A daily morning look at the financial stories you need to know to start the day

STOCKS/ECONOMY

-Stock futures are flat after yesterday's very small gains.

-Walmart earnings beat expectations and the company raised its forward guidance.

-Six million Americans still owe more on their homes than they're worth.

OIL/ENERGY

-Crude oil prices are flat, but holding on to yesterday's gains near the $47/barrel level.

-Gasoline prices held at $2.13/gallon, national average.

ELECTION

-Hillary Clinton will meet with several top law enforcement officials in New York today.

-The LA Times/USC poll has Hillary Clinton now leading Donald Trump by less than one point.

OLYMPIC CONTROVERSY

-Two US swimmers who say they were with fellow swimmer Ryan Lochte when he was robbed in Brazil were pulled off a plane in Rio yesterday as police continue to probe the incident.

DEALS/NO DEALS

-Gannett is sweetening its bid for Tribune's parent company.

CALIFORNIA WILDFIRE

-More than 1,500 people are battling a monster Southern California wildfire. Tens of thousands have had to flee their homes.

TERROR/DEFENSE

-The Obama administration's insistence that a $400 million cash payment to Iran was not linked to the release of detained US Navy sailors is under extreme doubt now that reports show the US tightly scripted the handover of the money until the precise time the sailors were freed.

-The Pentagon is launching a competition to find better uniforms that protect troops from chemical and biological attack. Lululemon and Under Armor are competing for the $250,000 design prize.

-German PM Angela Merkel says Muslim refugees have not brought terror to Germany.

-Israel has developed a new missile warning system that narrows down the warning to the single square kilometer where a rocket will land.

STING OPERATION

-The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been sending undercover agents posing as homebuyers in a sting operation trying to find mortgage discrimination at BancorpSouth.