There will be no drug tests before the first of the presidential debates on Tuesday, as US President Donald Trump has been demanding. There will be no handshakes either, most probably, when Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden come face-to-face for the first time.

“Joe Biden just announced that he will not agree to a drug test,” Trump tweeted on Monday amid huge outrage following a New York Times report that said the US president paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, and nothing at all in 10 of the last 15 years. “Gee, I wonder why?” he added.

Trump and his allies have sought to portray that Biden is mentally and physically unfit for the US presidency, and that he has been performing better on the campaign trail because of some performance-enhancing drug.

“He’s almost – no. I have no comment,” Biden said on Sunday at a press meet, playfully dismissing a question about Trump’s demand for a drug test. His campaign was more straightforward, though. “Vice-President Biden intends to deliver his debate answers in words,” a Biden spokesperson told Politico. “If the president thinks his best case is made in urine, he can have at it.”

Chris Wallace, a popular Fox News anchor who will moderate the first debate, is almost certainly not going to touch any of that.

The Commission on Presidential Debate, which was established in 1987 to conduct debates for presidential and vice-presidential nominees, has said Wallace has picked six broad topics for Tuesday’s debate, split into 15-minute segments: the Trump and Biden records, the Supreme Court, Covid-19, the economy, race and violence in US cities, and the integrity of the election.

Presidential debates are crucial for voters tuning into the elections at this stage, including many who are undecided on who to vote for.

Pelosi eyes possible U.S. House role in calling presidential election

Reuters

By David Morgan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rallying Democrats to prepare for a once-in-a-century election scenario requiring Congress to decide the outcome of the presidential race if neither Democrat Joe Biden nor President Donald Trump wins outright.

In a campaign letter to colleagues, Pelosi told her fellow House Democrats that recent comments by Trump demonstrate that he could ask the House to decide the race if it is not clear which of the two candidates had received the minimum 270 Electoral College votes in the Nov. 3 presidential election needed to gain office.

Trump repeatedly has questioned the security of mail-in ballots, which could take a while to tabulate given the high number of voters likely to use them this year due to the pandemic.

Democrats fear that the president could attempt to have the count of those votes cut short in an attempt to have the election outcome determined by the House.

Under the U.S. Constitution, the House would vote by state delegation to settle such a contest, with each state casting a single vote. While Democrats control the chamber by 232 seats to 198, Republicans control a majority of 26 state delegations versus 22 for Democrats. Pennsylvania’s delegation is tied, while Michigan has a 7-6 split between Democrats and Republicans and an additional seat held by a Libertarian.

The House has not determined the outcome of a presidential election since 1876.

Pelosi called on Democrats for “an all out effort” to capture additional Republican-held House seats, which they might need if a decision on the presidential election spills over into next year. She also urged Democrats to marshal resources to support the House Majority PAC, a political action committee committed to promoting Democratic candidates for the House.

“Because we cannot leave anything to chance, House Majority PAC is doing everything it can to win more delegations for Democrats,” Pelosi wrote.

Representative Liz Cheney, who leads the House Republican Conference, responded to Pelosi’s letter by saying the speaker was trying to divert attention away from the lack of progress on COVID-19 stimulus legislation.

“It’s a dereliction of her duty as speaker, so it’s no surprise she is trying to get her caucus focused on something else,” Cheney said in a statement to Reuters.

The Democratic-controlled House passed a $3.4 trillion coronavirus aid package in May that went nowhere in the Republican-led Senate. Negotiations between Pelosi, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and administration officials, aimed at hammering out a bipartisan deal, have been stalled since early August.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Susan Heavey; editing by Richard Cowan, Alistair Bell and Bill Berkrot)

‘I don’t pull punches’: debate moderator Chris Wallace

Agence France-Presse

Washington, Sept 29, 2020 (AFP) – Chris Wallace, the Fox News anchor who will moderate the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, is a veteran newsman who has a reputation for playing it straight at a network where the opinion hosts skew to the right.

Wallace, a youthful-looking 72 years old, is the son of legendary “60 Minutes” reporter Mike Wallace, who was known for his pugnacious interviews on the CBS show.

The younger Wallace may not be quite as combative as his late father, but he does not shy away from confrontation.

That includes taking on Trump at a Rupert Murdoch-owned news network that critics have accused of being a cheerleader for the Republican president.

In a one-on-one interview with Trump at the White House in July, the president boasted about passing a cognitive test with flying colors.

“Well, it’s not the hardest test,” Wallace responded, noting that one of the questions involved identifying a picture of an elephant.

He also fact-checked a false Trump claim about mortality rates from the coronavirus pandemic with the statement, “It’s not true, sir.”

Wallace will serve as the sole moderator for Tuesday’s debate between the 74-year-old Trump and 77-year-old Biden at Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio.

It is the first of three debates to be held ahead of the November 3 election.

