The two remaining McCain-Obama debates will begin at 8 p.m. CDT and last 90 minutes.

Tonight: NBC's Tom Brokaw will moderate a town hall meeting -- in which citizens will pose questions to the candidates -- at Belmont University in Nashville.

Oct. 15: CBS' Bob Schieffer will moderate a debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. The focus will be domestic policy.

RNC ASKS FUND CHECK

THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE FILED A COMPLAINT MONDAY ALLEGING THAT BARACK OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN HAS RECEIVED ILLEGAL CONTRIBUTIONS FROM FOREIGNERS AND DONATIONS THAT EXCEED FEDERAL LIMITS.

The complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission in Washington is based largely on media reports, including one from a conservative news website that suggests donors who listed their state as "IR" may have been from Iran. In FEC reports, the designation "IR" typically stands for "information requested" because the donor did not supply it.

NEXT MOVE IN TROOPERGATE FIVE REPUBLICAN STATE LAWMAKERS ASKED THE ALASKA SUPREME COURT TO SHUT DOWN THE LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATION INTO GOV. SARAH PALIN IN WHAT HAS COME TO BE KNOWN AS TROOPERGATE. ORAL ARGUMENTS ARE SCHEDULED FOR WEDNESDAY.

The legislature is investigating whether Palin abused her power by firing Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan. Monegan says he was ousted for resisting pressure from Palin to fire a state trooper involved in a messy divorce with the governor's sister.

Palin refuses to cooperate with that inquiry. But her husband, Todd Palin, who also originally balked, has agreed to answer written questions, McCain campaign officials said Monday.

SEC SUES

MONEY MAN

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission charged Democratic fundraiser Norman Hsu with operating a $60 million Ponzi scheme in a civil suit filed in Los Angeles.

Hsu, one of the biggest fundraisers for Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is in federal custody, awaiting trial on criminal charges that he defrauded investors out of millions of dollars in the scam and made illegal campaign contributions.

The SEC wants Hsu and his company, Next Components Ltd., to disgorge the illegal profits.

VOTING IN WISCONSIN

Absentee voting for the presidential race started Monday in much of Wisconsin -- but not in Milwaukee, Madison and Oshkosh, which were still getting absentee ballots ready.

NEWS SERVICES