By Eli Okun

HE WALKS THE LINE — President JOE BIDEN has just landed in Michigan to join the United Auto Workers strike, and the first person to greet him off the plane was UAW President SHAWN FAIN. Biden, whose move to join the picket line is historic for an American president, told reporters on the tarmac that he’s “not worried” about earning the union’s endorsement for his reelection bid. But the fraught political battle for union members’ support in Michigan — and beyond — is a not-so-subtle subtext of the dueling visits this week from Biden and DONALD TRUMP, who’ll speak at a (non-union) shop in the state tomorrow.

“You deserve the significant raise you need,” Biden told workers as he reached the picket line with a bullhorn.

Back on the East Coast, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER joined UAW picketers today in Tappan, N.Y.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) called on his fellow New Jersey senator to step down. | Alex Brandon, File/AP Photo

NJ’S GOLDEN BOY SETS THE BAR HIGHER — Sen. CORY BOOKER (D-N.J.) today became the most consequential senator to call for Sen. BOB MENENDEZ’s (D-N.J.) resignation over corruption allegations. Booker, a longtime friend and defender of his fellow home-state senator, said in a lengthy statement that “I’ve found the allegations hard to reconcile with the person I know. … Stepping down is not an admission of guilt but an acknowledgment that holding public office often demands tremendous sacrifices at great personal cost.”

The dam broke elsewhere in Washington, too: At our last count, another 13 Democratic senators just today called for Menendez to resign. Expect that number to keep growing.

The political threats to Menendez back home continue to grow, as New Jersey first lady TAMMY MURPHY is listening to lots of Democrats encouraging her to run for Senate, the New Jersey Globe’s David Wildstein reports. Though Murphy is not yet actively considering a bid, she could join the primary against Menendez, as Rep. ANDY KIM (D-N.J.) has.

Not everybody is there yet on resignation: White House press secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE declined again to call for it. Sen. DEBBIE STABENOW (D-Mich.), a member of leadership, said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” “We will let this move forward this week, and we’ll see what happens.” Back in Hudson County, many top Democrats are staying silent for now, NYT’s Ed Shanahan reports. And Menendez got some defense from Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.), who criticized DOJ’s record and said his future should be up to voters, not “Democratic politicians who now view him as inconvenient to their hold on power.”

PENCIL IN A FLIP — The Supreme Court turned away Alabama Republicans’ attempt to stop a lower court from redrawing the state’s congressional map, bringing Democrats even closer to flipping a House seat by gaining a second majority-Black (or close to it) district. The failed appeal follows the state GOP’s insistence on ignoring an earlier SCOTUS ruling that found the Voting Rights Act requires such a district. Now the court-ordered special master’s work will proceed — he proposed three maps yesterday that would comply with the directive. More from AL.com

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CONGRESS

SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN — As House Republicans put forth conservative spending bills with major cuts, WaPo’s Theo Meyer and Leigh Ann Caldwell note that fully one-fourth of their savings would stem from decimating Title 1 education grants by 80%. The program provides money to low-income schools, and Democrats say the cut could lead to hundreds of thousands of teachers losing their jobs. But Republicans argue that the nearly $15 billion in savings, which go even further than RUSS VOUGHT’s Center for Renewing America suggested, come from a program that isn’t essential in the wake of generous pandemic-era aid packages.

Beyond just Title 1, Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY is putting forth massive cuts to the safety net that could transform millions of poor Americans’ lives if implemented, WaPo’s Jeff Stein, Marianna Sotomayor and Moriah Balingit report. From affordable housing to home heating to fresh produce for pregnant women, tons of programs that aid poor people would see significant reductions in funding.

THE IMMEDIATE IMPACT — “Not again. Federal workers who’ve weathered past government shutdowns brace for yet another ordeal,” by AP’s Fatima Hussein: “It’s a test not only of their ability to stay financially afloat, but also of their commitment to public service.”

Meanwhile, Rep. MATT GAETZ (R-Fla.) has asked not to be paid while the government is shut down, The Daily Caller’s Henry Rodgers scoops.

