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National

Two weekends ago, President Trump met with a group of his closest aides in the conference room of his Bedminster golf club to discuss a subject that has been weighing heavily on his mind: the three scheduled debates with Joe Biden.

Behind the scenes: In the room with Trump were his son-in-law Jared Kushner, campaign manager Bill Stepien, senior adviser Jason Miller, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who role-played Hillary Clinton in Trump's 2016 debate prep sessions.

The team agreed to meet at least every 10 days or so between now and the first debate, according to two sources familiar with the results of the meeting.

They resolved to keep the group very small. They may bring in different people based on subject matter expertise, but the group would remain five to six people to limit the potential for leaks.

The group did not specifically discuss whether Christie will play Biden in debate rehearsals. But Trump has made private comments indicating Christie is likely to role-play Biden as he did Clinton. Trump has told associates that Christie "was better than Hillary" and "harder to debate than Hillary" in 2016.

Why it matters: Among President Trump's closest aides, these debates have taken on outsized importance to close the polling gap and get Trump within striking distance by Election Day. The Trump campaign views the debates as the crucial inflection points left before Nov. 3.

"I don't think he [Trump] sees the debates as the last inflection points, but potentially the most important," said a source familiar with the results of the planning meeting. "I think he always thinks he can create an inflection point.

"But he has verbalized how important these are going to be," the source added. "He's said, 'We gotta win. The press will never give me the credit for it, but the people will.'"

Team Trump doubts Biden will submit himself to any tough interviews before Election Day, so they view the debates as the only opportunity to batter him before a national audience, according to three sources involved in the internal discussions.

Key Trump advisers, including Miller and Christie, have cautioned Trump that Biden is actually a decent, experienced and relatively disciplined debater. 

Miller has also been publicly trying to reset expectations about Biden's performance in the debates. "Joe Biden is actually a very good debater," Miller told the Washington Post. "He doesn't have as many gaffes as he does in his everyday interviews."

Between the lines: The problem for the Trump campaign is they have no leverage over the Commission on Presidential Debates — the independent body that will manage this fall's presidential debates.

Team Trump has made clear they're itching to debate Biden, so Trump can't credibly threaten to withdraw from the debates if he doesn't get one of his preferred moderators from the list Rudy Giuliani sent to the commission.

What we're hearing: A source familiar with the debate planning said the commission will announce the debate moderators the first week of September. In keeping with its history of independence, dating back to 1988, the commission will not let either campaign pressure it into choosing a particular moderator.

The commission will select the moderators entirely itself. It may give the campaigns a courtesy heads-up before publicly announcing, the source said, but under no circumstances will the commission let the campaigns influence its decisions.

Since 1988, the commission has always sought to choose moderators that would be broadly seen as fair and would not provoke a violent reaction from either campaign. Never, in 30 years, has a campaign vetoed a selection, though they've complained afterward about "unfair" moderators.

The big picture: The commission is not willing to bow to the Trump campaign's request that it change the debate schedule to add a September debate before early voting begins in some states. 

"If the campaigns agree they want another debate, we will take a look at that and see if that will work," the source said. But the commission won't change the debate schedule or add another debate unless the Biden campaign also pushes for it. And so far, the Biden campaign has indicated it won't do that.

"It would be nice if people understood how complicated this is," the source added.

This year, the commission needs to manage the biggest television event of the year during the worst pandemic in a century. The debates will have tiny on-campus audiences — "two-digit sized," the source said. Attendees will be socially distanced and wear masks.

The Cleveland Clinic will supervise all of the debates, and everyone will be tested for the coronavirus before entering the room.

Scoop: Inside Trump's debate prep

The Trump campaign views the debates as the crucial inflection points left before Nov. 3.

Trump and Christie. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Politics

Presidential debates

2020 election

Joe Biden

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

Joe Biden leads President Trump 48% to 42% in Wisconsin and 49% to 43% in Pennsylvania, according to the latest CBS/YouGov Battleground Tracker poll.

Why it matters: Trump's surprise wins in the two states, where many voters broke his way after deciding the week before the election, helped propel him to an Electoral College victory over Hillary Clinton. Trump won Wisconsin with 47% of the vote and Pennsylvania with 48% in 2016, according to the New York Times. 

By the numbers: In both states, 47% of voters view Biden as better equipped to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. 37% of voters in Pennsylvania say Trump would better handle the pandemic, while only 32% of voters in Wisconsin said the same.

The big picture: 85 days from Election Day, the warning signs are flashing bright red for Trump's re-election prospects as voters look poised to reject his handling of the COVID-19 crisis. Anything can happen — but right now, every measurable trend is going against Trump.

