Axios

The New York Times has obtained more than two decades' worth of tax-return data from Trump and the companies that make up his business, writing in an explosive report that the documents "tell a story fundamentally different from the one [the president] has sold to the American public."

Why it matters: The Times' bombshell report, published less than seven weeks before the presidential election, lays bare much of the financial information Trump has long sought to keep secret — including allegations that he paid $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, and has over $300 million in personal debt obligations coming due in the next four years.

President Trump has been practicing with flashcards and prepping with former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie before Tuesday's presidential debate.

Behind the scenes: Top aides tell Axios he's been testing his attacks on the campaign trail for weeks, seeing what ignites his crowds or falls flat. One of the biggest themes Trump plans to drive home is his "tough guy" persona, which advisers see as an advantage with voters in key states.

In "One Vote Away: How a Single Supreme Court Seat Can Change History," out Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz has this tale from his meeting with President-elect Trump at Trump Tower, the week after the election:

"The president asked if I would be interested in secretary of Homeland Security. Although I care deeply about securing the border, I said no. I thought I could have significantly more impact in the Senate.

White House aides and Senate Republicans have spent the past week readying binders full of messaging and rebuttals to guide Judge Amy Coney Barrett to a pre-Nov. 3 confirmation. "We knew for days it was going to be Amy," a Senate GOP aide involved in her confirmation process told Axios.

What we're hearing: Beyond the expected questions about her views on religion, abortion and health care, Republicans worry about Democrats painting Barrett as someone who is insensitive and unfair to “the little guy,” one source involved in the talks told Axios.

Presidential Debate Commission co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. said Sunday he doesn't expect Fox News anchor Chris Wallace or any of the other moderators to fact-check President Trump or former Vice President Joe Biden at the debates.

What he's saying: "There's a vast difference between being a moderator in a debate and being a reporter who is interviewing someone," Fahrenkopf said on CNN's "Reliable Sources."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has begun mobilizing its resources and lobbying lawmakers and businesses across Washington to put Judge Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court, with plans to launch a multi-step effort this week, sources familiar with the plans tell Axios.

The big picture: The effort comes as the traditionally conservative-leaning Chamber has faced weeks of intense backlash for its decision to endorse 23 vulnerable House Democratic freshmen in November. The criticism reached a fever pitch last week, culminating in a call from President Trump himself.

Joe Biden made health care the overwhelming focus of his remarks from Wilmington, Delaware, on Sunday, stressing that the Senate confirmation battle over Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court is about preserving the Affordable Care Act in the midst of a pandemic.

Why it matters: Democrats are aggressively pushing the message that Barrett, who has previously criticized Chief Justice John Roberts for his 2012 ruling salvaging the ACA, will seek to invalidate the law when the Supreme Court hears a Trump administration-backed lawsuit against it on Nov. 10.

Former White House counsel Don McGahn, who was a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe, told CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday he believes Donald Trump deserves four more years as president.

The big picture: McGahn's relationship with Trump soured in 2018 before he ultimately resigned from his position. McGahn would go on to appear in 66 pages of Mueller's 448-page report as part of the volume on Trump's possible obstruction of justice.

Jill Biden shut down a question from CNN's Jake Tapper on her husband's occasional gaffes while on the campaign trail, saying "you cannot even go there."

What she's saying: “After Donald Trump, you cannot even say the word ‘gaffe,'" Biden said in an interview that aired during CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.

President Trump's refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses November's presidential election is a "gift to our adversaries," Trump's former national security adviser H.R. McMaster said Sunday.

The big picture: McMaster, a retired three-star general, said that the American people must understand that the military will have "no role" in a presidential transition and that it's "irresponsible" to even talk about it as a possibility.

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows continued his criticism of FBI Director Christopher Wray on Sunday, but he said President Trump still has confidence in him as of this moment.

What's he's saying: "The minute that the president loses confidence in any of his Cabinet members — they serve at his pleasure — he will certainly look at replacing them," Meadows told CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

President Trump on Sunday tweeted that the Supreme Court invalidating the Affordable Care Act would be "a big WIN for the USA!"

