The Note: September Surprise

— -- NOTABLES

--CLINTON PNEUMONIA DIAGNOSIS REVEALED AFTER 9/11 MEMORIAL DEPARTURE: Hillary Clinton's personal doctor revealed on Sunday that the Democratic candidate was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday, hours after Clinton drew attention for abruptly leaving a 9/11 memorial event at Ground Zero and was seen on video apparently being assisted getting into a van. Dr. Lisa Bardack, Clinton's personal doctor, said in a statement released by the campaign that the candidate "has been experiencing a cough related to allergies," and that she was diagnosed with pneumonia on Friday "during follow up evaluation of her prolonged cough." Clinton was being treated with antibiotics and had been "advised to rest and modify her schedule," the doctor said. More from ABC’s JOSH HASKELL, LIZ KREUTZ, PAUL BLAKE and JULIA JACOBO: http://abcn.ws/2c7H2oC TICK TOCK OF THE DAY, courtesy of ABC’s LIZ KREUTZ: http://abcn.ws/2cofk4i

--TRUMP CALLS HEALTH ‘AN ISSUE’ IN CAMPAIGN: Donald Trump said today on FOX that health "is an issue" in the campaign, referring to Hillary Clinton's illness at the 9/11 Memorial on Sunday. Trump referenced the incident this morning on “Fox and Friends,” answering affirmatively to a question about whether health had become an issue in the campaign. "I think it's an issue," he said. "Something is going on but I hope she gets well," he added. Asked by the hosts whether someone was expected to replace her as his opponent as a result of the illness, Trump rejected the likelihood of the happening. "I don't think they'll replace her," he said. More from ABC’s MICHAEL EDISON HAYDEN: http://abcn.ws/2ckt8OO

--ANALYSIS -- ABC’s RICK KLEIN: Take away the basket, if you like, and then say that Hillary Clinton’s Friday night comments at a fundraiser were regrettable, and not necessarily deplorable in and of themselves. Realize, of course, that the individual Donald Trump supporters that Clinton was characterizing (“racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic”) were exceedingly unlikely to considering Clinton for president anyway. Realize further than this is the brand of language that Trump and his team have used rather regularly – that this may be milder than equating an opponent to a child molester, or branding another opponent “Lyin’ Ted.” Clinton’s “basket of deplorables” comment remains bad, and worse in light of the new questions around Clinton’s health, because it serves to reinforce perceptions of an elitist candidate and campaign. (It’s not by accident that such comments come out to a friendly crowd, at a New York City fundraiser, and not on the campaign trail.) The health episode, with the slow and partial information flowing from the campaign, highlights the famous Clinton secrecy. Trump won the weekend – and he did it by doing something he rarely does: staying quiet. MORE ANALYSIS FROM KLEIN: http://abcn.ws/2coCcUq

ABC NEWS TALKS TO VOTERS IN BATTLEGROUND STATE OF OHIO. With 56 days until the 2016 presidential election, ABC’s MARYALICE PARKS and GARY WESTPHALEN are hitting the road and talking to voters in the battleground state of Ohio. Over the next five days, our plan is to drive more than 800 miles and visit six Ohio counties -- stopping at coffee clubs, college campuses and county fairs along the way. The goal is simple: to hear from voters. (ok and maybe ride some rides and try Lerch's donuts... can't wait!). Four years ago, Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney here by less than 2 percentage points. Last week, a Quinnipiac poll had Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in a dead heat in the must-win state: Trump 46 – Clinton 45. It's anyone's game. "Step Right Up" is the name of our game. We hope people won’t be shy, but will spin the wheel and answer the random questions: "If you could pick anyone to be the next president, who would it be?", "What is the first thing the next president should do after taking office?", "What's the most outrageous thing you've heard this campaign?" (Who doesn’t have opinions about that?) It has been a roller coaster of an election and we’re going to keep talking about all of it – hopefully, at some point, from an actual roller coaster. FOLLOW ALONG HERE: http://abcn.ws/2c5dJ7y

YESTERDAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC’s VERONICA STRACQUALURSI

QUALIFICATIONS, CONSISTENCY HELP CLINTON, WHILE TURNOUT KEEPS TRUMP IN THE HUNT. Advantages on qualifications and consistency and help from an increasingly popular incumbent are aiding Hillary Clinton in the presidential race -- but with weaknesses sufficient to keep Donald Trump well in the hunt in the campaign’s closing months. Clinton has 46 percent support among likely voters in the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, with 41 percent for Trump, 9 percent for Libertarian Gary Johnson and 2 percent for Jill Stein of the Green Party. Clinton’s 5-point advantage is within this poll’s margin of error, but it bears up in the context of consistent results among likely voters all summer, ABC’s GARY LANGER notes. http://abcn.ws/2ccpTJ4