2024 WATCH

A THIRD-PARTY SPOILER BIDEN CAN LOVE — Biden has plenty of potential headaches in third-party candidates to his left and his right, but RALPH NADER isn’t one of them. The former Green Party nominee tells WaPo’s Michael Scherer that he’s ridin’ with Biden — because defeating Trump is priority No. 1. He still has plenty of criticism and isn’t endorsing Biden officially, but Nader doesn’t think CORNEL WEST has a shot. “I know the difference between fascism and autocracy, and I’ll take autocracy any time,” Nader says. “Fascism is what the GOP is the architecture of, and autocracy is what the Democrats are practitioners of. But autocracy leaves an opening. They don’t suppress votes. They don’t suppress free speech.”

POWER TRIP — The Biden campaign is working hard to keep Biden from tripping again in public, aware of the electorate’s broad concerns about his age and fitness, Axios’ Alex Thompson reports. In recent months, he’s switched to wearing tennis shoes more and using a smaller staircase for Air Force One. And Biden continues to work on his balance with a physical therapist. The campaign’s worst-case scenario is a major fall right before the election.

WHERE THE ELECTION WILL BE WON — WSJ’s Aaron Zitner and Kara Dapena estimate that about 26% of voters make up the universe of “persuadables” who will determine the election. Overall, they’re more moderate and more pessimistic than the rest of the electorate. They dislike both Biden and Trump. They feel negative about the economy, but they favor protecting abortion rights. And they’re following both Trump’s and HUNTER BIDEN’s legal woes less closely than other voters are, at least for now.

THE JUGGERNAUT — As the Republican presidential field sans Trump heads to California tomorrow for their second primary debate, nobody’s coming remotely close to catching him in the Golden State, Chris Cadelago reports from San Francisco. It’s not just that Trump commands massive support from the grassroots; the state party has changed the delegate apportionment rules to maximize his advantage, too. Hardly any other campaigns even have a robust ground presence in the Super Tuesday state.

THE STAKES — Still, the debate could offer several candidates “a potential opening to wrest” the second-place mantle from Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS, NYT’s Shane Goldmacher, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan report. Several top donors will be watching avidly to see if they can settle on a Trump alternative. Reeling in cash from a strong performance is likely the biggest prize to be won tomorrow.

THE LINEUP — DeSantis will be center stage at the debate, Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser reports, flanked by NIKKI HALEY and VIVEK RAMASWAMY. The next layer out is CHRIS CHRISTIE and Sen. TIM SCOTT (R-S.C.), followed by North Dakota Gov. DOUG BURGUM and MIKE PENCE at the ends.

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JUDICIARY SQUARE

NIGHT OF THE HUNTER — The president’s son today sued RUDY GIULIANI and attorney ROBERT COSTELLO for alleged illegal hacking with the Hunter Biden data they say came from his laptop, Betsy Woodruff Swan and Kyle Cheney report. “Giuliani and his allies have long argued that the purported laptop was fair game because it was allegedly abandoned. But at the heart of the lawsuit is the argument that regardless of where any piece of computer hardware was located, Hunter Biden’s data still belongs to him alone.” It follows a similar lawsuit against GARRETT ZIEGLER — and may not be the last one Hunter brings, per a member of his team.

ANTITRUST THE PROCESS — In the big antitrust case against Google, the tech giant has won rulings to keep huge swaths of the trial out of the public eye, NYT’s Nico Grant, Cecilia Kang and Tripp Mickle report. As a result, “it is shaping up to be perhaps the most secretive antitrust trial of the last few decades.”

MORE POLITICS

CASH DASH — We got our hands on a pair of notable Senate GOP fundraisers happening this afternoon for top Republican prospects to flip swing seats: Sen. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO (R-W.Va.) is hosting a meet and greet with West Virginia Gov. JIM JUSTICE. And NRSC Chair STEVE DAINES (R-Mont.), Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL and more than a dozen other senators are hosting a reception for Pennsylvania’s DAVE McCORMICK, which costs $1,000 to attend.

