Clinton debate prep is focused on what happens once the debate is done  —  Sen. Tim Kaine may have awakened Wednesday to poor reviews after the first and only vice-presidential debate, but his acerbic performance in Farmville, Va., revealed that the Clinton campaign's strategy for these debates extends far beyond the stage.

Clinton, Trump brace for Hurricane Matthew  —  Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are at risk of being elbowed out of the news cycle by a powerful hurricane churning toward the Southeast coast and threatening to barrel into two of their most important battlegrounds: Florida and North Carolina.

Dozens of former GOP lawmakers announce opposition to Trump  —  A group of 30 former GOP lawmakers signed a blistering open letter to Republicans on Thursday, warning that Donald Trump  —  lacks the “intelligence” and temperament to be president and urging the party to reject the Republican presidential nominee at the polls on Nov. 8.

Megyn Kelly and Sean Hannity Indulge in Testy Public Clash  —  Donald J. Trump's rise has created deep rifts at some of the country's most powerful political institutions.  The latest casualty: Fox News.  —  In an extraordinary public display of rancor between top-tier news personalities …

Obama approval hits new high  —  (CNN)President Barack Obama's approval rating stands at 55% in a new CNN/ORC poll, the highest mark of his second term, and matching his best at any time since his first year in office.  —  The new rating outpaces his previous second-term high …

[Updates] Someone Just Hung A Huge Banner Of Putin On The Manhattan Bridge  —  [UPDATES BELOW] Someone just hung a banner featuring Putin's face and the message, “Peacemaker,” on the Manhattan Bridge.  Go figure.  —  We spotted a banner being unfurled on north side of the bridge at 1:47 p.m …

Performers organize ‘Clown Lives Matter’ march in hopes to quench fears  —  Professional clowns are getting fed up with the recent reports of frightening incidents across the U.S. that has put many communities on high alert and tarnished the image of the performers.

You Won't Believe What Donald Trump's Own Lawyers Did When Meeting With Him  —  An interesting tidbit has emerged from the depositions in the bankruptcy case concerning Trump Plaza.  Trump Plaza, to refresh your memory, is a Donald Trump property in Atlantic City that was shuttered in 2014 …

Trump's secret weapon for Debate No. 2  —  Now that the Donald has shown restraint, Americans expect him to open fire  —  ANALYSIS/OPINION:  —  One of the biggest ironies of the first presidential debate is that Donald Trump's reluctance to aggressively attack Hillary Clinton has now given him the license to fully do so.

EXCLUSIVE |  One-on-one with presidential candidate Donald Trump  —  Donald Trump packed the Henderson Pavilion for a rally Wednesday afternoon and fired up his supporters, hoping to win Nevada in just 34 days during the General Election.  —  Just before Trump took the stage …

Cop Shop: Woman does the right thing after ‘gift’ from ATM  —  After an ATM spit out money that wasn't hers, Kristina Edwards had to take a second and regroup.  —  “Did that really just happen to me?” the 35-year-old Ridley Park woman thought as she sat in her car at the Wells Fargo ATM drive-thru …

Cops hunt brutish bigot who screamed racist, gay slurs at man before pushing him down in West Village attack  —  A biased brute attacked a 32-year-old man after hurling racial and anti-gay epithets at him in the West Village, officials said Thursday.  —  Police released video surveillance images …

Suspect in killing of L.A. County sheriff's sergeant was known for hot temper and violent history  —  Law enforcement and Fire Department personnel transport the shooting suspect in Lancaster.  (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)  —  The man suspected of gunning down a Los Angeles County …

The way ahead  —  America's president writes for us about four crucial areas of unfinished business in economic policy that his successor will have to tackle  —  WHEREVER I go these days, at home or abroad, people ask me the same question: what is happening in the American political system?

How Howard Stern Owned Donald Trump  —  To anyone who's listened to “The Howard Stern Show” since it hit the national airwaves in 1986, Stern's name still conjures the snicker of adolescent dirty talk, and the occasional sicko comment about Columbine or the developmentally disabled.

Trump: I won't mention Bill Clinton's past at next debate  —  MORE FROM:  —  Donald Trump is taking the high road, and keeping Bill Clinton's “bimbo eruptions” away from Sunday's presidential debate.  —  Candice Jackson — a lawyer who works with Juanita Broaddrick, Kathleen Willey …

The State of American Jobs  —  How the shifting economic landscape is reshaping work and society and affecting the way people think about the skills and training they need to get ahead  —  Tectonic changes are reshaping U.S. workplaces as the economy moves deeper into the knowledge-focused age.

APNewsBreak: Report faults top Pentagon aide's behavior  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A Pentagon investigation has concluded that Defense Secretary Ash Carter's former senior military aide used his government credit card at strip clubs or gentlemen's clubs in Rome and Seoul, drank in excess and had …