Author: PolitCens

 White House Chief-of-Staff Mark Meadows said Friday U.S. President Donald Trump is experiencing mild effects of the coronavirus after he and first lady Melania Trump tested positive for COVID-19.“The president does have mild symptoms and as we look to try to make sure that not only his health and safety and welfare is good, we continue to look at that for all of the American people,” Meadows said as he spoke to reporters at the White House.Trump’s chief of staff said the president is “not only in good spirits, but very energetic” and remains “committed to working very hard on behalf of the American people.”    White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows speaks to the media after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he and U.S. first lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Washington, Oct, 2, 2020.In the early morning hours on Friday (04:54 UTC), Trump tweeted: “Tonight, @FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”Tonight, Hope Hicks, (L), an advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, White House special assistant Nicholas Luna (2nd L), President Trump’s senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and White House staffers depart Washington.Hicks, counselor to the president, traveled with Trump to Pennsylvania for a campaign rally on Saturday, then to Cleveland for the presidential debate on Tuesday and to Minnesota for campaign events the following day. Hicks was showing symptoms at a political rally Wednesday evening in Duluth, Minnesota, and tested positive Thursday morning, according to officials who spoke on condition of not being named. Trump on Thursday, however, along with some top officials, flew to New Jersey for a political fundraising event where he was in close contact with dozens of other people. During the telephone interview with Fox News show host Sean Hannity, the president suggested Hicks could have contracted the virus from members of the military or law enforcement.“It is very, very hard when you are with people from the military, or from law enforcement, and they come over to you, and they want to hug you, and they want to kiss you because we really have done a good job for them,” said Trump. “You get close, and things happen. I was surprised to hear with Hope, but she is a very warm person with them. She knows there’s a risk, but she is young.”The president, however, in the eighth decade of his life, is in a high-risk category for the coronavirus, but is otherwise believed to be in good health. Age, Weight Factor into Trump’s COVID PrognosisThe president is at higher risk of a severe case of COVID-19, but his prognosis is hard to predictVice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, tested negative for COVID-19 early Friday, according to spokesman Devin O’Malley. The spokesman said Pence “remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery.” As has been routine for months, Vice President Pence is tested for COVID-19 every day. This morning, Vice President Pence and the Second Lady tested negative for COVID-19. Vice President Pence remains in good health and wishes the Trumps well in their recovery.— Devin O’Malley (@VPPressSec) October 2, 2020U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday he and his wife, Susan Pompeo, also tested negative. Pompeo said he and his wife were examined on an airplane 20 minutes before landing in Dubrovnik, Croatia. The country’s top diplomat told reporters upon arrival that he last saw Trump on September 15 at the White House and said, “We are praying for the president and First Lady that they’ll have a speedy recovery.”An unnamed senior White House official told Reuters that Trump, Pence and their staffs will work in separate facilities to safeguard the vice president if he is forced to assume presidential responsibilities if Trump’s condition deteriorates.“What we have done out of an abundance of caution, we have separated the VP and the president … we separated the staffs, in case something happens,” the official said.Also Friday, Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah tweeted that he has tested positive for COVID-19 and will remain isolated for the next 10 days.pic.twitter.com/V3kSLogoDP— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) October 2, 2020Nearly 7.3 million people in the United States have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 208,000 have died – the most reported by any country, according to Johns Hopkins University.  
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President Donald Trump’s age and weight put him at higher risk of a severe case of COVID-19, but beyond that his prognosis is hard to gauge, experts say.  Trump’s doctor, Sean Conley, confirmed in a statement early Friday that the president and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the coronavirus. He said they “are both well at this time.”  “I expect the President to continue carrying out his duties without disruption while recovering,” he added. Trump is 74 years old, and hospitalization rates rise steadily with age. People his age are hospitalized at a rate five times higher than 18-to-29-year-olds, according to the The White House’s Brady press briefing room is almost empty in Washington, Oct. 2, 2020.According to results from his most recent medical exam, Trump is 1.9 meters tall or 6-foot-3 and weighs just under 111 kilos or 244 pounds. That puts his body mass index at the low end of obese.  That triples his risk of hospitalization, according to the CDC. “In general, somebody with those demographics you would have to watch very closely,” said Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease physician and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.  “But it doesn’t necessarily mean that you are likely to have a severe case,” he added.  “This virus has a different trajectory in each person,” Adalja said. COVID-19 infections run the gamut from asymptomatic to lethal. “We don’t know enough about why some people, even if they’re in a high-risk group, have a mild illness and others don’t.” One small study at a nursing home, where residents are at very high risk, found that more than one-third of those who tested positive for the coronavirus never developed symptoms. World leaders testing positiveTrump joins several world leaders infected with the coronavirus with a range of results.  Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, 65, said in July that he had a mild case of COVID-19, which he dismissed as a “little flu.”  
 
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, 56, said on March 27 that he had “mild symptoms,” but was hospitalized 10 days later.Over the last 24 hours I have developed mild symptoms and tested positive for coronavirus.I am now self-isolating, but I will continue to lead the government’s response via video-conference as we fight this virus.Together we will beat this. The White House is lit before dawn after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he and U.S. first lady Melania Trump have both tested positive for the coronavirus disease, in Washington, Oct. 2, 2020.The CDC recommends people isolate themselves for at least 10 days after symptoms first appear, as long as 24 hours have passed without a fever and other symptoms are improving. That would take Trump off the campaign trail for more than a week with just over a month left before the election.  Even if his symptoms get no worse and he makes a speedy recovery, he may not be in full health at the end of 10 days.   “That’s sometimes the case with people, that even if they have mild symptoms, they do take some time to recover to get back to their baseline,” Adalja said.  