Trump, speaking to Fox News Radio, said that while he has a “lot of respect” for Wallace, he was “willing to bet that he won’t ask Biden tough questions.”

“He’ll ask me tough questions, and it’ll show, it’ll be unfair,” Trump said. “He’ll be controlled by the radical left.”

The Fox News interviewer, Brian Kilmeade, pushed back against Trump’s claim, saying that Wallace is “not controlled by anyone.”

– ‘I don’t pull punches’ –

Born in Chicago on October 12, 1947, Wallace’s parents separated when he was a child.

Wallace was raised by his mother and stepfather, former CBS News president Bill Leonard, and only got to know his father as a teenager following the accidental death of his older brother.

After graduating from Harvard University, Wallace went to work at The Boston Globe.

He joined NBC News in 1975 for what would be the start of a long and distinguished career in television news.

During his 13 years at NBC, Wallace covered the White House, anchored the NBC Nightly News and hosted the Sunday morning political talk show “Meet the Press.”

He left NBC for rival ABC in 1989, where he hosted a show called “Primetime Thursday” as well as “Nightline.”

A registered Democrat, Wallace moved to Fox in 2003 and became the host of the network’s political chat show “Fox News Sunday.”

In an interview with The New York Times published in June, Wallace was asked about the experience of working at Fox.

“Do I agree with some of the stuff I hear? Absolutely not,” he said. “In the end, I have decided that what matters to me is what I am allowed to do.

“I’ve never been second-guessed on a guest I booked, a question I’ve asked,” Wallace said. “I don’t pull punches. I’m not playing favorites.”

He served as moderator for one of the 2016 presidential debates between Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, becoming the first Fox News anchor to do so and earning plaudits for his performance from both sides.

Wallace has received numerous awards over his career, including an Emmy Award for a tough 2018 interview with Vladimir Putin during which he notably asked the Russian leader about the untimely deaths of his political opponents.

Wallace has four children from his first marriage and two step-children from his second marriage, to Lorraine Smothers, the former wife of comedian Dick Smothers.

Harris to voters: Don’t give up as Trump rushes court pick

Press Trust of India

Raleigh (US), Sep 29 (AP) Kamala Harris urged voters on Monday not to be discouraged by Republican efforts to fill a Supreme Court seat before the election, charging it’s the GOP’s goal to make people feel like their votes don’t matter.

“We will not give up, and we will not give in,” the Democratic vice presidential nominee said. “We will not let the infection that President Trump has injected into the presidency and into Congress, that has paralysed our politics and pitted Americans against each other, spread to the United States Supreme Court.” Her remarks, delivered in swing-state North Carolina, marked Harris’ most expansive yet on the vacant court seat that was held by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg until her death earlier this month. Beyond serving on the Democratic ticket, Harris will play a direct role in the confirmation battle as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee tasked with vetting the nominee, a spot in which she’s shined during past nomination fights.

The committee is expected to begin hearings for President Donald Trump’s nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, on October 12, about three weeks before Election Day. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and Harris say the seat shouldn’t be filled until voters choose the next president. Harris noted early voting is already underway in some states, including North Carolina.

Republicans say this fight is different than 2016, when they refused to hold hearings on then-President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee nine months before the election, because the Senate and presidency are now held by the same party. But the Senate has never confirmed a justice to the high court so close to an election.

“You have the power and you can make it very clear, very soon how you feel about being cut out of this Supreme Court nomination process,” Harris said.

She centered her speech on ways the court can influence Americans’ lives: an expected ruling on the fate of the Affordable Care Act, the preservation or elimination of voting rights, and a broad swath of other matters, from the right to collectively bargain to due process.

The court is set to hear a challenge on the Affordable Care Act shortly after the election, a key talking point for Harris and Biden as they seek to motivate voters concerned about losing their health care. Harris zeroed in on what it means for women in particular. Without the health care law, she said, birth control coverage could be eliminated and pregnancy could be considered a preexisting condition by insurance companies. Suburban women were key to Democrats’ taking back the US House in 2018.

She also charged Republicans’ “relentless obsession with overturning the Affordable Care Act is driven entirely by a blind rage toward President Obama.” Harris avoided any personal attacks on Barrett and did not mention her Catholic faith, instead focusing on her past comments that Chief Justice John Roberts erred in a previous decision upholding the Affordable Care Act.

On voting rights, Harris referenced the court’s 2013 decision to overturn key provisions of the Voting Rights Act. Following that decision, North Carolina enacted a law that required voters to show photo identification, among other new rules, that a federal court found targeted black voters “with almost surgical precision.” That court blocked the law and the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal.

Harris delivered her remarks at Shaw University, one of North Carolina’s historically black colleges and universities. The university in Raleigh was where the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a key organisation in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, was founded.

