Hoping to ease high gas prices, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on Sunday announced a plan to crack down on “excessive energy speculation.” The plan includes a measure to fully close the so-called “Enron Loophole,” which the Obama camp says prevents the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from effectively investigating instances where market speculation might be driving up prices.

The New York Times reports on the Obama campaign’s ties to the ethanol industry.

In a speech later today on energy policy, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will reportedly propose offering a “$300 million prize for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.”

CUBA: The case of Elian Gonzales remains an election issue (ChiTrib) for Cuban-Americans in Miami.