 
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During Tuesday’s raucous presidential debate, President Donald Trump warned that he “won’t go along with” an election result based on mail-in ballots he alleges are fraudulent. To prevent the spread of the deadly coronavirus, some states have expanded voting by mail, and polling indicates significantly more Democrats than Republicans are relying on this method to cast their ballots.  In addition to the likely possibility Trump will challenge the election results in court if he loses, VOA’s Brian Padden reports there are growing concerns his campaign will also try to persuade the Electoral College to overturn the popular vote in states where Democratic candidate Joe Biden is deemed the winner.
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U.S. lawmakers have been meeting this week with President Donald Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who would fill the seat left empty by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. If confirmed as expected, Barrett will have a critical impact on court decisions on a range of issues impacting life in the United States, from abortion to health care to this November’s presidential election. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports.
Camera: Henry Hernandez
Produced by: Katherine Gypson
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Hope Hicks, one of President Donald Trump’s closest aides, has tested positive for the coronavirus.Hicks, who serves as counselor to the president and traveled with him to a rally Wednesday, tested positive Thursday, according to an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private health information. She is the closest aide to Trump to test positive so far.The White House did not immediately respond to multiple questions about the last time Trump was tested and whether he and other staffers who spent time with Hicks in recent days will be asked to quarantine.In a statement, White House spokesperson Judd Deere said, “The president takes the health and safety of himself and everyone who works in support of him and the American people very seriously.””White House Operations collaborates with the physician to the president and the White House Military Office to ensure all plans and procedures incorporate current CDC guidance and best practices for limiting COVID-19 exposure to the greatest extent possible both on complex and when the President is traveling,” Deere said.Hicks traveled with the president multiple times this week, including aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for a Minnesota rally Wednesday, and aboard Air Force One to Tuesday night’s first presidential debate.Hicks previously served as White House communications director and rejoined the administration this year ahead of the election. Her positive test was first reported by Bloomberg News.Several White House staffers have tested positive for the virus, including Katie Miller, Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary; national security adviser Robert O’Brien and one of the president’s personal valets.After earlier positive cases close to the president, the White House instituted a daily testing regimen for the president’s senior aides. Others who will be in close proximity to the president and vice president, including reporters, are also tested every day.
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Democrats controlling the House narrowly passed a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Thursday night, a move that came as top-level talks on a smaller, potentially bipartisan measure dragged on toward an uncertain finish. An air of pessimism has largely taken over the Capitol.The Democratic bill passed after a partisan debate by a 214-207 vote without any Republicans in support. The move puts lawmakers no closer to delivering aid such as more generous weekly unemployment payments, extended help for small businesses and especially troubled economic sectors such as restaurants and airlines, and another round of $1,200 direct payments to most Americans.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin makes a brief comment as he leaves the Capitol, Sept. 30, 2020, in Washington. Mnuchin earlier met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.Passage of the $2.2 trillion plan came after a burst of negotiations this week between Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. The Trump administration delivered concessions Wednesday, including a $400 per week pandemic jobless benefit and a markedly higher overall price tag of $1.6 trillion, but that failed to win over Pelosi.”This isn’t half a loaf, this is the heel of the loaf,” Pelosi said in a televised interview Thursday. Pelosi spoke after the White House attacked her as “not being serious.”The ramped-up negotiations come as challenging economic news continues to confront policymakers. The airlines are furloughing about 30,000 workers with the expiration of aid passed earlier this year, and a report Thursday showed 837,000 people claiming jobless benefits for the first time last week. Most of the economic benefits of an immediate round of COVID relief could accrue under the next administration, and failure now could mean no significant help for struggling families and businesses until February.The vote was advertised as a way to demonstrate Democrats were making a good faith offer on coronavirus relief, but 18 Democrats abandoned the party and sentiment remains among more moderate Democrats to make more concessions and guarantee an agreement before Election Day. Republicans controlling the Senate remained divided.Talks between Mnuchin and Pelosi were closely held and the Speaker told reporters that no deal would come Thursday. Mnuchin’s offer of a $400 per week jobless benefit put him in the same ballpark as Democrats backing a $600 benefit. Mnuchin’s price tag of $1.6 trillion or more could drive many Republicans away, however, even as it failed to satisfy Pelosi.”We raised our offer to $1.6 trillion,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Thursday. “It’s one that she is not interested in.”Mnuchin and Pelosi spoke by phone Thursday, but the speaker was publicly dismissive of the latest White House plan. Discussions are continuing, Pelosi said.The White House plan, offered Wednesday, gave ground with a $250 billion proposal on funding for state and local governments and backed $20 billion in help for the struggling airline industry.Details on the White House offer were confirmed by congressional aides, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door discussions.As the talks dragged on, House leaders announced a Thursday evening vote on their scaled-back “HEROES Act,” which started out as a $3.4 trillion bill in May but is now down to $2.2 trillion after Pelosi cut back her demands for aiding state and local governments. The legislation came after party moderates openly criticized her stance.White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows waits in his seat for the start of the first presidential debate, Sept. 29, 2020, in Cleveland, Ohio.White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has drawn a line in the sand and warns that Trump won’t approve legislation that approaches a $2 trillion threshold. But there’s plenty of wiggle room in numbers so large, and the revenue picture for many states is not as alarming as feared when Democrats passed more than $900 billion for state and local governments in May.Pelosi said Thursday that the administration is still far short on aid to state and local governments and in other areas.”Some of you have asked, ‘Isn’t something better than nothing?’ No,” Pelosi told reporters, citing the “opportunity cost” for provisions sought by Democrats but potentially lost in any rush to agreement.At issue is a long-delayed package that would extend another round of $1,200 direct stimulus payments, restore bonus pandemic jobless benefits, speed aid to schools and extend assistance to airlines, restaurants and other struggling businesses. A landmark $2 trillion relief bill in March passed with sweeping support and is credited with helping the economy through the spring and summer, but worries are mounting that the recovery may sputter without additional relief.Pelosi has largely assumed a hard line so far. But she’s never had a reputation for leaving large sums of money on the table and her tactical position — facing a White House and Senate controlled by Republicans — is not as strong as her demands might indicate.The White House also seems far more eager for a deal than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Any compromise that could pass both the House and Senate is sure to alienate a large chunk of the Senate GOP. McConnell expressed support for the talks and another bill but isn’t leaning into the effort. But some of his members appear worried that the deadlock is harming their reelection bids.”I’d like to see another rescue package. We’ve been trying for months to get there,” McConnell told reporters Thursday. “I wish them well.”Even if Pelosi and Mnuchin were able to reach a tentative agreement on “top line” spending levels, dozens of details would need to be worked out. A particularly difficult issue, Pelosi told her colleagues earlier in the day, remains McConnell’s insistence on a liability shield for businesses fearing COVID-related lawsuits after they reopen their doors.The latest Democratic bill would revive a $600-per-week pandemic jobless benefit and send a second round of direct payments to most individuals. It would scale back an aid package to state and local governments to a still-huge $436 billion, send $225 billion to colleges and universities and deliver another round of subsidies to businesses under the Paycheck Protection Program. Airlines would get another $25 billion in aid to prevent a wave of layoffs.