Monday’s trip marked Harris’ first to North Carolina since joining the ticket. She also plans to meet with Black voters as part of a “sister to sister” organising campaign. Harris is the first Black woman to be on a major party’s presidential ticket and has focused on mobilizing Black voters since joining the campaign.

Trump won the state in 2016 and he’s recently visited weekly. Many of the voters Trump hopes to win over are more focused on the coronavirus pandemic and related issues than on the Supreme Court seat.(AP) RUP RUP

Viewers’ Guide: Trump, Biden meet in Ohio for 1st debate

Associated Press

President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden will meet in their first debate Tuesday in a presidential election year marked by extraordinary turmoil.

With the election 35 days away and early votes already being cast in some states, Biden has kept a lead over the Republican president in most national polls. While debates have not significantly shaken up the election in recent years, Tuesday’s highly anticipated matchup will offer the clearest contrast yet between the two men.

The debate, starting at 9 p.m. Eastern Time in Cleveland, is the first of three between Trump and Biden.

Here’s what to watch:

SUPREME COURT

A fast-track push by Republicans to fill the Supreme Court seat held by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg is roiling an already deeply divided Washington and will likewise be a flashpoint during the debate. Both Democrats and Republicans believe the confirmation battle might energize their voters and shape a court that could decide major issues such as health care, abortion access and possibly even the outcome of the November election.

Biden has so far not heeded Trump’s call to release a list of potential court nominees, as the president did before naming Amy Coney Barrett as his choice to replace Ginsburg. Biden has focused on how the makeup of the court could threaten President Barack Obama’s signature health care law.

CORONAVIRUS

The president’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to be a central focus. More than 200,000 people have died from the coronavirus in the U.S. while everyday life remains jumbled and many schools and businesses are still shuttered. The president has defended his response to the outbreak, frequently pointing to his move to restrict travel from China in February.

But the president and his backers have routinely dismissed experts’ analysis of the seriousness of the outbreak and measures to rein it in. A new book from journalist Bob Woodward revealed the president acknowledged intentionally playing down the seriousness of the virus earlier this year.

Biden and Democrats have keyed in on the president’s coronavirus response throughout the campaign, and the former vice president is expected to keep it front and center Tuesday.

CLASS (AND TAX BILL) CONTRASTS

Biden, who frequently highlights his working-class upbringing, has increasingly cast the election as a campaign “between Scranton and Park Avenue,” referring to his own childhood home in Pennsylvania and Trump’s adult life as a Manhattan businessman.

Biden is likely to turbocharge that argument Tuesday in the wake of a bombshell New York Times report on the president’s shrouded tax history, including that he paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017 and nothing in many other years.

Biden’s line of attack aims to cut into Trump’s support among white working-class voters, particularly in Rust Belt states that helped him win the presidency in 2016.

TACTICS AND STYLE

Trump, a former reality show star, is at ease on camera and has skipped formal debate preparation. He often leapfrogs to friendlier talking points like the confirmation of judges or “law and order,” favors derisive nicknames and withering attacks, and at times employs a dizzying number of false statements and misrepresentations.

Biden’s performances during the Democratic primary debates were uneven and played a role in his early struggles in polling and primary contests. With decades in politics, he’s also got more experience as a debater than the president. Biden has promised to be a “fact-checker” as he stands side-by-side with Trump but also says he doesn’t want to get sucked into a “brawl.” Look for the Democrat to walk a line between contrasting himself with the president and challenging the man who may continue his campaign attacks on Biden’s mental and physical stamina or his family.

MODERATOR AND FORMAT

The debate will be moderated by Fox News’ Chris Wallace, who has a reputation as a straight shooter. Wallace moderated a presidential debate in 2016, favoring direct questions to get the candidates talking. He said before the 2016 debate that he did not believe it is his job “to be a truth squad,” and he largely stayed away from interjecting to fact-check the candidates.

The format for Tuesday’s debate consists of six 15-minute segments, scheduled to focus on the following topics, selected by Wallace: “The Trump and Biden Records,” “The Supreme Court,” ”COVID-19,” “The Economy,” “Race and Violence in our Cities” and “The Integrity of the Election.”

Each candidate will be given two minutes to respond to a question from the moderator opening the segment. Candidates will then be able to respond to each other, and the moderator will use the rest of the 15-minute period to discuss the topic further.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS

Amid the customs and routines upended by the coronavirus will be the customary display of civility before the debate: Trump and Biden are not expected to shake hands at the opening. They will each be stationed at podiums spaced far apart and are expected to have a limited, socially distanced audience.

HOW TO WATCH

The 90-minute debate will start at 9 p.m. ET and will be aired on major networks and cable news channels including ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox, Fox News Channel, PBS, NBC, MSNBC and C-SPAN. Most of the networks will offer a way to watch the debate live online, through their apps and accounts on YouTube and other social media channels.

