E Minus 12: Donald Trump took his campaign to the opening of his new hotel yesterday in Washington, saying, “Under budget and ahead of schedule. So important. We don’t hear those words so often, but you will.”

As he spoke, Hillary Clinton, who turned 69 yesterday, was in Florida talking about Trump’s use of illegal immigrants to keep down building costs. Clinton told reporters: “I was struck today that Donald Trump was paying more attention to his business than to the campaign. That’s his choice but we’re going to keep working really hard to reach as many voters as possible.”

Later, in Charlotte, NC, Trump touted what he called a “New Deal for black America.” Several people behind him were holding signs that said “Blacks for Trump,” and one of them was a white woman.

Clinton’s lead over Trump has slipped some in the past few days. The RealClear Politics average of polls has her with a 5.5 percent advantage, down from 6.7 percent on Monday.

Mailbox: Emails released by WikiLeaks reveal the internal conflicts within the Clinton camp over foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation and Bill Clinton’s speaking fees. They were worried about Bill Clinton making money from donors and accepting personal gifts from them. The former president, for instance, was paid $3.5 million a year by the for-profit Laureate International Universities.

Of particular concern was a $12 million pledge by the King of Morocco shortly before Hillary declared for the presidency. It looked bad. Her closest aide, Huma Abedin, said in an email, “She created this mess and she knows it.”

World: An Afghan woman whose 1985 photograph as a 12-year-old on the cover of National Geographic became a haunting and iconic image of her country, has been arrested in Pakistan on charges that she fraudulently obtained national identity cards.

Sharbat Gula was barely more than a child with wide green eyes when her picture was taken. She represented the beauty and tragedy of the country. The image was everywhere.

Pakistani authorities say Gula first obtained a fraudulent Pakistani card in 1988. Pakistan has been cracking down on Afghans who have fled their country to escape war. Gula faces up to 14 years in prison.

Thanks for Your Service: Amid fury and embarrassment, the Pentagon said it has suspended its efforts to take back signing bonuses and other financial incentives that may have been improperly paid to members of the California National Guard to attract soldiers to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan. “There is no more important responsibility for the Department of Defense than keeping faith with our people,” Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said in a statement.

The soldiers had signed contracts and accepted the money in good faith, usually about $20,000, only to have the Pentagon demand it back years later. Some soldiers went into debt and had wages garnished to pay it back.

Carter didn’t quite say “keep it.” His statement said, “We will provide for a process that puts as little burden as possible on any soldier who received an improper payment through no fault of his or her own. At the same time, it will respect our important obligation to the taxpayer.”

Have a Bud: A driverless automated truck travelled 120 miles last week from Ft. Collins, Co. to Colorado Springs to deliver 51,7444 cans of Budweiser beer. A backup driver was in the cab just in case.

It’s considered a landmark moment in the development of self-driving vehicles, but how close it is to an everyday thing remains a matter of debate. Futurists have talked about the flying car since the days of Buck Rogers.

The Boys of October: The Chicago Cubs beat Cleveland 5-1 last night to even the series at 1-1. The next game is tomorrow in Chicago, the first World Series game at Wrigley Field since 1945.

Starstruck: Donald Trump’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was smashed Wednesday by a man wielding a sledgehammer and pickaxe. Trump’s name was chipped out. The incident was caught on video and police expect to make an arrest. A yuuuge arrest.

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