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An estimated nine million Americans live abroad – half a million of them in Israel where observers expect an unprecedented number will cast absentee ballots in the upcoming U.S. presidential election. Linda Gradstein reports for VOA from Jerusalem.Camera:  Ricki Rosen   Produced by:   Marcus Harton 
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The Trump administration said late Wednesday it wants to cut the number of refugees admitting into the United States to 15,000 in fiscal year 2021, which begins Thursday.The figure represents the latest in a series of annual cuts since President Donald Trump took office in 2017.In 2020, the administration put the cap at 18,000, and the United States allowed 10,892 refugees into the country before putting the program on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.That was the fewest since the modern refugee program was approved by Congress in 1980.  The annual cap during the administration of President Barack Obama was between 70,000 and 85,000.The State Department said Trump’s 2021 proposal “reaffirms America’s enduring commitment to assist the world’s most vulnerable people while fulfilling our first duty to protect and serve the American people.”Krish Vignarajah, president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, a federally funded agency charged with resettling refugees in the United States, said the decision to further limit the number of refugee admissions “is a complete abdication of our moral duty and all that we stand for as a nation.” 
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Republican lawmakers on Wednesday confronted former FBI Director James Comey about his oversight of the Trump-Russia investigation during a politically charged hearing that focused attention on problems with the probe that have become a rallying cry for President Donald Trump’s supporters.Comey, making his first appearance before Congress since a harshly critical inspector general report on the investigation, acknowledged under questioning that the FBI’s process for conducting surveillance on a former Trump campaign adviser was “sloppy” and “embarrassing.” He said he would not have certified the surveillance had he known then what he knows now about applications the FBI submitted in 2016 and 2017 to eavesdrop on the aide, Carter Page.The questioning of Comey, conducted with the election just weeks away, underscores the extent to which the FBI’s investigation four years ago into potential coordination between Trump’s campaign and Russia remains front and center in the minds of Republican lawmakers, who see an opening to rally support for the president and cast him as the victim of biased law enforcement. The hearing was part of a review of the Russia probe by the GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee.Just a part of investigationThough Comey acknowledged the FBI’s shortcomings in the surveillance of Page, he also described that aspect of the probe as a “slice” of the broader Russia investigation, which he defended as legitimate and valid.But those answers, including Comey’s repeated assertions that he had been unaware at the time of the extent of problems, frustrated Republicans who point to the surveillance flaws to try to discredit the overall Russia investigation.Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., asks questions to former FBI Director James Comey, during an oversight hearing to examine the Crossfire Hurricane Investigation, Sept. 30, 2020, on Capitol Hill in Washington.A Justice Department inspector general report identified errors and omissions in each of the four applications that the FBI submitted to obtain warrants to surveil Page, who was never charged with any wrongdoing. The FBI relied in part on Democratic-funded research in applying for those warrants. The inspector general report and documents released in recent months have raised questions about the reliability of that research.The FBI relied on that documentation “over and over and over” again, even though it was “fundamentally unsound,” said the Judiciary Committee chairman, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.’That’s the way it goes'”What do we do? We just say, ‘Well, that was bad, that’s the way it goes’? Does anybody get fired? Does anybody go to jail?” Graham said. “To my Democratic friends, if it happened to us, it can happen to you.”Comey was fired by Trump in May 2017 but has remained a prominent and complicated character for Republicans and Democrats alike. Republicans have joined Trump in heaping scorn on Comey, but Democrats have not embraced him either, angered by his public statements made during the Hillary Clinton email case that they believe contributed to her loss.Democrats lamented the backward-looking nature of Wednesday’s hearing, saying the FBI had good reason to investigate contacts between Trump associates and Russia and that the committee’s time could be better spent on other matters.Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Sept. 30, 2020, to examine the FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane investigation.”Most people think we should be talking about other things, except maybe President Trump,” said Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.Comey defended the investigation, which was opened after a campaign adviser boasted that he had heard Russia had damaging information about Clinton. The probe examined multiple contacts between Russians and Trump associates during the 2016 campaign. Comey noted that special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation resulted in criminal charges against dozens of people.”In the main, it was done by the book. It was appropriate, and it was essential that it be done,” Comey said.He later added: “The overall investigation was very important. The Page slice of it? Far less, given the scope.”But Comey, the latest high-profile former official from the FBI or Justice Department to testify in Graham’s investigation, acknowledged “embarrassing” problems in the handling of surveillance applications. He said had he known then about the problems, he would not have certified the surveillance “without a much fuller discussion” within the FBI.”I’m not looking to shirk responsibility,” Comey said. “The director is responsible.”Legitimate probeA Justice Department inspector general report did not find evidence of partisan bias and concluded the investigation was opened for a legitimate reason. But Republican lawmakers have seized on the critical aspects of the watchdog report to cast broader doubt on the Russia investigation. They have also released documents they say support the conclusion that the probe was flawed.On Tuesday, Graham revealed that he had received declassified information on the probe from national intelligence Director John Ratcliffe, a Trump loyalist, even though Ratcliffe has said he does not know if it is true.In a letter to Graham made public Tuesday, Ratcliffe said that in late July 2016, U.S. intelligence agencies obtained “insight” into Russian spycraft alleging that Clinton had “approved a campaign plan to stir up a scandal against” Trump.But Ratcliffe added that American intelligence agencies do “not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication.”Comey brushed aside questions about that document, saying, “I don’t understand Mr. Ratcliffe’s letter well enough to comment on it. It’s confusing.”The Senate panel has already heard from Rod Rosenstein and Sally Yates, both former deputy attorneys general, and has scheduled testimony from ex-FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.
