The Alaska special investigator on the Trooper-gate case is currently in contact with Gov. Palin and they are scheduling her deposition. According to our report, it will likely take place in the next few weeks and will almost certainly be under oath.

Palin was such a foe of Ted Stevens that she helped run his 527.

AP circulates internal talking points for defending Ron Fournier.

Reuters lets anonymous senior McCain aide try to pin Palin daughter story on Obama camp.

We haven’t touched it. But you probably know there have been internet-based rumors claiming that Sarah Palin’s newborn son Trig is actually the son of her 17 year old daughter, Bristol. In an effort to knock down these rumors, Palin and the McCain camp have now put out a statement claiming that Bristol Palin is currently five months pregnant with child, which she plans to keep and that she will soon marry the father.

I really do not know what to make of this story. But we wanted to keep you up on the latest and particularly the McCain/Palin statement.

Late Update: I’ll note also that the McCain campaign is lashing out at ‘liberal bloggers’ for this story coming to light and even perhaps the Obama campaign. I think we can chalk that down as another intemperate falsehood emanating from their campaign. I will note this. Vetting works in a fairly established way with most campaigns. The standard procedure in a case like this would have been for the campaign to have gone to a trusted reporter — and by that I don’t mean a hack but someone the campaign knew would deal with the story in an appropriate way — and given them the story about the family drama the Palins are going through, how the daughter is planning to have the baby, how it confirms the family’s values, etc. In an ideal world, the daughter’s life would be her own business. But in the world we live in the best for all concerned would be to give it a respectful airing on day one or two and take it off the table rather than have it come out in some more jagged and painful way. We don’t care about Palin’s daughter. Her life is her own. She’s not running for anything. What this does show is much more confirmation of what Republican operatives and pols are saying loquaciously off-the-record: that they don’t think there was any real vetting of Palin. Acting out from the McCain camp will not change that.

(ed.note: In the original version of this post, I wrote that “Bristol Palin is currently five months pregnant with another child, which she plans to keep …” The meaning of another was to distinguish this pregnancy from the rumor that she carried Palin’s son Trig. Several readers read this as an insinuation that this was Bristol’s second pregnancy. That wasn’t the intention and that doesn’t strike me as a logical reading. But to avoid any misunderstanding, I revised.)

In a conference call with reporters just now, RNC officials announced some additions to today’s abbreviated convention schedule.

First Lady Laura Bush will introduce a video of the various Gulf Coast state governors (all Republicans, I believe) this afternoon and Cindy McCain will also address delegates, urging support for hurricane victims. Their portion of the program is expected to begin shortly before 6 ET.

“We will try not to overly politicize it,” McCain campaign manager Rick Davis Davis said on the call, referring to the additions of Bush and McCain to today’s agenda.

Today’s events had already been largely canceled, except for necessary party business which has been condensed into a two-hour session this afternoon that was intended to be devoid of political speech-making and the other usual convention pomp and circumstance.

Late Update: On the call Davis suggested that no decision will be made on Tuesday’s schedule until Tuesday morning once the impact of Gustav can begin to be assessed.

As the conference call wrapped up, Davis appeared to play down the chances of McCain making his acceptance speech from the Gulf Coast or anywhere else other than St. Paul.

TPMmuckraker alum Laura McGann is on the location in Anchorage reporting on Palin pick for the Washington Independent.