Just 58 days left till election day and the thoughts of the nation are fixed on the Sept. 10 debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on ABC.
(L) Republican Presidential candidate, former president, Donald Trump speaks at II Toro E La Capra in Las Vegas, Nev., on Aug. 23, 2024. (R) Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris speaks on her policy platform in Raleigh, N.C., on Aug. 16, 2024. Ian Maule/Getty Images; Grant Baldwin/Getty Images
It’s fair to say this has been a wild election cycle. Trump was supposed to have a second bout against President Joe Biden, but Biden’s performance at their June debate resulted in a Democrat pressure campaign for him to drop out of the race and pass the torch to Harris.
Since then, Trump has narrowly survived an assassination attempt, Harris has gained the enthusiastic support of the Democrats, and both candidates have picked their running mates. The stage is set.
Don’t Miss It
The debate will be at 9 p.m. (ET) on ABC; David Muir of ABC’s “World News Tonight” and Linsey Davis of “Prime” are the moderators. The event will take place at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia; there will be two commercial breaks, but the candidates will not be allowed to confer with campaign staff.
You can check out the debate on the ABC broadcast network, or streaming services ABC News Live 24/7, Disney+, and Hulu. Fox News, CNN, CBS, and NewsNation, will also carry the debate.
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Watch a livestream on The Epoch Times’ sister media outlet, NTD. Just a suggestion.
The Rules
Harris and Trump have agreed to follow the (unusual) rules set in the previous debate: no pre-written notes, and candidates’ microphones will be muted while their opponent is speaking. There will be no audience, and the candidates can give closing statements, but no opening remarks.
They can have a pen and paper, and a bottle of water. Only Muir and Davis can ask questions; the candidates will have two minutes to respond, two minutes for rebuttals, and a one-minute response.
The muted microphones were the subject of dispute before the debate. That was a Biden requirement before the June debate, but Harris wanted it tossed out. Trump pushed back on that request, saying he wanted to abide by the agreed-upon rules. On Sept. 4, after much negotiation, Harris agreed to the rules set by ABC.
Trump won the coin toss, and chose to give his closing statement last; Harris chose to appear on the right side of the television screen.
Eyes on the Prize
Since Biden’s exit was so last minute, Harris has had little time to campaign; the debate will be a crucial opportunity to convince voters that she is right for the job.
Likewise, the change of opponent has given Trump only a short window to galvanize opposition to Harris; the debate will provide a chance for the former president to highlight the differences between himself and Harris.
Trump has tapped former congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, who famously attacked Harris’s record at a debate in the 2020 election, to help him prepare.
Harris is busy conducting mock debates, with Hillary Clinton aide Philippe Reines playing the role of Donald Trump.
It is unclear whether there will be another debate; Harris has said she will consider it after Tuesday’s showdown. A CBS debate between the vice presidential picks J.D. Vance and Tim Walz is scheduled for Oct. 1.
Polling shows that the gap between Trump and Harris is razor-thin. There will be no room for error.
—Jacob Burg and Stacy Robinson
HOUSE PASSES SPATE OF CHINA BILLS
The House passed over a dozen China-related bills on its first day back from summer recess. More bills will be voted on later in the following days.
Dubbed “China Week,” Republicans took on the initiative to pass a slew of bipartisan bills focused on addressing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) threat to the United States in two areas: technology—both in malign technology to breach U.S. security and in maintaining U.S. technical leadership via export controls—and influence.
Perhaps the most noteworthy and controversial bill was the Biosecure Act, which prohibits the federal government from contracting and financing Chinese biotechnology firms and foreign adversaries’ biotech companies of concern.
The legislation targets several top Chinese biotech firms, including Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI Group), MGI, Complete Genomics, WuXi AppTec, and WuXi Biologics, and cites the risk that these companies could transfer Americans’ data to the CCP.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) voiced concerns that the Commerce and the Defense Departments do not currently blacklist the named companies in the bill. WuXi Biologics announced in January that it would expand its facility in McGovern’s district, adding 250 jobs.
The Congressman, who is sanctioned by China, said he just wanted a “more thorough process” in banning specific companies. So, he requested a recorded vote. The bill was voted on later in the evening and passed with a vote of 306 to 81.
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), chair of the House China panel and one of the original sponsors of the Biosecure Act, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement: “It is Congress’s constitutional duty to write national security laws, and that includes the authority to investigate and name foreign-adversary-controlled companies in law because of the threat they pose to national security.
“And make no mistake: BGI, WuXi AppTec, and Wuxi Biologics all pose unacceptable threats to national security. The evidence is clear and available to all members.”
Other noteworthy bills include one that will authorize $325 million for the State Department to counter the CCP’s malign influence, which is defined as “advancing an alternative and repressive international order that bolsters the CCP and China’s hegemonic ambitions” or undermining U.S. national security.
BOOKMARKS
President Joe Biden says he will veto a proposed temporary spending bill to keep the government running for six months after the previous funding expires on Sept. 30. The Democrats and Biden say the duration of the bill is in effect for too long; Republicans say they want the temporary bill to last till March so Donald Trump can fix the government’s spending problems if he wins.
Illegal immigrant Angelica Maria Francisco, 42, has been charged with forging a U.S. identity and using it to vote in Alabama. The Department of Justice said Francisco had been living under a fake identity since 2011 and voted in the 2016 and 2020 elections.
According to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, there are no foreign governments interfering with the U.S. elections this year. However, the DOJ recently alleged that a Russian company was indirectly paying popular social media influencers, including Tim Pool and Dave Rubin, to further Russian interests.
The Israeli military says that it has killed Hamas commander Raef Omar Salman Abu Shab, reportedly responsible for numerous rocket attacks in the Khan Yunis region of south-central Israel. This comes after the reported death of two other Hamas commanders, Abdallah Khatib, and Hatem Abu Aljidian, killed in an airstrike on Sept. 7.
Health insurers will now be required to equally cover mental and physical health, according to a new rule set by the Biden administration. The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act already prohibited discrimination in health care coverage based on mental health or drug abuse; Biden’s new rule requires insurers to evaluate their coverage to make sure they comply.
—Stacy Robinson