MEDIAWATCH

MARTY BARON LOOKS BACK — “How We Got ‘Democracy Dies in Darkness,’” by the former WaPo executive editor in The Atlantic, excerpted from his forthcoming book, “Collision of Power” ($34.99): “[I]t was clear that Trump saw all of us at [dinner with him] as his foes, most especially [JEFF] BEZOS, because he owned the Post and, in Trump’s mind, was pulling the strings — or could pull them if he wished. At our dinner, Trump sought at times to be charming. It was a superficial charm, without warmth or authenticity. He did almost all the talking. We scarcely said a word, and I said the least, out of discomfort at being there and seeking to avoid any confrontation with him over our coverage. Anything I said could set him off.”

Plus: Baron on how they chose that slogan, the journalistic debate over objectivity, JARED KUSHNER’s attempt to get better coverage and more.

STARTING TOMORROW — “Streaming News Threw Kasie Hunt Some Curves. Now She’s Straightening Them Out,” by Variety’s Brian Steinberg

FOR YOUR RADAR — “Punchbowl News expands website, eyes $20M in revenue,” by Axios’ Sara Fischer

BEYOND THE BELTWAY

CAN THEY KICK IT? YEAH, THEY CAN — “Can the U.S. Make Solar Panels? This Company Thinks So,” by NYT’s Ivan Penn in Perrysburg, Ohio: “How the company that owns the factory, First Solar, managed to hang on when most solar panel manufacturing left the United States for China is critical to understanding the viability of President Biden’s efforts to establish a large domestic green energy industry.”

THE SALES PITCH — As Democrats struggle to raise awareness of the Inflation Reduction Act’s historic climate investments, WaPo’s Timothy Puko takes a look at how the debate is playing out in Las Vegas. Though many climate-conscious voters in the swing district remain unfamiliar with the landmark law, the Climate Action Campaign, the League of Conservation Voters and other groups are about to start spending big to tout it in swing states.

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THE ECONOMY

SIGNS OF SLOWDOWN — The Fed’s interest rate increases are finally starting to bite for ordinary Americans, as home, car and credit card loans are pinching more than they used to, WSJ’s Rachel Louise Ensign reports.

PLAYBOOKERS

SPOTTED: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) having quiet cocktails and dinner with John Kerry at the St. Regis bar last night.

OUT AND ABOUT — Ecuadorian President Guillermo Lasso conferred the prestigious National Order of Honorato Vázquez on Adrienne Arsht and Bo Derek in a ceremony last night at Arsht’s home. SPOTTED: Ecuadorian Ambassador Ivonne Baki, Monégasque Ambassador Maguy Maccario Doyle, Saudi Ambassador Reema Al Saud, Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar, U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador Michael Fitzpatrick, Capricia Marshall, Phil Rucker and Ed Royce.

MEDIA MOVE — Molly Ball is joining the WSJ as senior political correspondent. She previously was national political correspondent at Time.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Blake Kernen will be press secretary for the House Budget Committee. She currently is deputy press secretary for Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.).

— Kevin Lowery is joining Weymouth Watson as creative director. They have previously photographed several “New South” political campaigns, including those of Stacey Abrams.

ENGAGED — Nick Fitzgerald, strategic partnership manager at Preqin, proposed to Emma Rechenberg, co-host of Newsmax’s “National Report,” on Sept. 14 at Goose Rocks Beach in Kennebunkport, Maine, where the couple has spent many vacations. They matched online and met for their first date at The Bar Room in NYC. Instapics

— Holly Grosholz, director of government affairs at the American Clinical Laboratory Association, and Kees Bruggen, account manager for government affairs at National Journal and a POLITICO alum, got engaged Saturday in Shady Side, Md., with a surprise after-party with friends and family at the Chesapeake Yacht Club. The couple had their first date at a French restaurant in Dupont Circle. Pic … Another pic

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) and Tara Crenshaw welcomed daughter Suzy on Sept. 12. She came in at 7 lbs, 15 oz, and is named for his late mother. Instapics

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