Bill Daley

If ever there was a week for the nation to step back, take a deep breath and then exhale, this was it. The television news shows and cable channels minutely followed every twist of the presidential election saga, a thriller unprecedented in modern times. The political surrogates from both campaigns--chiefly former Commerce Secretary Bill Daley for Democrat Al Gore and a more numerous cast for Republican George W. Bush--filled the airways with spin.

Russia agreed Monday to curb steel exports to the United States by as much as 70% under a tentative deal with Washington to suspend an anti-dumping case against Russian exports. Commerce Secretary Bill Daley said Russia would halt exports of hot-rolled steel, a basic industry product, for six months, then limit shipments to the U.S. to 1996 levels. Russia also agreed to keep other steel exports at 1997 levels. "All these actions are intended to provide much needed relief to the U.S.

Negotiators for presidential contenders George W. Bush and Al Gore failed Friday to finalize formats for their October debates, but both sides said they made progress and would meet again today. Gore wants a different format for each debate--one traditional with candidates behind lecterns, one in a more relaxed town hall setting with audience participation and one following a talk show format--proposed by the nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

Less than 24 hours before the start of the Democratic National Convention, local organizers still had no final plan for divvying up the most coveted rewards for sponsors: credentials and sky boxes. Leaders of the host committee were waiting Sunday night to receive their allotment of sky box passes from the Democratic National Convention Committee. The late notice was generating confusion and fueling rumors about who was going to get what.

On vacation in Martha's Vineyard, President Obama managed to squeeze in some family time Thursday afternoon after spending the morning taking briefings on the economy, the situation in Libya and Hurricane Irene. Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and their two daughters spent the afternoon at a private beach, which they have already visited twice since arriving in Martha's Vineyard last Thursday. Before heading to the beach, Obama was briefed by his top counterterrorism advisor, John Brennan, on overnight developments in Libya.

What's a better warm-up act: Kid Rock or Barack Obama? The White House, already smarting from a scheduling skirmish with House Speaker John Boehner, is now working to appease an even mightier force: the National Football League. By postponing his jobs speech from next Wednesday to Thursday, Obama may have placated Republicans incensed at the idea of him overshadowing a presidential debate. But he's created a new set of challenges in trying to allow for maximum exposure for the key speech but avoid overstepping the awaited start of the new football season.

The National Governors' Assn. opened its annual meeting Saturday with a burst of presidential politics as Republican governors criticized Vice President Al Gore as a promoter of "the politics of false choice" and Democrats labeled Texas Gov. George W. Bush's record as "less than stellar." Neither Bush nor Gore, the apparent Republican and Democratic nominees for president, planned to attend the NGA meeting.

A senior advisor to President-elect Barack Obama warned Sunday that American automakers would have to come up with a plan to restructure before the industry received any federal bailout. "They're going to have to retool and rationalize their industry for the future. And if they don't do that, then there's very little that taxpayers can do to help them," incoming White House senior advisor David Axelrod said on ABC News' "This Week."

The Direct Marketing Assn. will require all of its members doing business in the United States to disclose to consumers when they are sharing their private information with other marketers. The new policy, to be announced today, is intended to prevent unwanted mail or phone solicitations from reaching consumers and to protect consumers' privacy. The trade group's members that deal with U.S.

SATURDAY Good Morning America (N) 7 a.m. KABC The Chris Matthews Show America in decline; tactics of GOP presidential hopefuls: Richard Stengel, Time; Katty Kay, BBC; Howard Fineman, the Huffington Post; Norah O'Donnell. (N) 5 p.m. KNBC McLaughlin Group (N) 6:30 p.m. KCET SUNDAY CBS News Sunday Morning Tyra Banks. (N) 6 a.m. KCBS Today (N) 6 a.m. KNBC Good Morning America (N) 6 a.m. KABC State of the Union With Candy Crowley Hearings on the radicalization of Muslim Americans: Rep. Peter King (R-N.