The Note: 2020 race remains stable, amid unstable times

The TAKE with Rick Klein

It turns out President Donald Trump doesn't control the weather.

And while he seems to shake up just about everything else on the planet, he doesn't control the Democratic primary, either.

The race has been stuck in place longer than any hurricane ever will be. For all the churn in world affairs -- a summer of mass shootings, recession fears, international tumult and, yes, weather events -- the race is basically in the same place it's been for months.

The Democratic candidates descend on New Hampshire this weekend for the state convention with little clarity about who is best positioned to win in the Granite State. The two leading progressives in the race, Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, both happen to represent states that border New Hampshire.

The field of contenders will be smaller next week, when the first one-night debate of the cycle comes to ABC in Houston with clear tiers of candidates, even among the 10.

The frontrunner, though, is essentially where he has been since getting in the race. Former Vice President Joe Biden spent time this week laughing off his gaffes -- a luxury afforded to him by the fact that voters, so far, appear to be doing the same.

It's possible, though, that for all the action around the race, the biggest forces that will shape the primary have yet to make themselves clear. That forecast is not favoring stability.

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

Youth activist Greta Thunberg will join other climate leaders for a demonstration in front of the United Nations on Friday. The event caps off a week where climate change dominated U.S. political headlines and comes exactly two weeks before a scheduled global strike on the issue.

With specificity, Democratic candidates discussed the ins and outs of their plans to address climate change this week, drilling down on everything from their thoughts on fracking to nuclear energy and, in doing so, drawing a sharp contrast with Republicans.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, mocked his former opponent, Beto O'Rourke on Thursday after the former congressman gave dire warnings about the climate crisis.

It all presented quite the three-way split-screen: Democrats arguing over how quickly the country should adopt energy reforms in order to limit greenhouse gas emissions and stave off global warming; the president doubling-down on an altered map; all while an intense Atlantic hurricane barreled toward the U.S.

The TIP with Kendall Karson

As North Carolina sits in the center of Hurricane Dorian's fury, it's also the site of the last two congressional elections of 2019 and one of the first key tests ahead of 2020. But before voters in the state's 3rd and 9th congressional districts head to the polls in a pair of special elections on Tuesday, storm preparations have forced several polling sites to close, shortening early voting in at least 20 counties across both districts.

In the 9th district, election fraud marred the results of the 2018 race and led to the North Carolina State Board of Elections ordering a new election. Republican state Sen. Dan Bishop -- who is expecting a last-minute boost from President Donald Trump on the eve of the election -- and Democrat and Marine Corps veteran Dan McCready have been engaged in a competitive, yet mostly negative, race throughout the year -- with both the Bishop campaign and GOP-aligned outside groups labeling his opponent as "Greedy McCready" in campaign ads.

But now with a hurricane potentially hampering turnout, a moment of bipartisanship is emerging. Both Bishop and McCready called for State Board of Elections to extend early voting districtwide Thursday due to Dorian. The state board of elections says it will make a decision "in the coming days," after the storm passes.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" podcast. Friday morning's episode features ABC News' Victor Oquendo, who explains how the Bahamas are approaching the massive rebuilding effort after Hurricane Dorian after seeing the damage for himself. Then, ABC News' Mary Kate Burke tells us what to expect from Facebook's new dating feature. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the day's top stories in politics. Please check back Monday for the latest.