US election 2016: Our daily dig from campaign trail

With just 34 days to go until the US general election, amid one of the most helter-skelter presidential campaigns in living memory, we've diced and sliced all the latest developments from the trail.

What just happened

There are bad days, terrible days and then there are the kind of days that Donald Trump just endured.

He ended Monday by defending his tax arrangements as a "brilliant" way of navigating the law, as a furore raged over the possibility that he had not paid federal tax for 18 years. But tax wasn't the only fire for him to douse, as his charitable foundation has been ordered by New York's attorney general to stop fundraising in the state, after prosecutors concluded it didn't have the proper registration. There were also allegations about sexist conduct by Trump on the set of The Apprentice.

Meanwhile, an article in the New York Times on Hillary Clinton's role in discrediting women her husband had affairs with, makes for uncomfortable reading for her supporters. Could this damage her campaign, asks Katty Kay?

What's about to happen - Veeps take centre stage

Last week, it was the presidential candidates who entered the debating ring for the first time - on Tuesday, it's the turn of their vice-presidential picks. Mike Pence and Tim Kaine will hold their one and only debate in Farmville, Virginia, at 21:00 local time (01:00 GMT on Wednesday).

Judging by the small sample of people we spoke to in New York, it might be a chance for people to learn what the VP candidates look like...

The BBC take - Anthony Zurcher, Washington

Historically, the vice-presidential debate is given scant media attention compared to the top-of-the-ticket showdowns. With one notable exception - Palin v Biden in 2008 - the television audience is significantly smaller. Chances are a showdown between two middle-age white men with Mid-Western roots isn't going to move the needle as far as national attention goes. For political junkies longing for a fix before Sunday's second presidential debate, however, the event can reveal the state of the two campaigns and what could be in store as the race heads into its final weeks.

Read more from Anthony

Follow @awzurcher on Twitter

Who are the best sidekicks?

As the vice-presidential candidates go head-to-head, we want to know who are the best sidekicks? And what makes them the best? Tweet your suggestions using #USElectionBBC

Picture of the day

Trump fans line the road in Colorado to catch a glimpse of their man in his motorcade

Quote of the day

Random stat - 6

Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson has now picked up endorsements from at least six US newspapers, two of which have come since he had his latest memory lapse last week (in case you don't remember, he struggled to name a single world leader he admired).

For the record, Donald Trump has yet to receive a single newspaper endorsement, and plenty of papers that have traditionally backed Republicans have given their support to Mrs Clinton.

The big question is whether newspaper endorsements still matter - we looked into that, and the answer is yes, kind of...