Election final stretch and battle between FBI and DOJ officials over Mar-a-Lago: Morning Rundown

The final stretch of the election is a "dogfight" between Harris and Trump. Biden eyes a "take it or leave it" Gaza cease-fire deal. And a look inside the tensions between senior Justice Department and FBI officials over Trump's criminal probe.

Here’s what to know today.

Harris and Trump in a ‘dogfight’ in the election’s final stretch

Former President Donald Trump; Vice President Kamala Harris.Getty Images; AP

With just two months until the election, polls are showing a dead heat in key states for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

As Harris captures support from young and Black voters who had soured on President Joe Biden, the issue of age has turned from a potentially fatal liability to an asset for Democrats against the 78-year-old Trump. The former president, who was running with confidence against Biden, has appeared rattled at times by Harris, launching personal and racial attacks against a rival who would be the first woman and the first Indian American to be president. She has brushed them off.

This is Morning Rundown, a weekday newsletter to start your day. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

“Trump has to hold her accountable for the things she said she believes,” says Republican strategist Brad Todd. “Thus far, he’s not shown a lot of interest in that.”

“I still think it’s fundamentally a dogfight,” said Bill Burton, a political consultant who worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign, praising Harris for running a “perfect” campaign so far. “She has peaked at the exact right moment,” he said. “As long as she keeps her rudder steady, I think that she’s going to do well.”

With the presidential race narrowing, the battle for Congress is also intensifying. The Democrats face a tough path to keep their Senate majority that relies on wins in red states like Ohio and Montana.

Read the full story here. 

Read more about the 2024 election

• Harris marked Labor Day with a stump speech in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, giving credit to unions for a five-day workweek, sick leave, paid family leave and vacation time.
• Trump said in an interview on Fox News he had “every right” to interfere with the 2020 election. He didn’t hit the trail on Sunday or Monday but has stops in battleground states planned for later this week.

✦ WANT MORE POLITICS NEWS?

 Sign up for From the Politics Desk to get exclusive reporting and analysis delivered to your inbox every weekday evening. Subscribe here.

The bitter personal battle between top FBI and DOJ officials over Mar-a-Lago

Joe Cavaretta / South Florida Sun Sentinel via Getty Images

In August 2022, senior Justice Department and FBI officials gathered for what one participant later called a “come to Jesus” meeting about an ongoing criminal probe. While tension between prosecutors and agents during an investigation are routine, this case had taken on an intense level of acrimony due to the potential defendant: former President Donald Trump.

Several FBI agents took the extraordinary step of questioning the political donations of one of the lead Justice Department prosecutors. In a less divisive era, personal political donations might have drawn less attention. But in this era of hyperpartisanship, division and distrust threatened to slow the Mar-a-Lago investigation. For the first time, one of the FBI officials publicly explains why. 

U.S. working on a 'take it or leave it' Gaza cease-fire deal

President Biden has said he does not think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done enough to secure a deal between Israel and Hamas. The blunt remark comes after massive protests that called for a cease-fire and deal that would see Israeli hostages released.

Biden spoke to reporters after the bodies of six hostages executed by Hamas were found in a Gaza tunnel. Among those discovered was the body of 23-year-old American Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose parents had publicly pleaded for the return of their son. 

Two people briefed on discussions to secure a deal told NBC News that Biden may offer a final “take it or leave it” deal to Israel and Hamas as soon as this week in hope of reaching a cease-fire agreement. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan suggested the move as an option during a virtual meeting with U.S. hostage families Sunday, they said.

Staff Pick: In death, his friend saved his life on a Ukrainian battlefield. Now he's honoring him with sport.

Ukrainian rower Volodymyr Dziubynskyi on the Dnieper river in 2024, and during service with his comrade Volodymyr Androshchuk.Oksana Parafeniuk for NBC News; Handout

This tale of a friendship between two top Ukrainian athletes who bonded in the trenches is heart-wrenching and inspiring. As Volodmyr dedicates his training to his fallen friend and recovers from a life-changing injury, I’ll certainly be watching out for him in the L.A. 2028 Paralympics. — Annie Hill, platforms editorNBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

NBC Select’s editors are fans of many Yeti products, so one reporter tried the Yeti French press coffee maker for over a month. Want more reviews? Check out what this editor who runs 27+ miles a week had to say about the On Cloudeclipse running shoes.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

Thanks for reading the Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Kaylah Jackson and Nick Duffy.