The Los Angeles Timesleads with a look at how the Bush administration's three-year effort to prevent North Korea from having access to the world financial system seems to have paid off. The New York Timesleads with the results of their latest (and final one before Tuesday's election) poll that once again shows bad news for Republicans. Fifty-two percent of registered voters said they would elect Democrats and 33 percent Republicans. One day after the Washington Postseemed to take the high-road and buried Kerry's "botched joke" story (a fact the WP's national political editor proudly pointed out in Slate), today, it decides to lead with the former presidential candidate's apology. The Wall Street Journal tops its worldwide newsbox with President Bush vowing to keep Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld until the end of his term and, along with other Republicans, continued to criticize Kerry. USA Todayleads with news that the bonuses paid to the country's airport screeners did not reduce the high turnover rate, as the Transportation Security Administration had originally hoped. 

U.S. officials have frequently said North Korea uses foreign accounts to launder money, which is why it has worked hard to get banks to freeze its assets and prevent financial institutions around the world from doing business with the country. The strategy seems to have worked, at least somewhat, because discussing these restrictions was the only request put forward by the North Koreans to get back to the negotiating table. But, as the NYT reports, not everyone in the Bush administration is happy with the decision to get back to talking, feeling that nuclear tests should be met with isolation, not conversation.

Only 29 percent of Americans approve of the way President Bush is handling the war in Iraq, which was cited as the most important issue in the upcoming elections. In addition, 69 percent of respondents said George W. Bush has not developed a clear plan for dealing with Iraq, and 76 percent say a Democratic Congress is more likely to bring U.S. troops back home sooner. Fifty percent of independents said they plan to vote for a Democratic candidate, while 23 percent for Republicans. Despite Republican efforts to paint Democrats as weak on national security issues, slightly more Americans seem to believe the threat of terrorism would increase under Republican rule.

Meanwhile, on the campaign trail, Sen. John Kerry issued two apologies yesterday for his remarks and criticized Republicans for focusing on his statements rather than on the issues. Several Democrats tried to distance themselves from the senator, and, seemingly to avoid problems, Kerry canceled his campaign trips.

The LAT fronts a look at how Kerry is not alone, as "foot-in-mouth syndrome has become the bane of candidates coast to coast."

The WSJ mentions how a Democratic Party victory on Tuesday is going to force party members to come up with a unified foreign-policy plan, which would be critical for 2008.

The NYT reefers word that Rep. Nancy Pelosi has become the "unwitting star" of several Republican ads that are trying to use the possibility of Pelosi as speaker to get conservatives to the polls on Tuesday. The problem is, most voters simply don't seem to know who Pelosi is or what she stands for (a point Slate's Bruce Reed made in a forum at the George Washington University last week).

The Post fronts a look at how the wide-ranging congressional scandals could be one of the main causes for the likely Republican downfall in the House of Representatives. "There were scandals throughout the '70s, multiple scandals, but the number of stories now are almost overwhelming," a congressional historian tells the paper.

The NYT reefers a dispatch from the campaign to replace disgraced congressman Mark Foley, where everyone thought Democrats were slated for an easy victory. Republicans have put nearly $2 million into the race, and the efforts seem to be working, as some have declared the race too close to call.

USAT notes the fallout from the Abramoff scandal has led to Indian tribes cutting back on their political contributions this election cycle.