Ever since the New York Times broke the story about John McCain's close relationship with lobbyist Vicki Iseman, howls of outrage have been heard from one end of the right wing media world to the other. Outstanding Americans including Rush Limbaugh have accused the gray lady of publishing a partisan hatchet job on the Arizona senator who until this moment had been their public enemy no. 2 behind the mainstream media.

The story that McCain's aides tried to protect him because they were worried that their boss was having an extramarital affair with lobbyist Vicki Iseman struck a nerve. My colleague Aaron Katsman called it a "hit job", and investors who have long ago soured on newspaper stocks sent shares of the New York Times Co. (NYSE: NYT) downward. Meanwhile, a potential proxy fight looms with dissident shareholder Harbinger Capital.

But lost in the hoopla is the fact that the central theme of the story that aides were worried about McCain's relationship with Iseman during the 2000 campaign has been proven. In fact, other news organizations, including the Washington Post , were able to match the story. In fact, the Post is reporting today that McCain has some cozy relationship with other lobbyists even though he bad-mouths the profession all of the time. Both McCain and Iseman deny they had an affair or that she received any preferential treatment from the senator. Nonetheless, some former McCain aides were clearly worried about the lobbyist.

U.S. stock markets are poised to open higher today following yesterday's sell-off. S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial and Nasdaq-100 Index futures were all trading higher in London. according to Bloomberg News. Investors also will digest a report released today by the Federal Reserve showing modest growth in most of the country as consumer borrowing continues to rise.

Here's a quick rundown of other market-moving news:

Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ:COST) today reported disappointing second-quarter results as expenses grew faster than revenue. Net income was $249.5 million, or 54 cents per share, compared with $296.2 million, or 62 cents, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, profit would have been 66 cents. Revenue rose 7.5 percent to $14.06 billion. Analysts expected profit of 66 cents on sales of $15.48 billion.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE:WMT) reported a 0.9 percent increase in same-store sales in February, below the 1.5 percent expected by analysts polled by Thomson Financial, according to the Associated Press.

Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) is facing a proxy fight from an investors group seeking to take control of the board of directors and oust the CEO. Last month, company founder and former chief executive Ryan A. Bryant pleaded guilty to a state felony charged in connection with an options backdating scheme.

Walgreen Co. (NYSE:WAG) was sued by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly discriminating against Black employees, according to the New York Times.

Express Scripts Inc. (NASDAQ:ESRX) upped its $26.1 billion hostile takeover offer to buy Caremark Rx Inc. (NYSE:CMX), in an effort to thwart rival CVS Corp. (NYSE:CVS).