Regarding tonight's Republican debate, this from CBSNews.com:

Eleven candidates will appear in primetime at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

The last time Republicans met for a debate, Trump was the novelty front-runner. The novelty has now worn off, and Trump, still the leader of the pack, is now a target -- of Republicans, Democrats, and immigration protesters.

The Huffington Post strikes the same theme, jumping in with the headline "It's Finally Time to Whack the Trump Piñata."

But is Jeb Bush up to the task? Maybe not, as "Bush Allies Worry: Is Jeb Tough Enough?", asks a Politico headline -- with the kicker: If Bush "doesn't land punches against Donald Trump, some warn, 'it might be over'."

A New Yorker writer raises the question "Could the GOP united behind Ben Carson to Defeat Donald Trump?" and notes that, "in stark contrast to Trump, Carson is unfailingly courteous, and he is very popular among Christian evangelicals."

"The rise of Trump and Carson has meant major pain for the former frontrunners in the race, who need to make a splash tonight," Grayson Kamm writes at WTSP.

"Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, is down to 2 percent in the most recent New York Times/CBS News poll. Back in the spring, Walker was leading the race. And Florida's Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush are both sitting in the shadows at just 6 percent," Kamm writes.

As is the case with Trump and Carson, Carly Fiorina is a "political outsider, having spent most of her career in business," the AP states. "She's also showed no fear in taking on Trump, including after he was recently quoted insulting her appearance."

And Ted Cruz? The Texas senator is "polling comfortably in the middle of the pack. He's neither desperate for attention nor has he gotten caught up in Trump's wrath," Abby Livingston writes at the Texas Tribune.

For more coverage of tonight's debate, go here.

Watch the CNN GOP presidential debate here.