On this day in 1953 Dr. Jonas Salk announces he has successfully created a vaccine to combat polio, then one of the world's most terrifying viruses. Within just a few years, polio in America would all but disappear. On to today's top stories:

"Clinton: Wright 'Would Not Have Been My Pastor'" (Mike Wereschagin, David Brown and Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Hillary sat down with reporters and editors from the Trib-Review and dropped the W-card. "You don't choose your family, but you choose what church you want to attend."

"Clinton Seeks to Soften Impact of Misstatement" (Patrick Healy, New York Times) Maybe one reason Clinton dropped the Wright bomb is because she was looking to deflect questions from her Bosnia-sniping adventures. In addition, she tried to minimize her comments about Bosnia, explaining she was tired and simply misspoke.

"McCain Suggests Limits on Aid From Government in Housing Crisis" (Associated Press) In Calif., McCain tackled the housing crisis from a rightward direction. The speech also indirectly addressed McCain's admitted weakness on the economy, which Democrats are already pouncing on.

"In Obama's New Message, Some Foes See Old Liberalism" (Alec MacGillis, Washington Post) It's not hard to see how an Obama-McCain general election would go in theory: Obama would go after McCain on the war and the economy; McCain would go after Obama as offering nothing more different than old fashioned liberalism. Clinton's people try to make this argument too, but it's hard for them to criticize liberalism.

"Taxes: Obama Prospered as He Soared" (Kenneth Vogel, The Politico) Despite Michelle's college loans, the Obamas aren't exactly hurting, pulling in $3.9 million between 2000 and 2006. But the point of releasing his tax returns was to highlight the fact that Hillary hasn't released hers.

"Nancy Reagan Endorses McCain" (Liz Sidoti, Associated Press) Conservatives' den mother gave her nod to McCain yesterday as the latter spoke economics in California. But the endorsement is more a formality, and whether it would sway skeptical conservatives at this point is unlikely.

"Obama's Foreign Policy Ideas Fire Up Rivals" (Jay Solomon, Wall Street Journal) Obama has stuck by his promise to talk directly to some of America's (and the world's) worst enemies. McCain has pounced on it, offering another preview of a general election campaign.

"Presidential Hopefuls Are Mum on Medicare and Social Security Woes" (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Los Angeles Times) It's the gathering storm of American politics. Yesterday the annual report on the state of Medicare and Social Security came out (short version: not good), but nary a word was spoken on the trail.

"Why Have Clinton and Obama Ducked Gun Control Issue?" (David Lightman, McClatchy Newspapers) It's not all that shocking really. For years, national Democrats, and certainly presidential candidates, rarely mention gun control on the trail, and when they do, it's usually more in line with GOP sentiments.

Get today's other election stories at RCP's Politics and Election page.