OFF TO THE RACES: Prep time
NBC’s Monica Alba and Ali Vitali lay out how each candidate is preparing for Monday’s debate.
For everything you need to know about the first presidential debate this Monday go to nbcnews.com/debates.
The New York Times also looks at debate prep — and what each candidate has to do to win.
POLITICO writes on "what’s worrying Clinton’s inner circle – that victory will come down to something like tone, which she has always struggled with, vacillating between cold and severe to thoughtful and wry. But the traditional, substantive sessions now underway are key to settling the candidate’s head, longtime aides said. 'The prep matters because it gives her the confidence to know she is armed,' said one longtime Clinton ally. 'She will feel more comfortable if she's prepared the way she likes to prepare.’"
Don’t look now, but there could be the risk of a government shutdown if Congress can’t reach a spending compromise before next weekend. Here’s what you need to know, from the AP.
Trump’s embrace of more use of "stop-and-frisk” overlooks some major issues with the tactic.
An Ohio volunteer chair for Trump’s campaign has resigned after making racially-charged statements.
The Washington Post outlines how Trump has ratcheted up his nationalist rhetoric.
In Pennsylvania yesterday, Trump slammed "the narrative of cops as a racist force in our society.”
The New York Times notes that critics worry Trump’s crime plan will hit minorities harder.
Trump is pitching to be the voice of “forgotten Americans,” telling a mostly white crowd in Pennsylvania that he can be a champion for minorities.
By the way, here’s all the latest from the tense situation in Charlotte, via NBCNews.com.
"Two senior Democratic lawmakers with access to classified intelligence on Thursday accused Russia of “making a serious and concerted effort to influence the U.S. election,” a charge that appeared aimed at putting pressure on the Obama administration to confront Moscow,” writes the Washington Post. "The jointly issued statement from Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Adam B. Schiff — Californians who are the ranking Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees, respectively — described recent cyber penetrations of the Democratic National Committee and other U.S. political entities as intrusions that were likely directed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
"A White House contractor's email appears to have been hacked, leaking material ranging from Michelle Obama's passport to the number of stairs the Secret Service anticipated Joe Biden would be climbing during a trip to Cleveland,” writes NBCNews.com.
The Washington Post has a deep dive into Trump’s relationship with the medium that made him a star: TV.
The LA Times editorial board endorsed Clinton, saying “we can elect an experienced, thoughtful and deeply knowledgeable public servant or a thin-skinned demagogue who is unqualified and unsuited to be president. "