• Candidates prepare for "domestic-policy showdown" at tonight; final debate could be pivotal. Disagreements on jobs, health care, and budget likely to be prominent. [WP, USAT, BG]
• Republicans express concern as gap closes; aggressive negative strategies set for final weeks. Kerry picks up cause of middle class; Brazile: "The reason you're hearing this tough populism is because he's underperforming with some of these groups, and this is a way of bringing it home." [NYT, BG]
•Bush to attack liberalism, Kerry to promote ideas. [LAT]
•Kerry calls over a dozen advisors before going to bed. Advisor: "His strength is that he listens. The problem is he's listening to too many people." [WP]
• Outcome to effect domestic, global economy and economic policy. Economist: "Whoever replaces Greenspan] is going to say, 'I think he was great, and we're going to do everything he did.'" [USAT, WSJ]
•Bush labels Kerry's health care plan as "rationing"; BC04 spot misrepresents Kerry on health care. [WP, NYT, BG, LAT]
•Clinton to tape phone messages, radio spots; recovered more difficult than expected. [USAT]
• Candidates' policies estimated to cost $1.3 billion each over next decade. [NYT]
• Undecideds wooed by candidates, media, pollsters, chocolate. [WSJ]
•Bush benefits politically from taxpayer-funded mailings in swing states. [WP]
• Black leaders in Florida demand fairness. [WP]
• Increase in terror alert causes small bump in Bush's ratings. [WP]
•Kerry's prospects improve in Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin. [LAT]
• In decisive Pennsylvania, many frustrated by economic prospects, campaign messages. [WP, LAT]
•Cheney says Iraq could have provided weapons to terrorists. [USAT]
•KE04 learned lessons from Gore's loss of West Virginia; reaches out to coal industry, gun owners, disappointed Republicans. [NYT]
• Candidates aware most viewers not completely tuned to debate, especially tonight with baseball; experts says viewers dip in and out while channel-surfing, multi-tasking. [NYT]
•Edwards on Bush's bulge: "I think it was his battery. . . John Kerry ought to pat him down." [LAT,]
• Pro-lifers cued into Bush's Dred Scott reference. Scholar: "I thought it had so many constituencies that could applaud that comment; it was one of the most intelligent things that I heard in the debate." [LAT]
• Five different voting systems used in Pennsylvania: "If the race gets any tighter, we could have a nightmare scenario." [NYT]
• Employers slow to adapt Bush's health care offers. [NYT]
• Study outlines Bush's failures on civil rights; Republican commission members call foul, citing political timing. [NYT]
•Bush sends Laura to AARP event; Kerry also invited. [USAT]
•Kerry criticized for politicizing religion with campaign stops at churches. [NYT]
• Calls to boycott Sinclair. [LAT]
• DOJ sues Pennsylvania to extend deadline for overseas voters. [NYT]
• Conservative punk rockers build niche; some attend Rock Against Bush for the music. [WP]
• MTV Networks have ban on political ads. [WP]
•Teresa opens up in her kitchen, would model first lady role after Ford, Reagan, Adams: "I like to bring people together so we don't waste opportunities and resources and keep doing the wrong things when we know better. Corporate America makes great things and things that can hurt us. They have to be part of the solutions. There's nothing to say you don't make a profit by doing good." [NYT]
• Crawford newspaper gets threats, subscriptions after endorsing Kerry. [NYT]
• Some states to place polling stations in malls, banks, casinos in effort to increase turnout. [WSJ]
•Nader advocates write-ins. [LAT]
