US Election Diary: A political debate of epic proportions

If you thought the White House was the biggest thing at stake in November's election, think again: the Grand Canyon is up for grabs. A measure placed on the 6 November ballot by the Arizona Legislature would see the state declare sovereignty over the natural wonder, currently managed by federal administrators. The question is whether Americans should trust Arizonans with such a precious bounty. Remember: these are the people who auctioned off their State Capitol in 2009.

Driving the point home

The conservative Detroit News endorsed Mitt Romney yesterday. But there was no masking the effort to gloss over his opposition to the Obama auto bailout (Detroit is the capital of car-country). "Despite his wrong-headedness on the auto bailout, we believe Romney when he proclaims himself a 'car guy'. And he is indeed a son of Detroit, having grown up in the automobile industry," the paper said. OK, then.

Holy inappropriate remarks

Full marks to The Onion for speaking up for God. In a piece called The Heavens, the Almighty was yesterday quoted responding to Republican Senator Richard Mourdock's remarks on pregnancies resulting from rape. "Many people hear my name in connection with the Christian Right and start to assume we are somehow aligned in some capacity… We are not," he said.