Final spurt in the election and battle between FBI and DOJ officials over Mar-a-Lago: Morning Rundown

The election's final phase is a “dogfight” between Harris and Trump; Biden considers a “eat or die” ceasefire deal for Gaza; and a glimpse into tensions between senior Justice Department and FBI officials over Trump's criminal investigation.

This is what you should know today.

Harris and Trump in the final stretch of the election campaign

Only two months before the elections, the polls show a dead heat in key states for Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

As Harris wins support from young and black voters who were averse to President Joe Biden, the age issue has gone from a potentially fatal liability to an advantage for Democrats against the 78-year-old Trump. The former president, who confidently ran against Biden, seemed at times unnerved by Harris, launching personal and racist attacks against a rival who would be the first woman and first Indian-American to hold the presidency. She has brushed off those attacks.

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“Trump needs to hold her accountable for the things she says she believes,” says Republican strategist Brad Todd. “So far, he hasn't shown much interest in doing that.”

“I still think it's basically a bitter fight,” said Bill Burton, a political consultant who worked on Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, praising Harris for her “perfect” campaign so far. “She's peaked at exactly the right moment,” he said. “As long as she keeps the helm steady, I think she'll do well.”

As the presidential race tightens, the battle for Congress is also heating up. Democrats face a tough road ahead to retain their majority in the Senate, which depends on victories in Republican states like Ohio and Montana.

You can read the whole story here.

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

In August 2022, senior officials from the Justice Department and the FBI met for what one attendee later described as a “come to Jesus” meeting regarding an ongoing criminal investigation. While tensions between prosecutors and agents are routine during an investigation, this case had taken on an extreme level of bitterness because of the potential defendant, former President Donald Trump.

Several FBI agents took the extraordinary step of questioning the political contributions of one of the Justice Department's top prosecutors. In a less divisive era, personal political contributions might have attracted less attention. But in this era of hyper-partisanship, division and mistrust threatened to slow the Mar-a-Lago investigation. For the first time, one of the FBI officials explains publicly why.

US working on a “save or die” ceasefire agreement for Gaza

President Biden has said he did not believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had done enough to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas. This blunt remark came after massive protests demanding a ceasefire and an agreement that would see the release of Israeli hostages.

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

Two people briefed on the talks to secure a deal told NBC News that Biden may offer Israel and Hamas a final “eat or die” agreement this week in hopes of reaching a ceasefire agreement. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan suggested that move as an option during a virtual meeting with U.S. hostage families on Sunday, they said.

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