US Elections 2020: Tax bombshell, presidential debate prep

Here’s what’s happening Monday in Election 2020 , 36 days until Election Day:

HOW TO VOTE: AP’s state-by-state interactive has details on how to vote in this election.

TODAY’S TOP STORIES:

TAX BOMBSHELL: President Donald Trump's tax revelations threaten to undercut a pillar of his appeal among blue-collar voters while providing a new opening for his Democratic rival just two days before the first presidential debate. Trump has worked for decades to build an image of himself as a hugely successful businessman — even choosing “mogul” as his Secret Service code name.

DEBATE PREP: Ahead of the first debate between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden, each campaign is promising a stark contrast in policy, personality and preparation . Trump has only recently begun serious preparation, telling reporters Sunday that Chris Christie and Rudy Giuliani are helping him prepare. While Biden’s team believes the significance of Tuesday’s prime-time affair may be exaggerated, the former vice president has been aggressively preparing to take on the Republican president.

MESSAGING CHALLENGE: The Republican president and his allies continue to downplay the coronavirus pandemic, but for swing voters on the ground in North Carolina, the coronavirus and the related economic challenges are a much more pressing concern than Trump’s push to fill a Supreme Court vacancy. Trump’s challenge is acute in North Carolina, a state that his senior aides describe as a “must-win.”

REFUGEE VOTERS: Tens of thousands of refugees fleeing wars and persecution who were welcomed into the U.S. are now American citizens voting the first time in what could be the most consequential presidential election of their lifetimes . From Arizona to Florida, the first-time voters are studying the candidates, excited but mindful of their weighty responsibility in helping to choose their country’s leader.

QUOTABLE: “That’s why he hid his tax returns. Because the whole time, he wasn’t paying taxes. But you were." —- Sen. Chris Murphy on President Donald Trump's tax return bombshell.