 
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The Proud Boys are fired up.The notorious hate group has been celebrating since President Donald Trump refused to directly disavow them and other white supremacists during Tuesday night’s presidential debate in Cleveland, Ohio.Trump, who has been criticized for never explicitly denouncing right-wing extremism, was asked by debate moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News if he would condemn white supremacy.“Who would you like me to condemn?” Trump asked before Democratic challenger Joe Biden mentioned the Proud Boys, a pro-Trump right-wing group. “The Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by,” Trump responded cryptically.“But I’ll tell you what, I’ll tell you what,” Trump continued. ”Somebody’s gotta do something about antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem, this is a left-wing problem.”Prominent leaders of the Proud Boys, who frequently appear at Trump rallies, took that as a ringing endorsement of their fight against anti-fascist activists known as antifa.On Instagram, Enrique Tarrio, a well-known Proud Boys leader, wrote that he was “excited about the mention on the debate stage.”“Him telling the ProudBoys to stand back and standby is what we have ALWAYS done,” Tarrio wrote.Joe Biggs, another Proud Boys organizer, went further.”Trump basically said to go [expletive] them up!” Biggs wrote.  “This makes me so happy.”Members of the Proud Boys cheer on stage as they and other right-wing demonstrators rally, Sept. 26, 2020, in Portland, Ore.Apparent shiftIn the wake of widespread criticism of his refusal to denounce white supremacy, Trump on Wednesday appeared to shift his stance.”I don’t know who the Proud Boys are,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “Whoever they are, they need to stand down.”Asked if he denounced white supremacy, Trump said, “I’ve always denounced any form, any form of any of that you have to denounce.”Among Proud Boys, the apparent reversal in Trump’s position was anticipated and is unlikely to diminish their enthusiasm.”Don’t be surprised if he makes a statement on us in the upcoming days to appease the masses,” Biggs wrote Tuesday night. “But he knows we are the good guys.”Biden was highly critical of Trump’s debate performance. Asked by a reporter in Ohio whether he had any advice for the Proud Boys, the former vice president responded, “Cease and desist.”The controversy comes as Trump continues to blame the violence at racial justice protests around the country almost exclusively on antifa, contradicting his own FBI director’s assessment that violent white supremacy remains the biggest domestic national security threat.Heidi Beirich, co-founder of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said far-right white supremacists are thrilled with what they see as Trump’s endorsement of the Proud Boys — who are making money off Trump’s comment by selling T-shirts.“And all the talk in those sectors is about how great this is, how they’re ready to support the president,” Beirich said. “President Trump basically gave the Proud Boys a new slogan.”Members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators rally, Sept. 26, 2020, in Portland, Ore.Who are the Proud Boys?The Proud Boys describe themselves as a drinking club of “Western chauvinists.” But extremism watchdogs say that’s just a guise for what is at its core a misogynistic, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant group. Although the group has never advocated a white ethnostate championed by white nationalists, its bigotry is just as extreme, Beirich said.”The organization itself says it stands for Western chauvinism, sometimes Western civilization, which are code words for the white supremacist movement,” Beirich said.In an FILE – Members of a group wearing shirts with the logo of the far-right Proud Boys group argue with counterprotesters during a small protest against Washington state’s stay-at-home orders, May 1, 2020, in downtown Seattle.InterminglingJason Kessler, a former member of Proud Boys, was the main organizer of the 2017 far-right “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The rally, which brought together neo-Nazis, anti-government militiamen and members of the Klan, ended in the death of a counterprotester. Conversely, in recent years, far-right nationalist groups have attended rallies organized by Proud Boys.“We believe that there are streams of white supremacy and white nationalism that run deep through what they do,” said Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.Last year, a Connecticut police officer was forced to retire after the Lawyers Committee exposed him as a Proud Boys member, Clarke said.While Proud Boys publicly disavow violence, their members have engaged in violent acts over the years.FBI Director Christopher Wray testified on Capitol Hill last week that white supremacists and anti-government extremists have been responsible for most of the recent deadly attacks by extremist groups within the United States.Last year, two Proud Boys were convicted of assault and riot charges in connection with beating up antifa activists in New York City in 2018.This year, members of the Proud Boys have taken part in violent clashes between right-wing and left-wing activists in Portland, Oregon, and several other cities. On August 22, Proud Boys fought with left-wing counterprotesters in Portland, engaging in multiple acts of violence, according to ADL.