What to watch: Nearly half of the voters who said they would pick Biden over Trump responded that Biden's choice for vice president could push them one way or another.

Methodology: The surveys were conducted for CBS News by YouGov. The margin of error in both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania is +/- 3.7. 1,009 registered voters were surveyed in Wisconsin and 1,225 were surveyed in Pennsylvania.

Go deeper: The blue wave threatening to crush Trump's re-election hopes

Poll shows Biden leading Trump in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania

In both states, 47% of voters view Biden as better equipped to respond to coronavirus pandemic.

2020 election polls

Am Joy-10 03 00 Am - 10 04 35 Am-2020-08-09

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D- Conn.) called on the Trump administration to declassify intelligence detailing Russian efforts to influence the 2020 elections, telling MSNBC on Sunday that the classified briefing lawmakers received about the Kremlin's activities last week was "absolutely chilling."

The big picture: National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina said in a statement Friday that the Russian government is "using a range of measures" to "denigrate" Joe Biden ahead of the election. China and Iran would prefer that Trump is defeated, according to Evanina.

Driving the news: Blumenthal suggested in a Washington Post op-ed Saturday that Sen. Ron Johnson's (R-Wis.) investigation into Joe Biden and his son's activities in Ukraine may be laundering Russian disinformation, citing a report that Johnson had been provided with tapes by a Ukrainian lawmaker whose father was a KGB agent.

Johnson has denied allegations that he is amplifying Russian disinformation, saying in a statement to the Post: “I will not be deterred by these despicable tactics designed to discredit a legitimate investigation. It only increases my curiosity: What do they know that we might uncover?"

Top Democrats in the House and Senate have called for the FBI to provide Congress with a "defensive briefing" regarding what appears to be a "concerted foreign interference campaign" targeting Congress.

What he's saying: "The information that I heard in this classified setting, where we're sworn to secrecy, is absolutely chilling, startling and shocking," Blumenthal said.

"The American people need and deserve to know it. It comes from intelligence sources that we are now barred from revealing. But the next step really is for the Trump administration to declassify it to make it available. "

The intelligence suggests "that the past Soviet, or Russian techniques, are looking like child's play compared to what they're doing now globally," he added.

Go deeper: Pelosi says election threats from China and Russia are "not equivalent"

Blumenthal calls classified briefing on Russian interference "absolutely chilling"

"The American people need and deserve to know it."

2020 elections

World

Russia

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

Face The Nation-11 12 15 Am - 11 13 24 Am-2020-08-09

Former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on CBS News' "Face the Nation" that the coronavirus death toll in the U.S. will be "definitely" somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000 by the end of 2020.

Why it matters: "Whether we're closer to 200,000 or closer to 300,000 depends on what we do now and how it evolves," Gottlieb warned on Sunday as the U.S. surpassed five million confirmed coronavirus cases.

The big picture: The U.S. has the highest coronavirus death toll in the world with over 160,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. Brazil has the second-most deaths with just over 100,000.

What he's saying: "We've now had two waves of this epidemic — the New York wave and the wave through the Sun Belt —which is receding, although Texas is showing an uptick in the last week and that needs to be followed closely," Gottlieb said.

"The concern now is that this has become so pervasive across the country that it could start to infect more rural communities that have largely been untouched to date and probably are a little more complacent," he continued.

"That's going to be far more difficult to control if it's more widespread. And we're seeing indications of that right now, the way it's spreading in the Midwest and the West."

What to watch: Older Americans tend to live in more rural communities and are the most vulnerable to the virus.

Ex-FDA head: U.S. will "definitely" see 200,000 to 300,000 virus deaths in 2020

"Whether we are closer to 200,000 or closer to 300,000 depends on what we do now and how it evolves."

Health Care

Coronavirus

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace-9 21 44 Am - 9 23 56 Am-2020-08-09

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin insisted on "Fox News Sunday" that President Trump's executive orders on coronavirus aid were cleared by the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, and said that Democrats are going to "have a lot of explaining to do" if they choose to challenge them in court.

Why it matters: Democrats and even some Republicans have criticized Trump's decision to circumvent Congress to extend unemployment benefits as executive overreach, given that the Constitution gives Congress power to appropriate spending.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the orders  "absurdly unconstitutional" on CNN, but would not say whether Democrats would sue to stop them.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) rebuked the orders on ABC's "This Week" as weak and ineffective, but said he would "leave that up to the attorneys" when asked whether they were legal.

Defer payroll taxes for Americans earning less than $100,000 a year.

Implement a moratorium on evictions and give financial assistance to renters.

Add $400 per week in extra unemployment benefits through the end of 2020, requiring states to cover 25% of the additional benefits.

Postpone student loan interest and payments through the end of 2020.

