I asked Joe Trippi, a former senior adviser to John Edwards, why the North Carolina senator decided to endorse Barack Obama today.

He said he didn't know the motivations. He wanted to talk impact.

"I don't know why, I just know it's big," he said. "I don't know what other endorsement you'd really want right now. He is Mr. Blue Collar. His whole life has been fighting for blue-collar people."  read more »

The news of John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama was reported as Hillary Clinton addressed her top donors in her Washington, D.C., home today.

"It actually broke during the meeting, and I was passing my BlackBerry around when NBC confirmed it," said one donor in the room.  The reaction of the fund-raisers in the room was mixed, according to the bundler. "Some people said, 'Shit, now we have to deal with this?' Other people said, and I agree with this, 'Who cares? Maybe if he did it two months ago. But now who cares?'"

Someone in the room sought to inform Clinton of the news by declaring out loud "Edwards has just endorsed Obama," according to the donor.  read more »

Matt Bai's article on John McCain for this Sunday's New York Times was just released online.

Among other things, Bai reports that there is a quietly held belief among some of the other Vietnam veterans in the Senate that McCain is an unwavering backer of the war in Iraq, essentially, because prison spared him many of the embittering experiences of Chuck Hagel, Jim Webb and John Kerry:  read more »

And another one drops at the Washington Post! Michael Calderone at Politico is reporting that legendary writer David Broder is the latest to take a buyout from the paper, though he'll remain on contract. The 78-year-old Broder told Calderone there were two reasons he's leaving: (1) he can get off the newsroom budget, and help them save a little dough and (2) they're giving him a "generous" package.  read more »

EMILY's List, which supports Hillary Clinton, reacts harshly to what it calls the "tremendously disrespectful" endorsement of Barack Obama by NARAL.

The following is a statement from EMILY’s List president Ellen R. Malcolm on NARAL’s endorsement in the Democratic presidential competition:  read more »

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Fashion Week Daily has confirmed that Nina Garcia has accepted an offer from Hearst Corporation and will be joining Marie Claire as its new fashion director in the fall. Meanwhile rumors about Marie Claire replacing Elle as Project Runway's sponsor still have not been confirmed, but a source tells FWD that "negotiations are just starting, if even that," and that Ms.  read more »

On a conference call today, the Clinton campaign argued that after her victory in West Virginia–and counting the votes in Florida and Michigan–Hillary Clinton now leads in the popular vote. "Hillary Clinton has now moved ahead in the popular vote," said campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe. (In that calculation, the Clinton campaign is not awarding any Michigan votes for the "uncommitted" choice to Obama, who was not on the ballot there.)  read more »

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Matthew Broderick became a landlord today, city records show. The Ferris Bueller's Day Off star took over the title of the 5,000-square-foot co-op at 360 West 36th Street where his late mother, Patricia, lived. The fourth-floor, 10-room rental in a 1920 Art Deco building is listed with Stribling at $18,500 per month.  read more »

The rumors are running wild in D.C. that sometime later this week, Post editor Leonard Downie will take a buyout and step down. A short-list of candidates is making its way around, and Michael Calderone at Politico sizes it up.  read more »