Good Thursday morning. Here are some of the stories making news in Washington and politics today.

_____________________

• After two rounds of back-to-back debate nights, the next Democratic presidential debate will be a one-day affair. Only 10 candidates qualified to be on the stage on Sept. 12. The debate process that was equal parts spectacle and grievance session is coming to an end. The race is entering a new phase, it’s about to feel smaller.

• The latest round of polling shows Joe Biden with a significant national lead in the Democratic presidential race, suggesting that his lead in the earlier stages of the campaign season has been relatively durable throughout the summer.

• After failing to qualify for a third debate next month, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who presented herself as a champion of women and families, said Wednesday that she was withdrawing from the Democratic primary.