 
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The independent U.S. presidential election debate agency said Wednesday that it would move soon to tighten the format of the encounters after critics panned Tuesday’s first debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden as the worst in American political history.The two candidates frequently interrupted each other or talked at the same time, with debate moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox News journalist, rebuking Trump for failing to adhere to the rules of the debate to allow both candidates to finish answering questions unimpeded.The Commission on Presidential Debates said the debate debacle showed the need for “additional structure” to the format “to ensure a more orderly discussion.”The commission commended Wallace for his “professionalism” for his handling of the chaotic affair on a debate stage at a university in the Midwestern city of Cleveland, Ohio. But the agency said it would soon impose new restrictions before the second and third Trump-Biden debates set for October 15 and 22.Some critics of the first Trump-Biden encounter suggested cutting off the microphone of either Trump or Biden when the other was speaking.Both claim successBoth Trump and Biden claimed they were successful in Tuesday’s encounter and then headed back out on to the campaign trail Wednesday, with the November 3 election now less than five weeks away.“I thought the debate last night was great. We’ve gotten tremendous reviews on it,” Trump told reporters as he departed for Minnesota. “I thought it was a great evening. It was an exciting evening.”Trump was headed to Minnesota, a Midwestern battleground state that he narrowly lost in 2016 but hopes to recapture against Biden. Polls show the president trailing in the state and throughout the country. Trump was to attend a campaign fundraising event at a private home near Minneapolis, the state’s biggest city, then head to Duluth, the westernmost Great Lakes shipping port in the U.S., for a rally with supporters.   U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One upon arriving at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, after returning from the first presidential debate with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 30, 2020.Biden started a campaign train trip through parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio, two political battleground states that Trump won four years ago against Democrat Hillary Clinton but where polls show Biden has pulled ahead of the president. Biden is especially attempting to recapture blue-collar workers in the two states that historically have voted for Democrats but turned to Trump in 2016. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks at Amtrak’s Alliance Train Station, in Alliance, Ohio, Sept. 30, 2020.After pillorying each other in Tuesday’s debate as unfit to lead the country for the next four years, the two candidates resumed their attacks Wednesday on Twitter.  Trump claimed, “Nobody wants Sleepy Joe as a leader, including the Radical Left (which he lost last night!).” The president said Biden “disrespected” Bernie Sanders by “effectively calling him a loser!” Sanders, the Vermont senator who is the leader of the Democrats’ progressive wing, was the last remaining Democratic contender opposing Biden for the party’s presidential nomination before conceding the race to him earlier this year. Nobody wants Sleepy Joe as a leader, including the Radical Left (which he lost last night!). He disrespected Bernie, effectively calling him a loser!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) Debate moderator and Fox News anchor Chris Wallace directs the first 2020 presidential campaign debate between U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, in Cleveland, Ohio, Sept. 29, 2020.More than an hour into the debate, moderator Chris Wallace, a Fox News journalist, rebuked the president for not adhering to the debate rules agreed to ahead of time by the two campaigns that each candidate would allow the other to finish answering questions unimpeded. Trump and Biden are set to debate each other twice more in the coming weeks, on October 15 and 22, after next week’s debate between their respective vice-presidential running mates, Vice President Mike Pence and California Senator Kamala Harris. It is not immediately clear what could prevent another verbal free-for-all encounter between Trump and Biden, short of moderators cutting off the microphones to let Trump and Biden answer questions without the other interrupting.  University of Virginia political analyst Larry Sabato posted a blunt message on his Twitter account:  “CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES.”CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. It is impossible to have an orderly, productive exchange with Donald Trump. Stop pretending otherwise. The front page of French weekly newspaper Le Point displays a photo of President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden with a headline reading “America on a volcano, (and Us too)” in Paris, Sept. 30, 2020.Veteran Washington Post political analyst Dan Balz said, “Judging the debate by traditional standards gives the evening more credit than it deserves. For most people, this was unwatchable, a grab-the-remote, change-the-channel moment in a forum that in past election years has served the country well. What two more debates like this will accomplish is hard to imagine, other than to heighten tensions in a country already on edge.”  Markus Feldenkirchen of the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel posted on Twitter, saying, “The debate was a joke, a low point, a shame for the country. Roaring, insults, two over-70s who interrupt each other like 5-year-olds — and a moderator who loses all control. The trigger, of course: Trump’s uncouth, undignified behavior.” 
 
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U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried again Wednesday to agree on a long-stalled coronavirus relief package before Congress adjourns so lawmakers can campaign ahead of the November 3 election.Mnuchin and Pelosi discussed details of the aid plan that could send more money to American families and businesses, restore unemployment aid to millions of workers laid off from jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic, provide assistance to state and local governments, and offer liability protection to businesses.The sticking point in the discussions was the extent of the aid. The Democrat-controlled House is preparing to vote on a $2.2 trillion deal opposed by Republicans, while Mnuchin, representing President Donald Trump, told CNBC the White House offer was about $1.5 trillion.”I think there is a reasonable compromise here. … It’s something the president very much wants to get done,” Mnuchin said.FILE – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, center, accompanied by Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer, right, speak to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, Aug. 7, 2020.’Hopeful’As he walked into the meeting with Pelosi, the Treasury chief told reporters, “Going to see the speaker, see if we can make some good progress today.”Pelosi told MSNBC she was “hopeful” of a deal, even as she said that Democrats and Republicans didn’t have “shared values” about how much more money Americans and businesses need because of the pandemic.The U.S. death toll is greater than 206,000 — more than in any other country in the world — and more than 7.2 million Americans have been infected, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Millions of workers remain unemployed.“I always want to keep the door open for us to have a solution,” Pelosi said. “It’s a negotiation. We won’t get everything we want, but they’re very disdainful. They’re disdainful of working families in our country.”Even if Mnuchin and Pelosi agree on a package, it is unclear whether the Republican-controlled Senate will accept it.The Mnuchin-Pelosi meeting was their first in-person discussion since bipartisan talks collapsed in early August.