GEN. JOHN ALLEN REFUTES TRUMP’S CLAIM THAT GENERALS ‘REDUCED TO RUBBLE.’ Retired Marine Gen. John Allen, a former U.S. envoy to the coalition fighting ISIS and a top Hillary Clinton supporter, rejected Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s assertion that U.S. generals "have been reduced to rubble” under the Obama administration. "I just shake my head. I don't feel much like rubble," Allen said Sunday on ABC's "This Week." "As I look around at my peers...They're some of the finest leaders that America has ever put under stars, whether they are admirals or generals. They are spectacular leaders and they have not been reduced to rubble." Republican presidential nominee Trump’s comments came during last week’s “Commander in Chief” forum, ABC’s MARGARET CHADBOURN notes. http://abcn.ws/2cmiHIK

NEARLY 1 IN 4 AMERICANS SAY PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES COULD SWAY THEIR VOTE. Nearly one in four Americans say the candidates' performances in the upcoming presidential debates may have a major impact on their vote in the November election, ABC’s NICKI ROSSOLL notes. ABC News and SSRS survey research firm asked an online opinion panel about the upcoming presidential debates, the first of which takes place in just two weeks. Almost a quarter of respondents, 23 percent, said they expect the debates between Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump to have a major impact on their choice for president. With the audience expected to be the largest in history, that group could potentially swing a close race. http://abcn.ws/2cvzo8h

GIULIANI: ‘MIXED BAG’ ON WHETHER AMERICANS ARE SAFER TODAY. On the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani says it's a "mixed bag" whether Americans are safer from the threat of terrorism today and he defended GOP presidential candidate's recent assertion that the U.S. should have taken Iraqi oil to keep it out of the hands of terrorists. Compared to 15 years ago, "we're safer in certain ways, but not as safe in other ways," Giuliani said on ABC's "This Week." "We're always fighting the last war.” Giuliani, who was New York City's mayor at the time of 9/11, noted that our primary enemy now is different than the al-Qaeda organization behind the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. ABC’s NICKI ROSSOLL has more. http://abcn.ws/2cboMxr

KAINE: TRUMP IS ‘NO FRIEND’ OF LGBT COMMUNITY. Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine slammed Donald Trump's relationship with the LGBT community at the Human Rights Campaign's 20th annual black tie dinner Saturday night. "Donald Trump is no friend to this community and he’s no friend to the value of equality," Kaine told guests at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. "Donald Trump is unqualified and temperamentally unfit to be commander-in-chief and we can’t afford to let his proposals be anywhere near the Oval Office." HRC is dedicated to the advocacy of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Although Trump has made apparent overtures to the LGBT community at his rallies, Kaine said LGBT issues are not on the Republican presidential candidate's radar, ABC’s JESSICA HOPPER reports. http://abcn.ws/2clAIXM

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

CLINTON SAYS SHE REGRETS BEING ‘GROSSLY GENERALISTIC’ ABOUT TRUMP SUPPORTERS. Hillary Clinton said Saturday she was "wrong" to say that "half" of Donald Trump's supporters were "deplorables" and "irredeemable," remarks she made at the LGBT For Hillary Gala, a fundraiser at which Barbra Streisand and Rufus Wainwright performed. "To just be grossly generalistic, you can put half of Trump supporters into what I call 'the basket of deplorables.' Right?" the Democratic presidential nominee told donors at the event. "Racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic, you name it. And unfortunately, there are people like that and he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people, now have 11 million. He tweets and retweets offensive, hateful, mean-spirited rhetoric." The remarks have been harshly criticized by Republicans and Trump supporters, according to ABC’s DEAN SCHABNER. She issued a statement Saturday expressing "regret" for the being "grossly generalistic." http://abcn.ws/2cOvvvH

WHO’S TWEETING?

@davidaxelrod: Antibiotics can take care of pneumonia. What's the cure for an unhealthy penchant for privacy that repeatedly creates unnecessary problems?

@SopanDeb: Trump: "...you know, if you look at my scheduling and compare to anybody else's scheduling, there's not a contest."

@danielnasaw: Trump again says stock market is overvalued. On CNBC: "It's a false market... I don't even invest in the stock market."

@betsy_klein: Inbox: Hillary for America releases 'College Calculator' -- @timkaine goes to @UMich tomorrow

@JenniferJJacobs: New Trump TV ad "Deplorable" to air in OH, PA, NC, FL.