Asymmetry between the major parties fries the circuits of the mainstream press  —  And five other ideas I use to interpret campaign coverage this year.  —  On the eve of the first debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, I thought I would write down some of the precepts and maxims …

Trump, Clinton Deadlocked in Bloomberg Poll Before Key Debate  —  The Republican nominee erased the Democrat's advantage in August's two-way contest.  —  McCormickJohn  —  Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are locked in a tied two-way race for the presidency as they head to Hofstra University …

Report: Lester Holt May Pull a Candy Crowley at First Presidential Debate  —  CNN's Brian Stelter says Lester Holt is signaling to his NBC colleagues that he may enter the fray in Monday night's presidential debate as a participant rather than a moderator — thanks to intense left-wing backlash …

Cruz profited off Trump well before endorsing him  —  It took Ted Cruz four months and three weeks of “careful consideration, of prayer and searching my own conscience” to declare publicly that he would vote for Donald Trump.  —  He made the decision to profit by selling his supporter list to Trump far faster than that.

Clinton vs. Trump: The only 30 minutes that matter  —  Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will debate for 90 minutes on Monday.  But the winner likely will be determined in the first half-hour.  —  That's when Al Gore first sighed, Mitt Romney knocked President Obama on his heels …

Millions in U.S. Climb Out of Poverty, at Long Last  —  Not that long ago, Alex Caicedo was stuck working a series of odd jobs and watching his 1984 Chevy Nova cough its last breaths.  He could make $21 an hour at the Johnny Rockets food stand at FedEx Field when the Washington Redskins were playing, but the work was spotty.

Besieged Globalists Ponder What Went Wrong  —  Until recently, you didn't hear people being referred to as “globalist” very often.  But in a time of rising nationalism, those who see the upside of globalism have become a distinct — and often embattled — tribe.  —  Last week, the globalists had a big family reunion in New York.

Trump May Have More To Gain From The First Debate Than Clinton  —  Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are about to face off in one of the most anticipated debates in American political history.  Clinton generally got good reviews as a debater in her two runs for the presidency.

Arnold Palmer, the Magnetic Face of Golf in the '60s, Dies at 87  —  Arnold Palmer, the champion golfer whose full-bore style of play, dramatic tournament victories and magnetic personality inspired an American golf boom, attracted a following known as Arnie's Army and made him one of the most popular athletes …

Syria and Russia Appear Ready to Scorch Aleppo  —  BEIRUT, Lebanon — Make life intolerable and death likely.  Open an escape route, or offer a deal to those who leave or surrender.  Let people trickle out.  Kill whoever stays.  Repeat until a deserted cityscape is yours.