Uncategorised

The first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden was a low point for modern political and presidential electoral history in the United States, a Washington correspondent says. Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP Washington correspondent Simon Marks said the debate was absolutely shameful and showed how far the US has "drifted from its constitutional and democratic moorings". "This was far and away the low point for modern political presidential and electoral history in the United States ... in large part, I think one has to say, because of the abject refusal of President Trump to allow Joe Biden to get a sentence out, or the abject refusal of President Trump to observe the rules of the debate." But nor did Joe Biden shine in the debate, Marks said. Although he said Biden did put to rest Trump's allegation that he lacks cognitive ability. "But he just struggled to get his points across because Donald Trump wouldn't leave him alone." Marks said for much of the debate the two men were talking over each other until the debate's moderator, Chris Wallace of Fox News, intervened. "At times all three men were raising their voice in a bid to try and control the debate's narrative - it's almost hard to point to highlights." The New York Times has reported that Donald Trump has paid very little income tax in recent times as heavy losses from his enterprises offset hundreds of millions of dollars in income. Wallace quizzed Trump over his taxes. "Is it true that you paid $750 in federal income taxes each of those two years?," Wallace asked Trump. "I've paid millions of dollars in taxes, millions of dollars in income tax and let me just tell you there was a story in one of the papers that I paid $38 million one year, I paid $27m one year," Trump said. Marks described Trump's tax statement as a "bald faced lie" saying that it's evident from the New York Times that he only paid $750 in 2016 and 2017. Marks said there were moments when he thought Joe Biden might unclip his microphone and walk away from the stage and at another time he thought the moderator might walk away. "I wonder if there really are going to be two more presidential debates," Marks said. The debate got very ugly after Trump attacked Biden's son, Marks said, and it was obvious that Biden was reining in his anger.

President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, faced off in their first debate of the campaign, with Trump talking over his rival and the moderator as he sought to hold the spotlight. Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump. Photo: AFP Here are takeaways from the matchup, the first of three before the 3 November election: 'Will you shut up, man' Trump is used to sparring with reporters, and he spent the debate using the same tactic he uses in the White House briefing room: interrupting. Throughout the 90-minute debate, Trump repeatedly talked over Biden and moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News, overshadowing attempts to discuss policy and drawing rebukes for breaking the rules that both campaigns had agreed on to ensure that both candidates had equal time. The debate split-screen regularly showed the two candidates talking simultaneously while Wallace pleaded for order. "Please let the vice president talk," Wallace admonished Trump during one of his interruptions. "Will you shut up, man?" Biden said to Trump, one of many times he directed the president to be quiet. The effect was exhausting, for viewers and, seemingly, for the moderator, who conceded at one point that he was having trouble following. "That was too hot," Chris Christie, the combative Republican former New Jersey governor and adviser to Trump, said on ABC, while also criticizing Biden's performance. "It's been an interesting hour and a half," Wallace said at the conclusion of the debate with a chuckle and, with a nod to the follow-up debates in next few weeks, said there was more to come. 'Stand back and stand by' Trump deflected a question asking him to condemn white supremacists and militia groups, instead calling on one group to "stand back and stand by" and then attacking left-wing activists. Senior federal officials, including at the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, this month warned that white supremacist groups pose a rising threat of violence in the United States. Body language There was no opening handshake on Tuesday night because of Covid-19, but the body language between Trump and Biden still took center stage. Trump scowled at his rival for much of the debate, or wagged his finger or waved his hand to dismiss his Democratic opponent. Biden, meanwhile, regularly gazed into the camera when Trump interrupted him to make a direct appeal to the American people. Trump "doesn't want to talk about what you need - you, the American people. It's about you," Biden said at one point. While Trump spoke, Biden shook his head, sometimes broke into a smile or a laugh, and occasionally simply stopped speaking and kept silent in exasperation. Trump's taxes Trump didn't mince words when Wallace asked him what he paid in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, after the New York Times reported that his tax returns showed only a $750 payment in each year. Offering no evidence, Trump said he had paid, "millions of dollars. And you'll get to see it," despite his refusal to release any returns since he became a candidate in 2015, breaking with decades of tradition. "Show us your tax returns," Biden interjected. Trump attempted to walk a fine line, claiming he owed a hefty tax bill while also defending his efforts to pay as little taxes as possible and blaming Biden and former President Barack Obama for helping him to do so via the tax code. When Wallace turned to Biden, the Democrat quickly pivoted to his economic plan, saying he would repeal Trump's tax cuts that largely benefited corporations and the wealthy, and the discussion turned to the trillions of dollars those proposals represent. Left unmentioned were many of the allegations in the Times report: tax deductions for hair styling and private jets, no income tax paid in 10 of the last 15 years, a massive $72.9 million tax refund that is the subject of a long-running audit. It may have been a missed opportunity for Biden. He has worked hard to reach out to the working-class white voters at the heart of Trump's base who might be particularly offended by Trump's miniscule tax payments. Guest list Presidential candidates invite guests to debates with a calculated purpose: to emphasize a core campaign theme. Ann Dorn, whose retired police officer husband was killed amid anti-racism protests in St. Louis in June, was among Trump's guests, a month after appearing in a video on his behalf at the Republican National Convention. Trump has hammered away at a "law-and-order" message in response to widespread civil unrest over police brutality and racism and accused Democrats of failing to support law enforcement. Biden's guests included Kristin Urquiza, whose father, a Trump supporter, died of the coronavirus after dismissing its deadliness. The former vice president has sought as much as possible to turn the campaign into a referendum on Trump, and specifically on his handling of the outbreak, which has killed more than 205,000 Americans. - Reuters