Why it matters: Democrats have argued that confirming a Trump-appointed justice to the Supreme Court would put the Affordable Care Act, which protects pre-existing conditions, in jeopardy. Trump's Supreme Court pick, Amy Coney Barrett, has written that she disagreed with Chief Justice John Roberts when he ruled to uphold the law.

At a rally in Pennsylvania last night, President Trump basked in adulation for Judge Amy Coney Barrett and said, "She should be running for president!"

Why it matters: She might as well be. The Trump campaign is thrilled to be talking about something besides the president's handling of COVID, and it's going all-in to amp up the court conversation.

Democrats privately fear that going too hard on Judge Amy Coney Barrett in her confirmation hearings could wind up backfiring if senators are perceived as being nasty to an accomplished woman.

Driving the news: Yesterday afternoon, NBC posted a video of Barrett outside her house in South Bend, Indiana, loading four of her seven children — two of the seven adopted from Haiti, and another with Down syndrome — into her Honda Odyssey minivan, then driving them all to her Air Force ride to Washington. "Good luck, Democrats," a Republican tweeted.

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) would oppose any move to expand the number of justices on the Supreme Court if Democrats win back the Senate and White House in the election, he told Jake Tapper on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday.

Driving the news: Democrats have floated adding more justices to the court as retaliation for Republicans rushing through a new justice for President Trump weeks before the 2020 election, after stalling President Obama's final nominee nine months before the 2016 election.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday it's "appropriate for people to ask" about how faithful Judge Amy Coney Barrett would be to the Constitution, but that her religious beliefs are not relevant.

Why it matters: Some Republicans have accused Democrats of crossing a line by questioning Barrett's religious views. Pelosi and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, like Barrett, are practicing Catholics.

Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said on ABC's "This Week" Sunday that Senate Democrats can “slow” the process of confirming Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett “perhaps a matter of hours, maybe days at the most," but that they "can’t stop the outcome."

Why it matters: Durbin confirmed that Democrats have "no procedural silver bullet" to stop Senate Republicans from confirming Barrett before the election, especially with only two GOP senators — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — voicing their opposition. Instead, Democrats will likely look to retaliate after the election if they win control of the Senate and White House.

Tom Ridge, the former Republican governor of Pennsylvania, will vote for Joe Biden, he announced in a Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed on Sunday.

Why it matters: Ridge, who also served under George W. Bush as the first secretary of Homeland Security, said this would be his first time casting a vote for a Democratic candidate for president. He's now the third Republican former governor from a swing state to endorse Biden and reject Trump — joining John Kasich from Ohio and Rick Snyder from Michigan.

A majority of voters believe the winner of the next presidential election should fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a new poll from the New York Times and Siena College finds.

Why it matters: President Trump and Senate Republicans have vowed to swiftly confirm his nominee Amy Coney Barrett, in part hoping for a political boost as the conservative base is extremely motivated by issues concerning the court. The poll indicates that moving fast may not help them with voters they also need to win over: women, independents and college-educated white voters.

The Supreme Court isn't just one of the most pressing issues in the presidential race — the justices may also have to decide parts of the election itself.

Why it matters: Important election-related lawsuits are already making their way to the court. And close results in swing states, with disputes over absentee ballots, set up the potential for another Bush v. Gore scenario, election experts say.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told Fox News Saturday he expects confirmation hearings on Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court to start Oct. 12 and for his panel to approve her by Oct. 26.

Why it matters: That would mean the final confirmation vote could take place on the Senate floor before the Nov. 3 presidential election.

All four living former presidents came together as honorary co-chairs for a virtual event Saturday night to honor philanthropists and celebrate everyday volunteers.

Details: In a show of bipartisan strength, former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton delivered recorded messages at the event for the late President George H. W. Bush’s global nonprofit, Points of Light. Jimmy Carter lent his support as an honorary co-chair.