• There won’t be any “grand bargain” on House Bill 2 after all: Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts announced this morning that the Charlotte City Council would not consider a measure repealing the city ordinance that prompted H.B. 2. Had the council voted to repeal, then the General Assembly might have returned for a special session to repeal H.B. 2. The ball is in the General Assembly’s court, as it were.

• H.B. 2 undoubtedly will be one of the issues discussed 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Sunset Theater in Asheboro. The second Hometown Debate will feature Republican state Sen. Buck Newton of Nash County and Democratic state Sen. Josh Stein of Wake County, who are running for attorney general. Yours truly will provide commentary and analysis before and after the debate on the statewide North Carolina News Network (check local listings). I’ll be on at 6:30 for the preview and then follow up with post-debate comments from 8-8:30. It’ll be your first opportunity to hear the candidates before the debate is broadcast Wednesday night on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Channel. Please tune in!

• There will be a televised U.S. Senate debate after all. Democrat Deborah Ross has agreed to meet incumbent Republican Richard Burr on UNC-TV (and NCNN) October 20. Libertarian Sean Haugh will not join them.

• Speaking of Libertarians being shut out of debates, the Committee on Presidential Debates announced that Libertarian Gary Johnson did not meet the threshold to appear on stage next Monday with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in the first of three scheduled debates. Green Party nominee Dr. Jill Stein didn’t make the cut, either.