5 questions heading into Trump and Biden’s first debate

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, will meet on the debate stage for the first time Tuesday night in Cleveland. Millions of voters will get their first opportunity to compare the candidates’ policies and personalities side by side on national television for 90 minutes just five weeks before Election Day and as early voting is already unfolding in some states.

Here are some of the biggest questions heading into the night:

HOW DOES TRUMP HANDLE BEING ON THE DEFENSIVE?

In his first formal debate since taking office, Trump has a lot to answer for.

More than 200,000 Americans have been killed by COVID-19 under his watch — the highest death toll of any country in the world. Tens of millions of people are still out of work. The country’s cultural and political divisions are widening. And don’t forget the weekend revelations that Trump has paid less federal income taxes than most working-class Americans for several years.

Moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News and Biden will no doubt press Trump on those facts.

Trump seems to revel in hand-to-hand combat, and history suggests that neither facts nor any code of conduct will prevent him from saying whatever he needs to change the subject. He can pivot to more friendly issues such as the Supreme Court confirmation fight or “law and order” — or he can jump into the mud by going after Biden’s mental and physical strength or his family.

Such personal tactics worked for Trump four years ago. But now that he’s the man in charge of the country, it’s unclear if voters will be as willing to accept the brash outsider act.

HOW DOES BIDEN RESPOND?

It’s difficult to keep up with Trump’s campaign messages, but one line of attack has risen above the rest over the past year: that the 77-year-old Biden, or “Sleepy Joe,” is not mentally or physically fit to be president. Therefore, perhaps nothing matters more for Biden on Tuesday night than his ability to convince America that he has the strength to hold the world’s most important job.

Given Trump’s persistent attacks, Biden faces a low bar in proving his stamina.

But it’s worth asking whether that’s the measure for success that voters should use. After nearly a half century in politics, Biden is a far more experienced debater than Trump, and he has a much better grasp of foreign and domestic policy. On paper, at least, Biden has the advantage.

Yet the former vice president’s uneven performances in the primary debates offer plenty of reasons for Democrats to be worried.

WHO WILL VOTERS SEE ON STAGE?

Trump and his Republican allies have been trying to brand Biden as a socialist since he emerged as the Democratic nominee from a pack of primary candidates that featured a self-described democratic socialist (not Biden). And Biden and his allies have been calling Trump a racist since Biden launched his campaign.

On Tuesday, each candidate will have a prime-time opportunity to debate the policies and rhetoric underlying each argument.

Biden, who has long positioned himself to the center of his party’s most liberal positions, has embraced plans to enlarge the government’s role in health care, education and the environment. Such policies are hardly socialist, but they would represent a significant shift to the left and require tax increases.

Trump has a well-established pattern of using racist rhetoric and favoring policies that disproportionately favor white people. For example, Trump has used the power of his office to crack down on Black Lives Matter protesters fighting for civil rights, calling them “terrorists” and warning that violent mobs of such protesters are invading largely white suburbs.

While the candidates’ personalities may draw more attention than their policies, it’s their policies that will touch the lives of virtually every American voter.

HOW WILL BIDEN HANDLE TRUMP’S FALSE STATEMENTS?

Heading into the debate, Biden’s team was advising him to avoid messy confrontations and fact checking Trump in real time to avoid getting pulled into the mud with a president who loves getting dirty.

Biden could easily spend all 90 minutes consumed by trying to refute Trump’s claims, and no doubt, liberals will want to see Biden take the fight to the president whenever the opportunity presents itself. But Biden also wants to rise above the chaos and present voters with a clear alternative who’s willing to compromise and move past the divisive fights that have dominated the Trump era.

It’s a delicate balance, and Biden has struggled at times to stick to his advisers’ plans. You may remember him snapping at voters on the campaign trail back in the spring or the campaign’s futile attempt to get him to shorten and focus his stump speeches.

Even under the best of circumstances, as we’ve seen in Trump’s previous debates, it’s difficult to take on Trump directly. The former TV reality star is clearly comfortable on camera, and he’s willing to say whatever he needs to — whether it’s true or not.

HOW WILL DEMOCRACY FARE?

Trump has repeatedly sought to undermine the integrity of the election by raising unfounded concerns about voter fraud. Trailing in the polls, he’s been escalating such warnings as Election Day nears.

Trump’s message is not supported by facts, but many of his supporters believe it. We’ll see how convincing Trump’s message is, with Biden — and perhaps Wallace — pushing back.

There are legitimate concerns about the Postal Service’s capacity to handle the surge of mail ballots as people try to participate in the election as safely as possible during the pandemic. And several states are scrambling to avoid the same ballot-counting delays that plagued primary elections. But experts are quite clear that there is no evidence of significant voter fraud and very little chance it will happen in 2020.

The experts’ voices are not as loud, however, as whatever will be said Tuesday night.