 
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A U.S. federal appeals court has upheld a ruling allowing Wisconsin’s absentee ballots in the November general election to be counted if they arrive up to six days after Election Day. The panel of three judges, all appointed by Republican presidents, agreed with a September lower court ruling that said if the ballots are postmarked by November 3, they can be accepted for counting as long as they arrive by November 9. The Republican National Committee and Wisconsin Republicans argued against allowing the deadline extension and could appeal Tuesday’s ruling.  They said voters had plenty of time to obtain and return an absentee ballot by Election Day. Wisconsin Democrats welcomed the court’s decision and said it would give more people in the state an opportunity to “have their voices heard in this election.” Absentee voting has been a focus of the election in the United States this year with state officials allowing more flexibility for people to cast ballots due to the coronavirus pandemic.FILE – A voter drops off his election ballot in the drop box at the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, in Cleveland, Ohio, April 22, 2020.As of Tuesday, about 1.2 million absentee ballots had been requested in Wisconsin and more than 308,000 returned. The state is one of the key battlegrounds that will determine whether President Donald Trump wins another term or whether former Vice President Joe Biden takes over the White House in January.  Trump won Wisconsin by less than 1 percentage point in 2016 and recent opinion polls show Biden with a slight lead. Eighteen other U.S. states allow ballots to be counted even if they arrive in the mail after Election Day.  Almost all of them require the ballots to be postmarked by Election Day to be eligible, except in Iowa and Ohio where the deadline is November 2. The receipt deadlines vary, with Texas allowing just one extra day, six states allowing until November 6, two accepting ballots until November 9, four others giving until November 10, and three states allowing until November 13 for the ballots to arrive in the mail to be counted. Illinois allows until November 17, while California has the latest receipt deadline — November 20. Louisiana is the only U.S. state that requires absentee ballots to be received by the day before the election. 
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Reaction to Tuesday night’s presidential debate between Republican President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger, split along partisan lines but also featured sharp criticism of how the event, often a verbal free-for-all, played out. Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, tweeted after  the debate that “For ninety minutes, @realDonaldTrump made a confident, commanding and compelling case for his re-election and took Joe Biden to task for supporting radical policies that would raise taxes, destroy jobs and make our communities less safe.”For ninety minutes, @realDonaldTrump made a confident, commanding and compelling case for his re-election and took Joe Biden to task for supporting radical policies that would raise taxes, destroy jobs and make our communities less safe. (1/3)— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) September 30, 2020Tim Murtaugh, the communications director for President Trump’s re-election campaign, told VOA’s Carolyn Presutti  the president’s performance  was “fantastic.” “What viewers saw was President Trump who was in command of every moment of the  debate, and I think what they saw was a weak Joe Biden,” Murtaugh said, “looking around for someone to bail him out.”  Prominent Democrats, meanwhile, called the debate for the former vice president and said Trump’s performance provided ample reason to deny him a second term in office.  “Donald Trump has failed this country with his lies, bigotry, and reckless leadership,” tweeted U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who competed against Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination earlier in the year. Booker in particular denounced the president for declining to condemn white supremacists, instead urging them to “stand by.”Donald Trump has failed this country with his lies, bigotry, and reckless leadership.We can’t have four more years of a president who tells white supremacists to “stand by.” The choice in this election is very clear. https://t.co/AQNVH52gt4— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) September 30, 2020Many debate watchers slammed the loud and chaotic exchanges between the two candidates, including Karen Attiah, the global opinions editor for The Washington Post newspaper, who called the event “a national embarrassment.”This whole debate is a national embarrassment— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) September 30, 2020Some, including presidential historian Michael Beschloss, harshly faulted the president.  “Democracy was trashed tonight by a President who ran roughshod over the rules,” he wrote, “refused to condemn white supremacists and would not tolerate any form of dissent—a harbinger of what a second term might be like,” Beschloss tweeted.Democracy was trashed tonight by a President who ran roughshod over the rules, refused to condemn white supremacists and would not tolerate any form of dissent—a harbinger of what a second term might be like.— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 30, 2020Others, like former Republican senator Jeff Flake, expressed sorrow over the entire spectacle. “We are a better country than was on display tonight,” Flake wrote on Twitter.We are a better country than was on display tonight.— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) September 30, 2020University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato posted a blunt message on his Twitter account:  “CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES.”CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. It is impossible to have an orderly, productive exchange with Donald Trump. Stop pretending otherwise. #Debate2020— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) September 30, 2020But Murtaugh defended the exchanges as illuminating. “I think a freewheeling conversation like the president was driving is actually good, it allows for a much better exchange of ideas and for viewers to see the real difference between the two,”  he said. 
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Reaction to Tuesday night’s presidential debate between Republican President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, his Democratic challenger, split along partisan lines but also featured sharp criticism of how the event, often a verbal free-for-all, played out. Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, tweeted after  the debate that “For ninety minutes, @realDonaldTrump made a confident, commanding and compelling case for his re-election and took Joe Biden to task for supporting radical policies that would raise taxes, destroy jobs and make our communities less safe.”For ninety minutes, @realDonaldTrump made a confident, commanding and compelling case for his re-election and took Joe Biden to task for supporting radical policies that would raise taxes, destroy jobs and make our communities less safe. (1/3)— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) September 30, 2020Tim Murtaugh, the communications director for President Trump’s re-election campaign, told VOA’s Carolyn Presutti  the president’s performance  was “fantastic.” “What viewers saw was President Trump who was in command of every moment of the  debate, and I think what they saw was a weak Joe Biden,” Murtaugh said, “looking around for someone to bail him out.”  Prominent Democrats, meanwhile, called the debate for the former vice president and said Trump’s performance provided ample reason to deny him a second term in office.  “Donald Trump has failed this country with his lies, bigotry, and reckless leadership,” tweeted U.S. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who competed against Biden for the Democratic presidential nomination earlier in the year. Booker in particular denounced the president for declining to condemn white supremacists, instead urging them to “stand by.”Donald Trump has failed this country with his lies, bigotry, and reckless leadership.We can’t have four more years of a president who tells white supremacists to “stand by.” The choice in this election is very clear. https://t.co/AQNVH52gt4— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) September 30, 2020Many debate watchers slammed the loud and chaotic exchanges between the two candidates, including Karen Attiah, the global opinions editor for The Washington Post newspaper, who called the event “a national embarrassment.”This whole debate is a national embarrassment— Karen Attiah (@KarenAttiah) September 30, 2020Some, including presidential historian Michael Beschloss, harshly faulted the president.  “Democracy was trashed tonight by a President who ran roughshod over the rules,” he wrote, “refused to condemn white supremacists and would not tolerate any form of dissent—a harbinger of what a second term might be like,” Beschloss tweeted.Democracy was trashed tonight by a President who ran roughshod over the rules, refused to condemn white supremacists and would not tolerate any form of dissent—a harbinger of what a second term might be like.— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) September 30, 2020Others, like former Republican senator Jeff Flake, expressed sorrow over the entire spectacle. “We are a better country than was on display tonight,” Flake wrote on Twitter.We are a better country than was on display tonight.— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) September 30, 2020University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato posted a blunt message on his Twitter account:  “CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES.”CANCEL THE REMAINING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES. It is impossible to have an orderly, productive exchange with Donald Trump. Stop pretending otherwise. #Debate2020— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) September 30, 2020But Murtaugh defended the exchanges as illuminating. “I think a freewheeling conversation like the president was driving is actually good, it allows for a much better exchange of ideas and for viewers to see the real difference between the two,”  he said. 
