McConnell says he wouldn't force government shutdown; GOP challenges Libertarian's signatures

Sen. Mitch McConnell keeps leading the news about the race, and the bus won't go away:

• "In his strongest words to date, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell tried to quash talk that he would allow another government shutdown if he becomes Senate majority leader next year," Dana Bash reports for CNN. "It's a failed policy," McConnell told her.
• Bill Goodman of KET interviewed Jonathan Martin of The New York Times about his 6,000-word profile of McConnell, which will be in the newspaper's printed magazine Sunday. Martin said of the senator, "The fact that his career has been interpreted as, not accidental, but not necessarily illustrious, bothers him, and he wants to really put an exclamation point on his career by winning this year, in what could be his last race." Near the end of the 18-minute interview, there's a great story about how McConnell developed his tough attitude at an early age, and Martin reveals that some of the material he gathered will be posted in smaller bits on the magazine's website later.
• The controversial bus being used by Alison Lundergan Grimes's campaign "does not appear to have the proper permits required to operate the charter bus," Joe Gerth of The Courier-Journal reports.
• Grimes will appear on "The Last Word" on MSNBC tonight at 10 ET.
• The state Republican Party has asked county clerks to verify the names and addresses on the petition filed to get Libertarian candidate David Patterson on the ballot. Grimes, the secretary of state, certified Patterson's name to the clerks Monday for placement on ballots. Ballots must be printed by Sept. 15. State Republican Chairman Steve Robertson told the Lexington Herald-Leader on Thursday that Republicans found "clearly fictitious and fabricated names," and "We believe very strongly" that Patterson has not qualified. Patterson told the newspaper that more than 5,700 "good signatures" were among the 9,000 submitted. "At least 5,000 valid signatures of registered voters are needed to get on the Nov. 4 ballot," Sam Youngman reports.