Reuters is reporting that McCain now has a five point lead over Obama.  Like all polls, this one is just a data point, and people should not get too high or low over any one poll.

In a sharp turnaround, Republican John McCain has opened a 5-point lead on Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race and is seen as a stronger manager of the economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, wiping out Obama's solid 7-point advantage in July and taking his first lead in the monthly Reuters/Zogby poll.

Poll shows McCain in 5-point lead over Obama

More, after the fold.

(also on Dkos)

Six California farm workers have died since May from what appears to be heat related causes.  The latest one was Maria de Jesus Alvarez, 63, mother of nine, who died early this month.  The first one to die was 17-year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, who died in May.  Marie was about a month pregnant when she died, and likely did not ever know she was pregnant. The state fined the labor contractor $262,700 for failing to follow heat illness prevention regulations at the time Jimenez was stricken, but that won't bring her back. And the deaths have continued at an accelarated pace since then.

You can help to end this tragedy. This Monday, August 18, more than 800 farm workers from throughout California want to go to Sacramento to lobby the Legislature on a key bill that will help them help themeselves. They want the chance to tell the Governor and their elected officials to support AB 2386, "Secret Ballot Elections for Farmworkers," which has moved out of the assembly and which will be voted on that afternoon in the state senate.  

How you can help, after the fold.

I have been writing for months on the deaths of farmworkers in California from the heat.

United Farm Workers Calls for Manslaughter Charges Against Company in Death of 17 Year Old  

How many Farmworkers must die before someone cares??

Please Tell Fallen Farm Worker's Family We Care

"How much is the life of a farm worker worth? Is it less than the life of any other human being?"

Another farm worker died from the heat today.  5 in the last three months.

Come around after the fold for the sad news.

TPM is reporting some good news!  The House Judiciary Committee has just voted to hold Rove in contempt of Congress for refusing to testify regarding any involvement in prosecution of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman.

The House Judiciary Committee has just voted to hold Karl Rove in contempt for failing to respond to a subpoena to the committee.

The final vote was 20 ayes and 14 nays. With Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) voting "absolutely, 100% aye."

http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.co m/2008/07/in_contempt_vote_on_karl_rove. php

This should be fun!!

Jeff Merkley, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Oregon, is calling on Republican Senator Gordon Smith to give up $39,000 in campaign contributions he received from Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens, who was indicted today. Merkley is calling for Smith to donate the money to charities to help provide health insurance to Oregon children.

Ted Stevens was indicted today on federal corruption charges. Stevens has contributed $39,000 to Smith's campaign.

"Senator Smith should donate these contributions to charities to help provide health insurance to Oregon children," said Speaker Jeff Merkley. "Ted Stevens has been indicted on very serious ethical charges. These charges cast an ethical cloud on money he raised from oil companies and others, some of which he passed on to Gordon Smith."

This is big.

Great news for all of us who seek a Blue/Green Alliance!  The Teamsters today left the ANWR coalition, a group in favor of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  Jim Hoffa has just announced that the Teamsters are pulling out of the coalition supporting drilling in ANWR and are shifting their support to efforts to build coalitions with green groups to create a sustainable energy economy around sources like solar, wind and geothermal.

"We are not going to drill our way out of the energy problems we are facing--not here and not in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge," Hoffa told labor and environmental activists at an Oakland, Calif., summit on good jobs and clean air. "We must find a long-term approach that breaks our dependence on foreign oil by investing in the development of alternate energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal power."

Hoffa Rejects 'Drilling Our Way Out' of Energy Crisis, Demands Long-Term Policy Solutions

More, after the fold.

(also on dkos)

Al Gore says it all today and shows where we must go.

The whole speech, followed by Barack Obama's words of support.  Come on folks, pull your sleeves up.  We've got work to do.

Text of the speech, after the fold.

[For those who missed the live video link in Todd's front page post and liveblogging]

I like what I'm hearing.  Barack Obama spoke before the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Convention today.  Yesterday, he said this about SEIU's help for him in the primaries:

"SEIU's endorsement has made a tremendous impact over the course of this campaign. Their trademark purple has been a presence everywhere--at rallies, at worksites, and most importantly, on the doors and phones, talking to voters about the kind of change we can bring about if we change our politics."

I have video of the speech below. It's great. Please watch it if you can. This is how Obama will win the votes of working folks. I hear in Barack Obama a key theme that attracted me to John Edwards:

Change is building an economy that rewards not just wealth but work and the workers who work hard every day

We need a nation that rewards work, not just wealth.  Barack Obama will help make that change, if we all work for it.  

(also on dkos and doucudharma)