What they're saying: "We've cleared with the Office of Legal Counsel all these actions, before they went to the president," Mnuchin said when pressed on Sen. Ben Sasse's (R-Neb.) claim that the orders are "unconstitutional slop."

"The president knew unemployment insurance was ending. He said let's continue at $400. By the way, the 25% from the states — they can either take that out of the money we've already given, or the president can waive that. We've been told by the states they can get this up and running immediately."

"And I would say if the Democrats want to challenge us in court and hold up unemployment benefits to those hardworking Americans who are out of a job because of COVID, they're going to have a lot of explaining to do."

Go deeper: Pelosi says states "don't have the money" for Trump's unemployment order

Mnuchin says Trump executive orders were cleared by Justice Department

The treasury secretary insisted that Trump's executive orders are legal.

Steven Mnuchin

Axios AM

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) has dialed up his spicy slams of President Trump, including this swipe at yesterday's signing ceremony: "The pen-and-phone theory of executive lawmaking is unconstitutional slop."

Why it matters: Trump increasingly looks — to business and to fellow Republicans — like a loser in November. So they're more likely to create distance to save their own skins. Sasse also won his May primary, further freeing him.

Earlier, Sasse had this to say as the White House and Democratic leaders negotiated a new coronavirus rescue package:

The swamp should stop pretending there’s some thoughtful negotiation happening here. ... The White House is trying to solve bad polling by agreeing to indefensibly bad debt. This proposal is not targeted to fix precise problems — it's about Democrats and Trumpers competing to outspend each other.

After the Lafayette Square fracas, Sasse said: "I'm against clearing out a peaceful protest for a photo op that treats the Word of God as a political prop."

On intelligence about Russian bounties:  "Number one, who knew what when? Did the commander in chief know and, if not, how the hell not? What is going on in our process?"

"And, number two, what are we gonna do to impose proportional cost in response? In a situation like this, that would mean Taliban and GRU [Russian military intelligence agency] body bags."

On Trump's plan to withdraw troops from Germany: " Chairman Xi and Vladimir Putin are reckless — and this withdrawal will only embolden them."

On a report Trump might withdraw troops from South Korea: "{This kind of strategic incompetence is Jimmy Carter-level weak."

Flashback ... Sasse in his maiden Senate speech in 2015: "Everything cannot be simply Republicans versus Democrats. ... I promise you that I plan to speak up when the next president of my party exceeds his or her proper powers."

Ben Sasse emerges as GOP Trump critic ahead of November

Trump increasingly looks — to business and to fellow Republicans — like a loser in November.

Sen. Ben Sasse walks to the Senate from the subway to vote in June.  Photo:  Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images

Ben Sasse

Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace-9 10 50 Am - 9 12 34 Am-2020-08-09

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claimed on "Fox News Sunday" that states don't have the funds to comply with the executive order President Trump signed on Saturday, which requires them to cover 25% of an additional $400 in weekly unemployment benefits.

Why it matters: Many state and local governments have had their budgets devastated by the economic impacts of the coronavirus, which have caused expenses to soar and revenues to plunge. 

White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said Sunday he wasn't sure whether states could afford the costs, telling CNN's "State of the Union": "We'll probably find that out today or tomorrow."

One of the major sticking points in coronavirus stimulus negotiations between Democrats and Republicans was relief for state governments. Trump has called the request a "bailout" for years of mismanaged budgets in Democratic-led states.

What she's saying: "States don't have the money to do that. They have expenses from the coronavirus, they have lost revenue from shelter-in-place and the fact that people are not being able to go out and spend money and inject demand into the economy as they would normally."

The other side: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on "Fox News Sunday" that states can either use money already appropriated by the federal government to provide the 25% of unemployment benefits, or they can request a waiver from Trump. "We've been told by the states they can get this up and running immediately," he added.

Pelosi: "States don't have the money" for Trump's unemployment order

The order requires states to cover 25% of additional unemployment benefits.

Axios

Sunday's top stories

Scoop: Inside Trump's debate prep

Poll shows Biden leading Trump in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania

Blumenthal calls classified briefing on Russian interference "absolutely chilling"

Ex-FDA head: U.S. will "definitely" see 200,000 to 300,000 virus deaths in 2020

Mnuchin says Trump executive orders were cleared by Justice Department

Ben Sasse emerges as GOP Trump critic ahead of November

Pelosi: "States don't have the money" for Trump's unemployment order

Kudlow says he regrets claiming Trump couldn't use executive order for unemployment

Elevator anxiety will stifle reopenings

Brazil coronavirus death toll tops 100,000 and case numbers surpass 3 million

Republicans and Democrats react to Trump's coronavirus aid action