 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton face off in the first 2016 presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. 
 
 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton face off in the first 2016 presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. 
 
 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton face off in the first 2016 presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. 
 
 Donald Trump and his allies signaled Thursday that he is ready to move past the controversies that have dominated the 10 days since the first presidential debate and that he will try to stay focused on policy, not attacks, at the second debate on Sunday. SANDOWN — Surrounded by an invite-only crowd of about 160 at Sandown Town Hall Thursday night, billionaire businessman and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump took prepared voter questions on subjects ranging from jobs to foreign policy failures.The questions were read by Boston radio talk show host Howie Carr.Trump said his town hall wasn’t prep for Sunday night’s debate against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump also denied that he was using the event to prepare for Sunday night’s debate in St. Louis, which will operate under a similar format. “It’s just stopping businesses from growing.” 
 
 Earlier in the day during an online discussion with Reuters, Trump campaign adviser Anthony Scaramucci, a Wall Street financier who has raised campaign money for Trump, said Trump would eliminate 10 percent of regulations. "Trump was asked if he was "upset" by running mate Mike Pence’s "success" at his vice presidential debate earlier this week as some political observers suggested.He denied the claims.  Donald Trump Donald TrumpSotomayor: 'We can’t afford for a president to fail’ Trump ditches press pool to go out to dinner Pro-Sanders group: Schumer 'poor choice' to lead Senate Dems MORE needs to deliver a race-changing performance in Sunday’s town hall debate in St. Louis to have a chance at the White House.
– Donald Trump wants to more than merely decimate federal regulations: He told a town hall event in New Hampshire on Thursday night that he wants to wipe out a full 70% of them. "We are cutting the regulation at a tremendous clip. I would say 70% of regulations can go," Trump said. "It's just stopping businesses from growing." He didn't specify which 70% will be axed, but he said regulations on the environment and safety could stay. Earlier in the day, Trump adviser Anthony Scaramucci told Reuters that the candidate was planning to get rid of the "least important" 10% of federal regulations. In other coverage: Trump denied that the town hall was prep for Sunday's second debate with Hillary Clinton, which will have a similar format, the New Hampshire Union Leader reports. He told the audience that his rival was "resting" to "build up her energy" instead of prepping for the debate—and strongly denied that he was "upset" about running mate Mike Pence being seen as the winner of this week's vice presidential debate. The Guardian reports that after criticism from Republicans, the Clinton campaign has asked cable companies not to run the ads it bought on the Weather Channel this week ahead of Hurricane Matthew. The Trump campaign, meanwhile, has called on people in the storm's path to heed evacuation orders, and Trump says the US should "offer our assistance to help our island neighbors" affected by the storm in Haiti. The Washington Post reports that Trump appears to be trying harder to stick to his advisers' script: His tweets have been restrained and he has said he doesn't plan on bringing up Bill Clinton's infidelity during Sunday's debate. Politico reports that with a month to go and around $150 million to spend, Clinton's campaign is planning an ad blitz like no other in battleground states. The Hill looks at five things Trump will need to do to win Sunday's debate. They include learning from Pence's performance—and not taking the bait every time there's a charge against him. The New York Times and the Washington Post look at an episode from Trump's past that could come back to haunt him in the debate: In 1991 he appeared before the House to successfully lobby for the restoration of tax breaks and loopholes for real estate developers that had been removed in Ronald Reagan's 1986 tax reform legislation.