondents say. |
| Mr Obama has travelled to Hawaii to be with Madelyn Dunham, his 85-year-old grandmother, and will return to the campaign trail on Saturday. | |
| "Without going through the details too much, she's gravely ill," he told ABC news. | |
| "We weren't sure and I'm still not sure whether she makes it to election day." | |
| Ethics questions | Ethics questions |
| Mrs Palin will take a break from campaigning in Pennsylvania and Missouri on Friday to give her deposition to the Alaska Personnel Board investigation. | Mrs Palin will take a break from campaigning in Pennsylvania and Missouri on Friday to give her deposition to the Alaska Personnel Board investigation. |
| Mrs Palin rejected the first ethics inquiry as politically motivated | Mrs Palin rejected the first ethics inquiry as politically motivated |
| The governor is accused of violating ethics rules when she fired the state's top law enforcement official, Walt Monegan, allegedly because he refused to sack her former brother-in-law, a state trooper. | The governor is accused of violating ethics rules when she fired the state's top law enforcement official, Walt Monegan, allegedly because he refused to sack her former brother-in-law, a state trooper. |
| A lawyer for Mrs Palin said she would speak to the independent lawyer leading the inquiry - which was requested by herself - in an interview expected to last up to three hours. | A lawyer for Mrs Palin said she would speak to the independent lawyer leading the inquiry - which was requested by herself - in an interview expected to last up to three hours. |
| Her husband, Todd, will also give a deposition to the lawyer, Timothy Petumenos. | Her husband, Todd, will also give a deposition to the lawyer, Timothy Petumenos. |
| An initial investigation by Alaska's state legislature found Mrs Palin had the authority to remove Mr Monegan from his post but had breached ethics laws in seeking to have her ex-brother-in-law fired. | An initial investigation by Alaska's state legislature found Mrs Palin had the authority to remove Mr Monegan from his post but had breached ethics laws in seeking to have her ex-brother-in-law fired. |
| The McCain-Palin campaign dismissed it as politically motivated. | The McCain-Palin campaign dismissed it as politically motivated. |
| Campaign spokesman Taylor Griffin said the second inquiry was one Mrs Palin had requested "to make sure the facts were out there on this". | Campaign spokesman Taylor Griffin said the second inquiry was one Mrs Palin had requested "to make sure the facts were out there on this". |
| Tax attacks | Tax attacks |
| Mr McCain spent Thursday campaigning in the key I-4 corridor in central Florida, travelling from the Atlantic coast to Sarasota on the Gulf of Mexico. | Mr McCain spent Thursday campaigning in the key I-4 corridor in central Florida, travelling from the Atlantic coast to Sarasota on the Gulf of Mexico. |
| Mr Obama will return to the campaign trail on Saturday | Mr Obama will return to the campaign trail on Saturday |
| He has been stepping up his attacks on Mr Obama as a tax-and-spend Democrat who wants to share the wealth. | He has been stepping up his attacks on Mr Obama as a tax-and-spend Democrat who wants to share the wealth. |
| "He's more concerned about using taxes to spread the wealth than creating a tax plan that creates jobs and grows our economy," Senator McCain told a cheering crowd at an Ormond Beach, Florida. | "He's more concerned about using taxes to spread the wealth than creating a tax plan that creates jobs and grows our economy," Senator McCain told a cheering crowd at an Ormond Beach, Florida. |
| A Quinnipiac poll indicated that Mr Obama's eight-point lead on 1 October had contracted to 5%. | |