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Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, clashed in a contentious debate Tuesday night, immediately attacking each other over how to combat the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, now with a world-leading death toll of more than 205,000. “The president has no plan,” Biden claimed. “He knew it was deadly and didn’t tell you about it.”Biden, alluding to Trump’s golf game, said the president “should get out of the sand trap” and stop the advance of the pandemic. Trump, seeking a second term after his upset win in 2016, retorted, “We’ve done a great job. We’re weeks away from a vaccine.” The 90-minute encounter on a college campus in the Midwestern city of Cleveland, Ohio, came five weeks ahead of the November 3 election. It was the first of three times the two candidates, both in their 70s, will meet face to face to debate during the next month.Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News speaks during the first presidential debate with President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden, Sept. 29, 2020, at Case Western University and Cleveland Clinic.Wallace said beforehand he would pose questions on six topics in 15-minute segments: the candidates’ records; the coronavirus pandemic that has killed a world-leading 205,000 people in the U.S.; Trump’s nomination of conservative jurist Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court; the U.S. economy that has been buffeted by the pandemic; the integrity of the election; and “race and violence” in U.S. cities. But one late-breaking topic also was sure to be a focal point — a New York Times report on Sunday that the billionaire Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he ran for the presidency, and in 2017, his first year in office. The report detailed how Trump, who has often boasted of his business savvy, has written off hundreds of millions of dollars in business losses. Trump called the report “totally fake news,” but later said he was entitled like any taxpayer to write off business expenses to offset income. The Biden campaign on Sunday highlighted Trump’s small tax payments to advance its contention that Trump is out of touch with U.S. workers he claims to be fighting for, many of whom pay thousands of dollars in taxes.  Hours ahead of the debate, Biden and his wife, Jill, released their own 2019 tax returns, showing nearly $300,000 in taxes paid on nearly $1 million in income. Trump has not released his tax records, saying he is under audit by the government’s tax agency, although taxpayers are not prohibited from disclosing their own tax returns. Debates in past presidential campaigns have occasionally proved crucial to the eventual outcome, but whether that is the case this year is open to question. Opinion surveys show that more than 90% of voters say they have already made up their minds and have no intention of changing their choice. Trump has claimed, without evidence, that the sharp increase in mail-in voting this year will lead to a “rigged” election against him and he has refused to commit to a peaceful transition of power at January’s presidential inauguration if Biden wins. The topics picked by Wallace for the debate reflect the news of the day in the United States, although critics say that Wallace’s description of race and violence in the U.S. mirrors Trump’s contention that protests against police abuse of minorities in recent months have been led by “thugs,” rioters and anarchists.   Democrats supporting Biden say instead, the discussion should be about systemic racism in the U.S. and the country’s national reckoning over race relations brought to the fore by the May death of a Black man, George Floyd, while in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the deaths of other Black people at the hands of police.   Ahead of their encounter, Trump has questioned Biden’s mental acuity and sought to diminish Biden’s skill as a debater, claiming, without evidence, that the Democrat must have been drugged when his debate performance improved as the large field of Democratic presidential contenders was winnowed to a single opponent, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, before Sanders conceded to Biden.   “I will be strongly demanding a Drug Test of Sleepy Joe Biden prior to, or after, the Debate on Tuesday night,’ Trump said on Twitter. “Naturally, I will agree to take one also. His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly. Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???”I will be strongly demanding a Drug Test of Sleepy Joe Biden prior to, or after, the Debate on Tuesday night. Naturally, I will agree to take one also. His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly. Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 27, 2020The Biden campaign retorted, “Vice President Biden intends to deliver his debate answers in words. If the president thinks his best case is made in urine, he can have at it.” Trump tweeted back, “Joe Biden just announced that he will not agree to a Drug Test. Gee, I wonder why?”  
