“The uniquely uncivil presidential campaign is about to produce one of the biggest civic gatherings in decades: For 90 minutes on Monday night, a polarized nation will pause to watch the first head-to-head encounter between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump,” the New York Times reports.

“The total audience, network executives and political strategists say, could be as high as 100 million viewers — Super Bowl territory. That would surpass the 80 million who watched Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan in 1980, the record for a presidential debate, and rank among television benchmarks like the finales of MASH and Cheers.”

Dan Balz: “The first debate, at Hofstra University, should be great theater. Trump, an unguided missile, will be seeking to project a calmer demeanor and a command of the facts, enough at least to reassure voters who doubt his capacity to serve. Clinton, a studious and well-prepared debater whose expertise on many issues is deep, will be looking to avoid the weeds, offer a bigger and more affirmative vision and mostly try to prove that her rival is unfit to occupy the Oval Office.”

For members: Why Debate Expectations Matter

New York Times: “Philippe Reines, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton and one of the most astute observers of her personal and political vulnerabilities, is playing Donald Trump in her mock debate sessions… His selection as the Trump stand-in means that Mrs. Clinton wants an opponent in her mock debates who knows her flaws and how to exploit them and who is fearless about getting under her skin the way that Mr. Trump might at their first debate on Monday night.”

Donald Trump’s campaign is planning for what it says will amount to $140 million worth of advertising from now until Election Day, the AP reports.

“The total, if executed, would include $100 million in television airtime and $40 million in digital ads… The plan represents a new approach for the billionaire businessman, who has repeatedly bragged in recent weeks about how much less he’s spent than Democratic rival Hillary Clinton and seemed to rely heavily on free media coverage of his large rallies.”

Washington Post: “Nobody knows for certain who will win on Nov. 8 — but one man is pretty sure: Professor Allan Lichtman, who has correctly predicted every presidential election since 1984.”

“Lichtman’s prediction isn’t based on horse-race polls, shifting demographics or his own political opinions. Rather, he uses a system of true/false statements he calls the Keys to the White House to determine his predicted winner.”

Here are the latest state polls from the presidential race:

North Carolina: Clinton 44%, Trump 40% (Democracy Corps)

Pennsylvania: Clinton 46%, Trump 38% (Democracy Corps)

Ohio: Trump 41%, Clinton 39% (Democracy Corps)

Nevada: Clinton 42%, Trump 42% (Democracy Corps)

“The republic is under siege by a moron, basically. The whole thing is tragic.”

— Bruce Springsteen, in an interview with Rolling Stone, when asked to comment on Donald Trump.

“Multiple sources close to Ted Cruz say the Texas senator is expected indicate his support for Donald Trump as soon as Friday,” Politico reports.

“It is unclear whether Cruz will say only that he is voting for the Republican nominee, as other lawmakers have done, or offer a more full-throated endorsement, but the idea of throwing any support to Trump is controversial within Cruzworld.”

Update: Cruz made the announcement on Facebook.