When President Joe Biden and Donald Trump arrive at CNN's Atlanta studios on Thursday night for the first presidential debate, the eyes of an anxious and electorally fatigued nation will be on the candidates. But there will be another stakeholder: CNN itself.

Faced with sliding ratings and relentless hostility from a right wing animated by Trump's regular claims of media bias, the once-dominant network is under tremendous pressure not only to deliver a worthwhile debate but to fortify its standing as a news enterprise altogether. CNN, along with moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, may need a flawless debate performance most of all. 

'CNN has to reassert itself'
Thursday night is "expected to generate big ratings for CNN" but also "open it up to criticism" over both its unilateral "control over the format" and contentious history with Trump, said The Wall Street Journal. This debate marks a "huge moment," said Frank Sesno, a former chief of CNN's Washington bureau, to The Associated Press. CNN "has to reassert itself" and "show that it led a revolution in news before and can do it again."

At the same time, no matter how much a solid broadcast could benefit the network, "it's not as if one big debate night will turn around CNN's fortunes," Poynter said. The network is making the debate available to other outlets for simulcast, so while Trump and Biden are on the screen, CNN's logo will be too, but for "pre- and post-debate coverage," viewers will "likely retreat to where they generally get their news."

'The onus will be on the viewer'
The dynamics that led to CNN hosting the debate, rather than the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), which had done so for nearly four decades prior, are something "we should have seen" coming, Variety said. That was particularly true in 2020 when Trump and Biden "abandoned their final CPD debate in favor of dueling town halls" hosted by different networks. In that context, candidates would "rather play to their constituencies." 

Thursday's debate shows networks "would rather air a rival's broadcast, then customize the experience leading up to and after it with content of their specific design." The end result is that the "onus will be on the viewer, the potential voter, to get what they can out of the whole affair." Still, by ensuring a smooth affair, CNN can "open some eyes and remind people of CNN's legacy," the AP said. Conversely, a poor showing would be a "stain that could take years to wash away."

The U.S. and Mexico are experiencing another border dispute, but this one is over water. The conflict stems from an 80-year-old treaty in which the countries agreed to share water from the Colorado River and Rio Grande. And because water is in more demand and scarcer than ever, sharing has not been going to plan. 

What's causing the conflict?
The U.S. and Mexico signed a treaty in 1944 stipulating that Mexico send 1.75 million acre-feet of water to the U.S. every five years from the Rio Grande and the U.S. send 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River each year. But water levels are lower than ever, and Mexico has "sent only about 30% of its expected deliveries, the lowest amount at this point of any four- or five-year cycles since 1992," said Reuters. 

Ninety percent of Mexico is currently experiencing a drought due to extreme temperatures and below-average rainfall. "I just don't see a means by which sufficient water could be delivered right now in time to save the agricultural production for this year," Carlos Rubinstein, a former watermaster and consultant for Texas' Rio Grande Compact Commission, said to Inside Climate News. 

Will there be a resolution?
The International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), which oversees the treaty between the two countries, is looking to make amendments to the treaty to account for the current circumstances. Tensions between the two countries are already high, particularly regarding immigration, so the water problem is only adding fuel to the fire. 

Mexico recently elected climate scientist Claudia Sheinbaum as president, which has reopened discussions. "We've asked Mexico for a plan on how they're going to meet their deficit right now," Maria Elena Giner, the U.S. commissioner of the IBWC, said to CNN. However, the U.S. could potentially elect a new president in the coming months, which could once again alter progress on treaty negotiations. "The incoming U.S. president will also appoint the IBWC commissioner," said Inside Climate News. "The tone of binational negotiations could change dramatically."