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The Latest on the 2020 presidential election (all times local): 10:20 p.m. President Donald Trump danced around a question from moderator Chris Wallace about whether he was willing to condemn white supremacists and military groups. “I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing, not the right wing,” Trump responded. “I’m willing to do anything. I want to see peace.” When pressed further, Trump said, “What do you want to call them? Give me a name. Give me a name?” Finally, he said, “Proud Boys — Stand back, stand by, but I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left because this is not right-wing problem. … This is a left-wing problem.” Antifa followers have appeared at anti-racism protests, but there’s been little evidence behind Republican claims that antifa members are to blame for the violence at such protests. 10:15 p.m. President Donald Trump and Vice President Joe Biden are making their pitches to win over Black voters in the coming election, with Biden mockingly questioning: “This man, this man is a savior of African Americans? This man has done virtually nothing.” Biden says that 1 in 1,000 African Americans has died because of the coronavirus, and if Trump doesn’t do something quickly, it will be 1 in 500. Trump turned the discussion from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, to a crime bill passed in 1994 that Biden helped write and get passed that, among other things, increased the penalties for certain drug offenses. Trump says, “I’m letting people out of jail now,” and asserted that Biden had treated the Black community “about as bad as anybody in this country.” 10:10 p.m. President Donald Trump and Joe Biden are trading barbs about each other’s relatives. While Biden was making a point during the first presidential debate in Cleveland about the Trump administration’s trade deals with China not having the desired effect, Trump jumped in. He resurrected past claims about the former vice president’s son Hunter working overseas. Trump said Hunter Biden reaped millions in ill-gotten profit from China and other overseas interests, accusations that have been repeatedly debunked. Biden shot back, “None of that is true.” He then added of Trump, “His family, we could talk all night.” Trump interrupted to respond that his children gave up lucrative jobs to join government and “help people,” which left moderator Chris Wallace pleading, “Mr. President, please stop” trying to restore order on the stage.  Biden then turned to the camera and addressed the audience directly, something he did frequently Tuesday night. “This is not about my family or his family,” Biden said. “It’s about your family.” 10:05 p.m. President Donald Trump won’t say when he will finally make his personal taxes public as he has long promised.  During the first presidential debate Tuesday, Trump was asked specifically about a report in The New York Times that revealed he paid only $750 in personal income taxes each of those years. All presidents except Trump have publicly released their taxes since the presidency of Richard Nixon. Trump has said since 2016 that he would eventually release them. But when asked by moderator Chris Wallace when, he said only: “You’ll get to see it.” Democratic nominee Joe Biden quickly used that as a point of attack, saying Trump “does take advantage of the tax code” and “pays less tax than a schoolteacher.” Trump shrugged off the attack, saying that all business leaders do the same “unless they are stupid.” 10 p.m. President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are showcasing vastly different approaches during their first presidential debate in Cleveland. Trump is being aggressive toward Biden on Tuesday, interrupting the former vice president and repeatedly being admonished by debate moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News to stick to the rules that both campaigns had agreed to. Biden is taking a more personal approach. At several times during the debate, Biden addressed his comments to “you folks at home” watching on television as he looked straight into the camera.  9:50 p.m. President Donald Trump says he’s had “no negative effect” from massive campaign rallies with thousands of attendees not adhering to social distancing recommendations amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Trump said during Tuesday night’s debate against Democrat Joe Biden that he thought masks “are OK,” pulling one out from his pocket and saying, “I wear masks when needed.” But Trump also bragged that he’s drawn “35 to 40,000 people” at his campaign rallies, saying he brings such large crowds to outdoor events “because people want to hear what I have to say.” Trump portrayed Biden’s socially distanced events as insignificant affairs where the Democrat “has three people some place.” Former Republican presidential hopeful Herman Cain, who attended one of Trump’s rallies in June without wearing a mask or social distancing, tested positive for the coronavirus nine days after the rally and died a month later. Neither Trump nor Biden mentioned him. Biden has held smaller campaign events, requiring attendees to spread out and at times sit in taped-off circles. Calling Trump “totally irresponsible” on managing COVID-19, Biden said the president is “a fool on this” and said Trump only worried about masks in the interest of protecting his own health, not others. 9:35 p.m. The first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Joe Biden has gotten off to a contentious start, breaking down after just a few moments with Trump interrupting Biden on several occasions and Biden calling the president a clown and a liar. As the discussion about the Supreme Court quickly turned to COVID-19, Trump claimed without evidence that 2 million people would have died if Biden were president. Moderator Chris Wallace pleaded with Trump, stating that COVID-19 would be discussed later in the day. He then asked Trump about whether he had a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, and the president said, “First of all, I guess I’m debating you, not him, but that’s OK. I’m not surprised.” Biden laughed at Trump’s jabs. But he also appeared to get upset at times, too. “Here’s the deal, the fact is that everything he’s saying so far is simply a lie,” Biden said. “I’m not here to call out his lies. Everybody knows he’s a liar.” Wallace asked Trump to let Biden finish. “Folks, do you have any idea what this clown is doing?” Biden said. 9:25 p.m. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden says he is the leader of his party. Biden made the comment during Tuesday night’s debate after President Donald Trump accused him of supporting abolishing private insurance. Biden noted that he won the Democratic nomination partly by arguing against single-payer health care that many of his rivals sought. The former vice president has instead proposed expanding the Affordable Care Act to provide a public option that people could buy into. Trump responded that Democrats still want to abolish private health insurance and suggested the party would force Biden to do its bidding. “My party is me,” Biden replied. “Right now, I’m the Democratic Party.” 9:20 p.m. The first face-off for President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden is coming over a clash concerning a president’s prerogative to put push through an election-year Supreme Court nominee. Trump says during a debate Tuesday night in Cleveland that Republicans “won the election and therefore we have the right to choose” Amy Coney Barrett as a replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Trump added that he felt Democrats “wouldn’t even think about not doing it” if given the chance to nominate a justice with just weeks until the election. Biden and other Democrats have decried Trump’s nomination of a new justice given Republicans’ refusal to consider President Barack Obama’s selection following the 2016 death of Antonin Scalia. Biden didn’t mention that during the debate, however. Biden says that Barrett seems like “a very fine person” but that her nomination after “tens of thousands of people have already voted” was troubling. 9 p.m. President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are face-to-face in their first presidential debate, the most pivotal moment so far in an election that turns on a historic pandemic, racial unrest and an economy in shambles. The two are meeting Tuesday night in Cleveland. It’s a key opportunity for Trump to improve his standing in a race that polls show has remained stubbornly unchanged. For Biden, the debate offers a chance to show the steadiness he says the nation needs in contrast to Trump’s divisiveness. Biden welcomed Trump to the stage, saying, “How you doing, man?” The topics are the records of the candidates, the Supreme Court, the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, “race and violence in our cities,” and election integrity. At issue is the coronavirus pandemic that has killed 205,000 Americans and cost the country millions of jobs. Early voting is underway in many states, with the election 35 days away. 
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