President Donald Trump deflected an opportunity to condemn white supremacists during the presidential debate, briefly telling one group to "stand back and stand by" before pivoting to attacking left-wing activists. US President Donald Trump at the first presidential debate with Democrat nominee Joe Biden. Photo: AFP During a segment on race relations, moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he was willing to denounce "white supremacists and militia groups" and tell them to stand down, rather than add to the violence that has marred anti-racism protests in some US cities. Multiple senior federal officials, including at the FBI and Department of Homeland Security this month have warned that white supremacist groups pose a rising threat of violence in the United States. Trump initially replied by blaming "the left wing" for violence, before saying he was "willing to do anything". "Then do it, sir," Wallace said, as Biden added: "Do it, say it." "What do you want to call them? Give me a name," Trump said, prompting Biden to mention the Proud Boys, an organization that describes itself as a club of "Western chauvinists" but has been categorized as a hate group by the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center. "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," Trump said, before immediately pivoting. "But I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa." Antifa, which stands for anti-fascist, is a largely unstructured, far-left movement whose followers broadly aim to confront those they view as authoritarian or racist. At least one Proud Boy organizer, Joe Biggs, celebrated the group's mention on the social media platform Parler, saying: "President Trump told the proud boys to stand by because someone needs to deal with ANTIFA...well sir! we're ready!!" according to screenshots posted by a New York Times reporter on Twitter. Biden has often said he decided to run for president after white supremacists attacked counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017 and Trump said there were "fine people on both sides." While Trump has sought to distance himself from that comment, he has also been accused of downplaying the threat of white supremacists, even as his own administration has warned of the danger. Last week, Chad Wolf, the acting homeland security secretary, told a congressional hearing that white supremacists were the most persistent extremist threat in the country. - Reuters

Australian singer Helen Reddy, who reached number 1 around the world with hits like I Am Woman, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 78. Recording artist Helen Reddy performs onstage during the MPTF 95th anniversary celebration. Photo: AFP Her family confirmed she died yesterday. Her song I Am Woman was an anthem for the feminist movement. "She was a wonderful mother, grandmother and a truly formidable woman," a family statement on her official fan Facebook page said. "Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever."

US President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will debate an array of urgent political challenges, including the response to the coronavirus pandemic, the Supreme Court, and continued protests for racial justice. [embedded content] The 90-minute debate, with a limited and socially distanced in-person audience because of the pandemic, will begin at 2pm (NZ time) at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. RNZ's Max Towle and Jeremy Rees will bring you the latest developments here: It is the first of three scheduled debates: Second presidential debate: Trump and Biden will debate again on 16 October, 2pm (NZT), at a performing arts centre in Miami, Florida. Steve Scully of C-SPAN Networks is set to moderate the debate. Third presidential debate: In their final chance to win over voters, Trump and Biden will take to the stage in Nashville, Tennessee. NBC's White House correspondent Kristen Welker will be hosting the debate on 23 October, 1pm (NZT). The only vice presidential debate between Harris and Pence will take place on 8 October, 12pm (NZT) in Salt Lake City, Utah. White House aides have said Trump, 74, will aggressively challenge Biden's record on issues such as trade, energy and taxes and will be prepared to defend himself on his own taxes. Trump, who has repeatedly cast doubt on the integrity of the election, is likely to face questions about his refusal to commit to accepting the election results and a peaceful handover of power should he lose. Biden, 77, is certain to press his criticism of Trump's response to the pandemic, and highlight Trump's efforts to eliminate the Affordable Care Act, the law known as Obamacare which has helped millions of Americans obtain health insurance. The debate will be divided into six segments - the records of Trump and Biden, the US Supreme Court, the coronavirus pandemic, the economy, election integrity and "race and violence" in US cities. Ahead of the debate, Democrats have demanded that moderator Chris Wallace of Fox News correct Trump when he makes false claims. But Wallace, whom Trump has called "nasty and obnoxious," said he would not perform a fact-checking function, instead remaining as invisible as possible. - Reuters

