“Climate negotiators from Europe, Latin America and some island nations are bracing for the potential return to the world stage of Donald Trump, who withdrew the United States from the fight against global warming during his first term,” the New York Times reports.

“Nations will press forward without the United States if they must, according to climate negotiators who gathered in New York last week during the United Nations General Assembly. But the first Trump presidency was a setback in the climate fight, and a repeat would slow things down at a critical point when scientists say efforts need to speed up.”

Politico: “A lot has also changed since Trump was last in power — both for Trump and the presidency itself — that make it more likely that he will pursue his enemies and easier for him to direct the Justice Department to do so.”

“Trump has been through the legal wringer in the last year-and-a-half and will want payback. He’s a convicted criminal and still faces trials that could send him to prison, and he’s not likely to forget all about that even if his legal troubles essentially disappear once he reaches the White House. He could easily wreak havoc with many of his political opponents’ lives simply by subjecting them to long, costly and highly disruptive criminal investigations and prosecutions.”

“Even if the effort failed to produce any real convictions, the process itself would be a form of punishment for the targets. It could also seriously erode public faith in the federal criminal justice system while chilling political opposition to Trump.”

Wall Street Journal: “Vance might have the heavier lift during their only planned face-off. That is partly because former President Donald Trump was widely viewed as losing his Sept. 10 debate against Vice President Kamala Harris in what for now was their only scheduled meeting.”

“The senator also faces a greater challenge because several polls have shown him with the lowest favorability rating of the four candidates on the two presidential tickets.”

“If Vance can significantly trip up Walz, that would be helpful for the GOP in trying to change a narrative that in recent weeks has shown Harris with a slight polling lead—often within the margin of error—over Trump.”

Washington Post: Vance and Walz face contrasting pressures in much-anticipated debate.

CNN: What Walz’s and Vance’s past debates may reveal about Tuesday’s high-stakes matchup.

“A group aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is planning to pour tens of millions of dollars into an effort to crack Democrats’ ‘blue wall’ with less than six weeks left to go before Election Day,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“In working to flip seats currently held by Democrats, the Senate Leadership Fund plans to spend $67.5 million on TV, radio and digital ad reservations in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.”

“The super PAC, run by close McConnell allies, will add $28 million in outside spending to Republicans’ effort to unseat Sen. Bob Casey in Pennsylvania, $17 million in Wisconsin to target Sen. Tammy Baldwin, and $22.5 million in Michigan, where the parties are fighting over an open seat currently held by Democrats.”

Nate Cohn: “While a relatively quiet political environment makes us more confident in the state of the race, there are still no guarantees.”

“If the polls are off as they were two or four years ago, the outcome might be very different than the polls suggest today. Either candidate could win decisively.”

“With this much uncertainty, the polls don’t suggest that either candidate is a clear favorite. At this point, there’s a good chance they never will.”

From the New York Times editorial board:

“This unequivocal, dispiriting truth — Donald Trump is not fit to be president — should be enough for any voter who cares about the health of our country and the stability of our democracy to deny him re-election.”

Kamala Harris on Sunday tried to taunt Donald Trump into participating in another debate as she rallied supporters in Nevada, the New York Times reports.

Said Harris: “I’m trying to debate Donald Trump again, and I think he should debate again. The American people have a right to hear us discuss the issues. And as you say here in Las Vegas, I’m all in. I’m all in. Even if my opponent is ready to fold.”

Kamala Harris raised about $55 million in high-dollar events in California this weekend, a haul that pads her financial advantage over Donald Trump, Bloomberg reports.

“Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI.) warned donors last week that internal polling for her Senate campaign shows Vice President Kamala Harris is ‘underwater’ in Michigan,” Axios reports.

However: “FiveThirtyEight’s average of polls has Harris up by about 2.4 points in Michigan.”

“Through public remarks, Truth Social screeds and more than 100 preemptive lawsuits, Donald Trump is assembling a detailed catalog of excuses for rejecting the results of the 2024 election — if he loses,” Axios reports.

“The Trump-aligned efforts to overturn the 2020 election — both overtly and covertly, peacefully then violently — shocked the American public. No one should be surprised this time around.”

“The former president, who risks jail time and more criminal trials if he loses, has expanded his range of baseless attacks on U.S. voting procedures in recent weeks and months.”