Bush, Kerry Set for Crucial First Debate

President Bush and Democratic rival John Kerry made final preparations for their nationally televised debate on Thursday, as Kerry praised his foe as “a very clever debater” and Bush made another tour of Florida storm damage. The 90-minute session on the University of Miami campus starting at 9 p.m. will give voters their first chance to compare the candidates directly and could play a big role in tipping a White House race that most polls show is close but leaning toward Bush. Polls indicate as many as one-quarter of American voters could be swayed by the debates, which often provide insights into not only the candidates’ views but their demeanor and personalities. The session will focus on the war in Iraq, where the U.S. death toll now stands at 1,055, and the war on terror. A series of car bombs across Iraq on Thursday killed more than 40 people, many of them children, as instability mounted there. Read the story here.

Mayor asks Border Patrol to investigate day laborers

During a time when federal immigration agencies are focusing more on terrorism and hardcore crime than on deporting illegal workers, Temecula Mayor Mike Naggar has asked the U.S. Border Patrol to investigate groups of day laborers congregating on various street corners in the city to see if any are illegal immigrants. Naggar said Wednesday he has received a handful of complaints from residents regarding workers gathering in the morning at Rancho California and Butterfield Stage roads, Rancho California Road and Meadows Parkway and Old Town Front Street adjacent to Dan’s Feed Store. In response, Naggar sent a letter on Sept. 14 to Wes Knippler, the acting agent in charge of the Temecula Border patrol station, asking him to “take the appropriate actions necessary to ensure that these areas are clear of illegal immigrants.” Read the story here.

Peterson Defense Picks Away At Grogan Testimony

A day after the lead detective assigned to investigate Laci Peterson’s disappearance told jurors Scott Peterson seemed disinterested in the status of the case, defense lawyers challenged the contention, noting Peterson was regularly checking in with police and family. Modesto police Detective Craig Grogan has been on the witness stand for more than week. Defense attorneys used him to accuse police of narrowly focusing on their client while ignoring other possible leads. Prosecutors methodically noted Peterson’s apparent duplicity after his wife’s disappearance in their questioning of Grogan, and implied, according to Grogan, that Peterson inquired with police only about once a month. Read the story here.