Firefighters in Northern California struggled to make headway against two wildfires, one of them threatening wineries and towns in the Napa Valley, and a second that killed three people closer to the Oregon border. People stop on the side of the road to watch as the Glass Fire slowly blazes down the hill side outside Calistoga in Napa Valley, California, on 28 September. Photo: AFP The three fatalities in the so-called Zogg Fire in Shasta County, about 322km north of San Francisco, were reported by the local sheriff. All three were civilians, and their deaths brought to 29 the number of people killed since mid-August. This has been the worst year for wildfires in California's history in terms of acreage burned. Further south, the Glass Fire was raging in wine country, having already destroyed a highly rated restaurant and buildings at a winery whose architecture was inspired by a 13th century Tuscan castle. Tens of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, including nearly all 5300 residents of Calistoga, a resort town known for its hot springs and mud baths. "We still have high heat and low humidity that can spread large fires," said Lynette Round, an information officer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Both fires were zero percent contained, Cal Fire said, though calmer winds could give firefighters an edge on Tuesday. The Zogg fire has destroyed 146 structures and charred more than 40,000 acres of grassy hillsides and oak woodlands. After merging with two other blazes, the Glass Fire had spread across 36,000 acres in Napa and Sonoma counties, incinerating around 95 homes and other buildings, according to Cal Fire. Napa Valley residents Matthew Rivard and Amanda Crean parked their car by a sign reading "Welcome to the World Famous Wine Growing Region" on Monday night and watched flames surround the Schramsberg Vineyards, known for sparkling wines. Around three quarters of a mile to the northwest, flames destroyed a farmhouse containing a trove of bottled wine and offices at the Castello di Amorosa winery, but its distinctive castle was intact, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. To the east, the three-star Michelin restaurant, the Grill at Meadowood, and a golf shop were destroyed at the Meadowood Napa Valley resort, the newspaper reported. In Calistoga, the evacuation left its main street, known for boutiques and tasting rooms, looking like a ghost town, according to a Reuters photographer. The fires marked the latest flashpoints in a destructive spate of wildfires this summer across the Western United States. California fires have scorched over 1.5 million hectares since January - far exceeding any single year in state history. They have been stoked by prolonged bouts of heat and dry-lightning sieges that scientists attribute to climate change. More than 7000 homes and other structures have burned statewide this year. An estimated 95,000 residents were under evacuation orders or advisories in California, with 30,000 from the Glass Fire and 2,200 from the Zogg, Round said. Red-flag warnings for extreme wildfire risk were posted for much of Northern California. - Reuters

