If it's Thursday the stage is set for the first presidential debate of the year with the week to go,

the two candidates neck and neck as both campaigns prepare for their first official face-off.

Plus Democrats' latest push to put abortion rights front and center, rallying voters today

in a key county of a critical swing state hoping the issue will help them win control of Congress and the White House.

And a new law in Louisiana requiring the 10 Commandments to be displayed in every public school

classroom.

Civil liberty groups are blasting the move as unconstitutional and vowing to challenge

it in Washington. We are, as we noted, just a week away from the first presidential debate and the stage is officially set.

Debate organizers announced today that as expected independent candidate Robert

F Kennedy Jr. did not meet the qualification requirements. That means this is

going to be a head-to-head event with President Biden and former President Trump next Thursday.

It is the first presidential debate to happen this early in an election year.

And of course the stakes are extraordinarily high.

This is the first and maybe the best chance to shake up what to this point has

really been a remarkably stable presidential race and preparations have begun

inside both campaigns. That's where we get going with President Biden who's going to be

headed to Camp David tonight. He'll dive into his debate prep there in earnest.

Sources tell NBC News his former chief of staff, Ron Klein is organizing his prep sessions that are going to intensify, we're told as the

week goes on and will include some full length mock debates as things get closer to

Thursday. When asked about former President Trump's debate prep,

a senior campaign advisor there,

said Mr. Trump's normal campaign schedule

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