President Trump is back on the campaign trail and ready to debate Biden -- but debate commission pulls this week's event.

"President Donald Trump's reelection campaign on Sunday revived its push for an in-person presidential debate even though it seems the Joe Biden campaign -- and the debate commission -- have moved on. [...] 'The President is ready to debate and his doctors have cleared him for participating in public engagements,' White House deputy communications director Brian Morgenstern told reporters at the White House Sunday." (CNN)

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• What's happening: President Trump is back at public events and on the campaign trail -- and we're grateful for his rapid recovery from COVID-19. He had a special event at the White House over the weekend and will host a rally in Florida tonight.

Now the President is eager to debate Joe Biden again, but the debate commission already canceled this week's debate. The next -- and, if the schedule stands, final -- debate will be next Thursday, October 22.

• What's at stake: The presidential debates were highly anticipated in this unusual campaign year, and President Trump was expected to have the upper hand against Biden.

After the President's COVID-19 diagnosis, the nonpartisan debate commission made the event virtual -- suggesting that each candidate would be in a separate, remote location while a moderator and a small audience would remain on-site.

But as Eric Trump explained over the weekend: "My father wants to stand on the stage with his opponent. That's how debates have been handled in America for the last 200 years. You’ve stood there and you’ve debated somebody, and my father doesn't want to do a glorified conference call. He wants to stand on the stage, look somebody in the eyes and Biden’s not willing to do that."

The Trump campaign has asked for the debate to be re-scheduled, but it seems that neither the debate commission nor the Biden team are eager to make that happen. That will raise the stakes for next Thursday's final debate event.

Amy Coney Barrett confirmation hearing underway as her confirmation seems likely.

"But while lawmakers were addressing Barrett directly, she may as well have not been present. Senators on both sides of the aisle largely acknowledged the inevitability of Barrett’s confirmation — even as they harangued each other during their opening statements in partisan terms, and as Republicans touted Barrett’s “impeccable” credentials." (POLITICO)

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Read Amy Coney Barrett's opening statement here

• What's happening: The first day of Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearing is underway, though she has not yet (as we write this) delivered her opening remarks. That will be later this afternoon.

In noteworthy moments so far today:

-- Sen. Hawley (R-MO) criticized Democrats for trying to "bring back religious tests," in reference to the attacks Barrett has faced for her Catholic faith.

-- Sen. Sasse (R-NE) called out Democrats' interest in packing the Supreme Court, i.e. expanding the number of justices beyond the current nine. Over the weekend, some Democrats had started to compare Barrett's nomination to court-packing which is ... just not the case, by definition.

-- And, as a backdrop of this morning's hearing, Joe Biden said at an event this weekend that voters "don't deserve" to know if he would pack the Supreme Court if he were elected.

• What's at stake: Absent a last-minute procedural trick (Sen. Schumer suggested he might try to "withhold" a Senate quorum), it seems highly likely that Amy Coney Barrett will be confirmed to the Supreme Court.

So the confirmation hearing will likely focus on attacks from the left on President Trump ahead of the 2020 election -- lots of grandstanding from Democrats on the committee but very little substance.

Already today Democratic Senators used their time to discuss COVID-19 and Obamacare.

Jaime Harrison, Dem challenger to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), breaks Senate fundraising record with $57M raised.

"Jaime Harrison, the Democratic challenger to Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.), has shattered Senate fundraising records by hauling in $57 million during the third quarter. The previous quarterly record of $38 million was set by Beto O’Rourke, during the former candidate’s failed bid to unseat Senator Ted Cruz (R., Texas) in 2018." (National Review)

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• What's happening: Jaime Harrison, who's challenging Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) this year, raised $57 million in the third quarter of 2020 -- breaking a Senate fundraising record previously held by candidate Beto O'Rourke.

• What's at stake: Sen. Graham is a staunch ally of President Trump and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is running Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearing this week. That's made him a target for the left -- and he's facing a competitive re-election in November.

Sen. Graham appealed to conservatives for contributions during media appearances this summer.

But remember that a fundraising advantage isn't a guarantee of a victory.

Beto O'Rourke -- who raised $38 million in a single quarter -- never beat Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the Senate campaign he ran, and O'Rourke never became a Senator ... even though he previously held the Senate campaign fundraising record.