Kuwait's Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, has died at the age of 91. Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah pictured at the Arab League summit in Tunisia, in March 2019. Photo: AFP His 83-year-old half-brother, Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed, has been named by the cabinet as his successor. In July, Sheikh Sabah was flown to the United States for medical treatment following surgery for an unspecified condition in Kuwait that month. He had ruled the oil-rich Gulf Arab state since 2006 and had overseen its foreign policy for more than 50 years. He was dubbed the "dean of Arab diplomacy" for his efforts to restore relations with states that backed Iraq during the 1990-1991 Gulf War, when Kuwait was invaded by Iraqi forces. The emir also often acted as a mediator in regional disputes, including the ongoing diplomatic stand-off between Saudi Arabia, its allies and Qatar. Kuwait similarly refrained from intervening in Syria's civil war, instead hosting several donor conferences for humanitarian aid. "Today we lost a big brother and a wise and loving leader... who spared no effort for Arab unity," Jordan's King Abdullah II wrote on Twitter in Arabic. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates, tweeted: "Sheikh Sabah epitomised wisdom, tolerance, and peace and he was a great pioneer of Gulf cooperation." UN Secretary General António Guterres called the emir "an extraordinary symbol of wisdom and generosity, a messenger of peace, a bridge builder". Sheikh Sabah's death was announced on state television on Tuesday afternoon by the Minister of Emiri Diwan (Court) Affairs, Sheikh Ali Jarrah al-Sabah. "With the utmost sadness and grief for the Kuwaiti people, the Islamic and Arab world and people of friendly nations, the Emiri Diwan mourns the death of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Jaber al-Sabah, the emir of Kuwait, who is now next to God" he said. Sheikh Jarrah did not give a cause of death nor say where the emir died. Born in 1929, Sheikh Sabah was the great-grandson of the founder of modern Kuwait, Mubarak al-Sabah, who signed a "Treaty of Friendship" with Britain in 1899 that saw it become a protectorate. Sheikh Sabah became Kuwait's foreign minister in 1963 - two years after Britain recognised Kuwait's independence - and held the position until 1991, following the end of the seven-month-long Iraqi occupation. He was reappointed foreign minister in 1992 and served until 2003, when he was named prime minister by his half-brother Emir Sheikh Jaber al-Ahmad. Sheikh Sabah became Kuwait's ruler himself in 2006, after Sheikh Jaber died and his cousin Emir Sheikh Saad al-Abdullah stepped down just nine days into his rule as parliament moved to depose him on health grounds. Kuwait - which has a population of 4.8 million, including 3.4 million foreign workers - has the world's sixth-largest known oil reserves and is a major US ally. The emirate's parliament has the most powers of any elected body in the Gulf and opposition MPs openly criticise the Sabahs. However, the ruling family retains full control over key government and executive posts and the emir has the last say in political matters. He also has the power to override or dissolve parliament, and call elections. Sheikh Sabah dissolved parliament or reshuffled his cabinet a number of times after lawmakers sought to question or submit votes of no confidence against senior ministers, including members of the ruling family. -BBC

Armenia says one of its fighter jets was shot down by a Turkish jet, in a major escalation in the conflict over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. A video made available by the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry appears to show an Azeri artillery strike towards the positions of Armenian separatists in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: AFP / Azerbaijani Defence Ministry The Armenian foreign ministry said the pilot of the Soviet-made SU-25 died after being hit by the Turkish F-16 in Armenian air space. Turkey, which is backing Azerbaijan in the conflict, has denied the claim. Nearly 100 people, including civilians, have died in three days of fighting over the disputed mountainous region. The enclave is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but has been run by ethnic Armenians since a 1988-94 war between the two former Soviet republics. Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that its air force does not have F-16 fighter jets. However, Turkey does. The fighting that started three days ago now appears to be spilling out of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia and Azerbaijan - which have already mobilised more soldiers and declared martial law in some areas - blame each other for starting the fighting. While Turkey is openly backing Azerbaijan, Russia - which has a military base in Armenia - has called for an immediate ceasefire. Armenian Defence Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said the Armenian SU-25 was shot down on Tuesday morning and the pilot "died heroically". In a Facebook post, she said the Turkish F-16 was 60km deep into Armenian air space. Turkey immediately denied the claim as "absolutely untrue". "Armenia should withdraw from the territories under its occupation instead of resorting to cheap propaganda tricks," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's aide Fahrettin Altun said. What's the background? In 1988, towards the end of Soviet rule, Azerbaijani troops and Armenian secessionists began a bloody war which left Nagorno-Karabakh in the hands of ethnic Armenians when a truce was signed in 1994. Tens of thousands died in fighting, and many ethnic Azerbaijanis were forced to flee their homes. It is now a de facto independent region, relying heavily on support from Armenia. But it is not recognised by any UN member, including Armenia. Swathes of Azeri territory around the enclave are also under Armenian control.Negotiations have so far failed to produce a permanent peace agreement, and the dispute in the region remains one of post-Soviet Europe's "frozen conflicts". Karabakh is the Russian rendering of an Azeri word meaning "black garden", while Nagorno is a Russian word meaning "mountainous". Ethnic Armenians prefer to call the region Artsakh, an ancient Armenian name for the area. Over the years both sides have had soldiers killed in sporadic breaches of the ceasefire. Landlocked Armenia has suffered severe economic problems due to the closure of borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan. Russia, France and the US co-chair the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Minsk Group, which has been attempting to broker an end to the dispute. - BBC

