It’s Monday. “The Great British Bake Off” is officially coming back Friday, and I am SO EXCITED to become a snobby, amateur critic of choux pastry, Victoria sponge and frangipane tarts — all of which I know nothing about. 🧑‍🍳 Anyway, here’s what’s happening today:

• The suspect in Trump’s second assassination attempt allegedly outlined his plans in a note.
• House leaders are hoping to move a clean, three-month funding bill by Wednesday.
• Biden is doing his first interview Wednesday since the Democratic National Convention.
• Trump’s campaigning in Pennsylvania today; Vance is in North Carolina. 

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

©  AP

Prosecutors allege that Ryan Routh, the 58-year-old suspect who brought a rifle to a golf course where former President Trump was playing and pushed the muzzle through the perimeter, wrote a letter detailing his plans “several months” ago.

Excerpt from the letter: “Dear world, this was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump but I am so sorry I failed you. I tried my best and gave it all the gumption I could muster.” The letter also offered a $150,000 reward for “whomever can complete the job.”

How the letter was found: Prosecutors say Routh put the letter inside a box and dropped it off with a witness. The witness opened the box after hearing about the incident and found ammunition and other letters.

Another update: Routh’s phone pinged cell towers near Trump’s golf course and Mar-a-Lago for nearly a month before the Sept. 15 incident.

What we know about the letter, via The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld

President Biden will appear on ABC’s “The View” this Wednesday for his first interview since speaking at the Democratic National Convention.

House GOP leaders unveiled their plan B over the weekend to keep the government open past the Sept. 30 deadline after Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) partisan plan failed in the House.

The plan: The continuing resolution (CR) would fund the government through Dec. 20 as opposed to Johnson’s six-month proposition. It wouldn’t be a holiday season without an end-of-the-year funding scramble, amirite? The plan includes $231 million for the Secret Service and excludes the Trump-backed proposal to require proof of citizenship to vote. Overall, this plan is fairly noncontroversial.

🔎 ‘What made the cut in Congress’s plan to avert a shutdown — and what didn’t’

Keep in mind: Lawmakers are eager to get out of town and back onto the campaign trail with roughly six weeks until Election Day. There isn’t much of an appetite in either party for a shutdown because of the political blowback.

⌚ What happens now?: Republican leaders are planning to vote on this funding plan by Wednesday, GOP aides told The Hill. It would then head to the Senate. It’s bipartisan, but it will likely anger hardline House conservatives, who pushed for plan A, so Republicans will likely need Democrats’ help to pass it through both chambers.

What else is happening this week?

• The task force investigating the assassination attempts against Trump is holding its first hearing on Thursday.
• Former NFL quarterback Brett Favre will testify Tuesday during a hearing on the misuse of welfare funds. Details from ESPN
• A statue of singer and songwriter Johnny Cash will be unveiled in the House on Tuesday.  Live stream here

Details from The Hill’s Mychael Schnell

Several members of North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson’s (R) campaign stepped down from their roles in his gubernatorial campaign Sunday.

Timing: This is just a few days after CNN published a bombshell report, unveiling a number of highly offensive comments he reportedly made on a pornography website’s message board. Here’s that CNN report

Who resigned?: Robinson’s campaign manager, finance director,  deputy campaign manager and a general consultant and senior adviser all stepped down.

Tidbit: CNN’s Andy Kaczynski posted a clip of himself asking Robinson about staff resignations last Thursday. Robinson seemed confident his staff would not quit. 📹 Watch the clip

Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), Trump’s running mate, would not say whether he believes Robinson made those comments.

Vance told an NBC Philadelphia reporter: “Well, look, the allegations are pretty far out there, of course, but I know that allegations aren’t necessarily reality.” Read Vance’s full comment

^ The possibility that history could repeat itself with regards to polling.

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that “Senate Democrats are worried pollsters are once again undercounting the Trump vote and say Vice President Harris’s slim lead in battleground states, especially Pennsylvania, is cause for serious concern.”

2016 has given Democrats PTSD: “After getting shocked by Hillary Clinton’s upset loss in 2016 and surprised by then-President Trump’s stronger-than-expected performance in 2020, Democratic lawmakers are bracing themselves for another election night surprise.”

Their best hope for winning: “They hope that Harris can overperform the polls herself by driving young voters and Black and Latino voters to the polls in big numbers, but acknowledge that whether a larger-than-expected pro-Harris coalition emerges is an untested hypothesis.”

Read Bolton’s reporting: ‘Democrats fear pollsters are undercounting Trump

Axios’s Russell Contreras has noticed that “the [Trump-Harris race] is the first presidential election in half a century in which neither candidate is openly telling voters much about their religion or faith.”

For context: “Since 1976, speaking about their religious faith has been a virtual prerequisite for those seeking the nation’s highest office.”

Read the full report: ‘Harris, Trump go light on religion in ’24 campaign’

• ‘Accurate Polls Hinge on a Tricky Question: Who’s Actually Going to Vote?’: The New York Times
• ‘Donald Trump’s imaginary and frightening world’: The Washington Post
• ‘Georgia Voters Are Split Over How to Strengthen Democracy’: The Wall Street Journal
• ‘Democrats eager to fight Vance over ObamaCare rollback’: The Hill

🥧 Celebrate: Today is National Pot Pie Day!

🕺 Jason Kelce seems like a great party invite: ESPN posted a video of the former football star dancing on stage. 📹 Watch

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington. Biden heads to New York this afternoon. (all times Eastern)

• 12:20 p.m.: Biden meets with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, known as MBZ.
• 2 p.m.: Harris meets with MBZ.
• 2:55 p.m.: Biden leaves for New York.
• 3 p.m.: Former President Trump campaigns in Smithton, Pa. 💻 Livestream
• 5 p.m.: Sen. JD Vance (R- Ohio) campaigns in Charlotte, N.C. 💻 Livestream
• 5:30 p.m.: The Senate holds a confirmation vote. 📆 Today’s agenda
• 6:30 p.m.: Vance campaigns in Charlotte. 💻 Livestream
• 6:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today’s agenda
• 7 p.m.: Trump campaigns in Indiana, Pa. 💻 Livestream

Because you read this far, here’s an intimidating stampede.