The Note: Top Political Stories of the Day
— -- COUNTDOWN TO ELECTION DAY: 20 days
DEBATE NIGHT IN AMERICA:
--9 P.M. - Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump go head-to-head for the final time before Nov. 8th Election Day. The third presidential debate will be moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace and held at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
5 Storylines to Watch for Tonight. Here are five story lines to keep in mind while watching the nominees duke it out during the debate, courtesy of ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY: http://abcn.ws/2dn4yQv
Who Trump and Clinton Invited to Tonight's Debate. Donald Trump is continuing his trend of taking controversial guests to the presidential debates. The Republican nominee invited Malik Obama, the president's half-brother, to sit in the audience. Mark Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and a "Shark Tank" personality, is making his second appearance at a presidential debate this season. He was invited again by Hillary Clinton, who took him to her first debate with Trump. ABC’s MEGHAN KENEALLY has more on the various guests the candidates invited to tonight’s showdown: http://abcn.ws/2emc4sC
The 12th Batch of WikiLeaks Emails. Wikileaks has now released more than 21,000 alleged emails from Clinton campaign chair John Podesta. ABC News has not confirmed the authenticity of the emails. In today’s batch, emails from Clinton adviser Neera Tanden to Podesta show her frustration with Clinton. In the wake of Clinton saying she was more of a moderate than a progressive last September, Clinton’s closest aides expressed worry, ABC’s ALANA ABRAMSON and RYAN STRUYK report. “She doesn’t seem to know what planet we are all living in on at the moment,” Tanden, who headed the liberal organization Center for American Progress but wasn’t on the campaign’s payroll, wrote. “I pushed her on this on Sunday night. She claims she didn't remember saying it. Not sure I believe her. ” Podesta answered. In another email helping the campaign draft a memo on public corruption, Tanden wrote that Clinton “may be so tainted she’s really vulnerable.”
Ivanka Trump Says Her Father Will Accept Election Outcome. Ivanka Trump, the elder daughter of Donald Trump, said her father will accept the result of the presidential election “either way,” despite repeatedly saying that this year’s vote and the system in general are “rigged.” “He’ll either win or he won’t win, and I believe he will accept the outcome either way,” Ivanka Trump said today at the Fortune magazine Most Powerful Women Summit. http://abcn.ws/2ellALN
TALES FROM THE TRAIL
ABC’s JESSICA HOPPER: At a morning canvassing event in Upper Arlington, Ohio, Tim Kaine talked about tonight’s debate between his running mate and Hillary Clinton, predicting Trump will go “low” and bring up his “rigged” election claims but Clinton would be “steady.” Kaine also urged the debate moderator to press Trump for policy details. "And I hope the moderator with the debate format allows there to be some probing into whether Donald's got any you know details or plans or whether it’s just the big insult fest that he seems to want to turn American politics into. Later in the afternoon, Kaine told a rally in Springfield, Ohio that Clinton “scorched earth” tactics from her opponent.
ABC’s INES DE LA CUETARA: Campaigning in Durango, Colorado today, Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, raised the specter of voter fraud on Nov. 8, saying “vigilance is the price of freedom” and “the price of an honest democracy.” He added, “My running mate said the other day there’s some polling places around the country where there’s voter fraud and the media got all amped up about that. But don’t kid yourself. Voter fraud is real. It takes place in pockets and polling places around the country.”
RYAN’S POLLING ROUNDUP
Two major national polls were released today, each showing Hillary Clinton with a significant lead over Donald Trump, ABC’s RYAN STRUYK reports. In a national poll from Quinnipiac University, Clinton earned 47 percent vs. Trump’s 40 percent. And in a Bloomberg Politics poll, Clinton garnered 47 percent to 38 percent for Trump. In the crucial swing state of New Hampshire, a new WMUR/UNH poll this afternoon shows Clinton leading by a wide 15 points among likely voters: 49 percent vs. 34 percent.
QUOTE OF THE DAY:
“That’s not language consistent with any conversation I’ve had with him or conversation I’ve ever heard, so it was a bit jarring, and he was very sincere in his apology.” -- Ivanka Trump on the 2005 Access Hollywood video of her father.
WHO’S TWEETING?
@ABCPolitics: Clinton quotes @FLOTUS? Trump calls for drug testing? Play along tonight with @ABC Debate Bingo! http://abcn.ws/2eGZZBE #debates
@CandaceSmith_: .@realDonaldTrump did not do his own debate walk-through today. Important to remember if any mic issues arise again.
@JTSantucci: Trump camp sources confirm to @ABC - guests tonight include new Bill Clinton accuser Leslie Millwee & Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin
@chrisdonovan: Some of the titles of what's on opposite the debate if you're in NYC and have Verizon Fios: Big Fat Liar Border Wars The Fog of War
@ABCLiz: "No, absolutely not," @mcuban says when asked by @llerer if he would take a job in a Clinton administration