How does one debate Donald Trump? The team behind the Democratic challenger Joe Biden will have spent the past few weeks devising a plan to answer this - ahead of this afternoon's first presidential debate. Joe Biden and Donald Trump Photo: AFP What makes it so difficult is how unconventional the president is, especially in his treatment of the truth. Four years ago, Hillary Clinton's approach to challenging Trump during their debate was to promote a website that fact-checked his comments in real time. Fact-checking is a job for the candidates, but more importantly, Biden's team will be telling him to stay on message, and to keep Trump on the defensive. The winner will ultimately be he who delivers the biggest moments that will be replayed online and on television for days, and years, to come. Four years ago, Trump arguably had more of these - such as his response to Clinton wondering what would happen if he were to bear responsibility for US law: "You'd be in jail," he replied. The official talking points for this afternoon's debate have been chosen, signalling the direction that moderator - Fox News' Chris Wallace - will take. They are the candidates' personal records, the Supreme Court, Covid-19, the economy, race and violence in US cities, and the integrity of the election. Yet both Biden and Trump will have their own agendas, and talking points they want to hit, and hit hard: Trump's taxes The biggest story of this week, and of the entire election race, is the revelation by The New York Times that Trump has avoided paying virtually any income tax over the past two decades. Throughout his political career, he has billed himself as a successful businessman capable of engineering an American resurgence. Instead, the article depicts a man who religiously practices tax avoidance to protect his worth. The Trump administration has already hit back, claiming the Times' reporting is inaccurate, yet yesterday the president tweeted that he is as entitled to tax credits as any other American. Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Michigan. Photo: AFP Biden is certain to attack Trump along these lines, perhaps even making jokes about the hundreds of millions of dollars in loans he reportedly owes, or the tens of thousands he has spent on hair styling. Whether this resonates with moderate voters remains to be seen. Biden's state of mind The president has frequently attacked Biden for his mental state, even suggesting, without evidence, that he has dementia, dubbing him "Sleepy Joe." Trump has even called for his rival to be drug-tested before the debate, again suggesting that he relies on some sort of medication to be able to speak coherently. Biden needs to put this to bed. He has spoken well at key times in the past few weeks, specifically for 25 minutes at the Democratic National Convention, but in the age of social media and viral videos, he's still managed to go viral for stumbling over his words when he's gone off-script. If the same thing happens this afternoon, Trump will smell blood in the water and attack. Biden is only two-and-a-half years older than the president, yet the cut-through of this perception could be very damaging. Healthcare More than 200,000 Americans have so far died due to the pandemic, vastly more than any other country, while more than seven million have been infected. The president has repeatedly claimed he's done an A+ job responding to the coronavirus, yet the facts paint a different picture. Right now, more than 20 states are seeing an increase in new infections, and the Trump administration's response over the past few months has been to defer responsibility to the states. Trump will likely point to his promise that a safe vaccine will be rolled out across the country in a matter of weeks - a claim that's yet to be backed up by science. Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris confer on stage after Biden delivered his acceptance speech in Delaware. Photo: AFP Biden will need to clearly explain how he would have done a better job - something he's yet to do - and tell the American public that things didn't need to get this bad. Trump has also for years promised his own health care plan, and is yet to deliver. Law and Order This election will likely be determined by if, and how minority communities vote - as it has done throughout American history. Trump has several times claimed he's done more for African Americans than any leader since Abraham Lincoln - a quite incredible claim. Yet his term has seen some of the most significant racial unrest ever seen - massive protest movements like Black Lives Matter - which he's put down as simply the actions of rioters and looters. He has billed himself as the ultimate "law and order" president, striking fear into the hearts of voters that if he loses November's vote, things will get worse. Biden will try to depict his rival as an antagonist who has only stoked the violence and fanned the flames of unrest. Trump is yet to concede that America has a problem with racial inequality and profiling - Biden will need to show he is the person to solve such issues. Supreme Court The death of the liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg has sparked a fierce political battle that Republicans seem destined to win. Trump has named his nominee to replace her as the latest Supreme Court Justice - Amy Coney Barrett - and a successful vote in the Senate should come at the end of October. Democrats have accused the party of hypocrisy, saying four years ago Republicans argued such a vote must wait until after an election year. US President Donald Trump announces Amy Coney Barrett as his nomination for the Supreme Court. Photo: Getty Images Biden has already said Coney Barrett could represent an end to the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, and promised that if he is elected, he would nominate the first African American woman to the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, when it's suited him, Trump has painted himself as the arbiter of conservative values - of Christian values - appealing to the Republican Party's base. When protesters were violently swept off the streets of the capital, he brandished a Bible outside a church, holding it aloft for cameras. It's entirely possible that the faith - and the devoutness of both candidates - is also debated.