POLITICO Playbook: Are we a banana republic?  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  WITH 40 DAYS LEFT until Election Day, it seems as though the United States is well on its way to becoming a banana republic.  — THE PRESIDENT WILL NOT COMMIT TO A PEACEFUL TRANSFER OF POWER ... WEDNESDAY NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE …

Trump Faces Challenges Even in Red States, Poll Shows, as Women Favor Biden  —  Close races in Georgia, Iowa and Texas show President Trump's vulnerability and suggest that Joseph Biden has assembled a formidable coalition, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll.

Nearly 500 former senior military, civilian leaders signal support for Biden  —  Nearly 500 retired senior military officers, as well as former Cabinet secretaries, service chiefs and other officials, have signed an open letter in support of former vice president Joe Biden …

Statement by Vice President Joe Biden on the Events in Louisville, Kentucky  —  Breonna Taylor was a beloved daughter, member of her community, and an essential worker who served as an E.M.T. as COVID-19 began to spread.  But she died, shot in her own home by the police.

In Politically Charged Inquiry, Durham Sought Details About Scrutiny of Clintons  —  John Durham's team has sought information about the F.B.I.'s handling of the Clinton Foundation investigation, raising questions about the scope of the prosecutor's review.  —  WASHINGTON — From the beginning …

‘This is an illegitimate nomination’: Some Democrats snub Trump's pick  —  President Donald Trump hasn't announced a Supreme Court nominee yet, but some Democrats have already decided there's no point in meeting with her, no matter who it is.  —  These Senate Democrats say it's a no-brainer …

'Something's in the water': Florida Republicans see surge in voter registration  —  MIAMI — Republicans have closed the traditional voter registration gap with Democrats to an historically small margin in Florida, triggering a wave of Democratic apprehension in the nation's biggest swing state.

Democrats' mail voting pivot  —  Democrats spent the early months of the coronavirus pandemic urging their base to vote absentee.  But as threats of U.S. Postal Service delays, Team Trump litigation and higher ballot rejection rates become clearer, many are pivoting to promote more in-person voting as well.

Harold Evans, Crusading Newspaperman With a Second Act, Dies at 92  —  In Britain, he helped redefine high-quality newspapers and challenged legal restrictions on the press.  In America, he brought new scope and glitz to book publishing as the head of Random House.

Only Joe Biden can win the election in a popular and electoral vote landslide  —  Joe Biden or President Trump could win the election narrowly — but only one in a popular and electoral vote blowout.  —  Why it matters: A Biden blowout would mean a Democratic Senate, a bigger Democratic House …

GOP's Hunter Biden Probe Digs Up Dirt on Rick Perry's Ties to Ukrainian Gas Deals  —  THREE AMIGOS  —  Instead of surfacing dirt on Hunter Biden's allegedly sketchy business ties in Ukraine, a just finished GOP-led Senate probe ended up producing new revelations about former Energy Secretary …

Weekly jobless claims rise unexpectedly, total 870,000  — The Labor Department reported Thursday that initial jobless claims for the week ending Sept. 19 came in at 870,000.  — Economists polled by Dow Jones expected first-time claims to come in at 850,000, down slightly from the 860,000 claims reported for the previous week.

7-year disqualification for Cambridge Analytica boss  —  Alexander Nix banned from running limited companies for seven years after permitting companies to offer potentially unethical services to prospective clients.  —  From:  —  Alexander James Ashburner Nix (45), from Holland Park …

The Strongman Cometh  —  A play in three acts.  —  People seem confused and confounded and disappointed by President Donald Trump tonight.  You know how he is.  He tweets.  He talks.  It's so unhelpful.  So irresponsible.  —  Allow me to present a play, in three acts.  —  PODCAST

Trays of mail, including absentee ballots, found in a ditch in Wisconsin  —  Police in Greenville, Wisconsin, found three trays of mail, including absentee ballots, in a ditch.  —  The Outagamie County Sheriff's Office discovered the trays in a ditch on Tuesday morning, near Appleton International Airport, according to WLUK.

Belarus: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the so-called ‘inauguration’ of Aleksandr Lukashenko  —  This document is available in non-EU languages:  —  Recalling the Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union of 11 September …

Ex-US diplomat James Baker will vote for Trump ‘to get conservative judges’, book reveals  —  The former secretary of state reconsidered voting for Joe Biden saying the ‘big picture’ - Republican control - was important  —  Former secretary of state James Baker considered voting for Joe Biden …

Israel's Netanyahu brings his dirty laundry to Washington.  Literally.  —  Most politicians go to great lengths to conceal their dirty laundry.  —  And then there's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.  —  Over the years, the Israeli leader has developed a reputation among the staff …

The Fanatic  —  Bill Barr is convinced that the country is betraying its founding—and that it's up to him to stop it.  —  Over the past 19 months, we have all heard a lot about Bill Barr's misuse of the office of attorney general and the resources of the Justice Department to do the personal bidding …

China is building vast new detention centers for Muslims in Xinjiang  —  KASHGAR, China — A huge Brutalist entrance gate, topped with the red national flag, stands before archetypal Chinese government buildings.  There is no sign identifying the complex, only an inscription bearing …