White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 23, 2020

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Trump supporters outside Belmont University in Nashville ahead of the debate.

Why Tennessee?
Oct. 23 - Today’s debate is taking place in Tennessee, home of country music, Elvis Presley’s Graceland, and the Parthenon (a full-scale replica of the original monument in Athens).

Tennessee is a traditionally conservative stronghold, which Trump won with almost 61 per cent of the vote in 2016.

FiveThirtyEight’s latest polling average currently has Trump ahead of Biden, 54.3 per cent to 40.9 per cent.

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Some Belmont University students moved from dorms to Opryland ahead of debate

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Students who live within the security perimeter on Belmont University’s campus have been moved to the Opryland Hotel ahead of Thursday night’s final presidential debate.

According to the Belmont Vision, residents of Wright, Maddox, Kennedy, Potter and Hail were asked to temporarily vacate their rooms for 30 hours.

An estimated 600 students are displaced as a security measure and will stay at Opryland through Friday.

The university will reportedly provide students with transportation, meals and internet access for the duration of the one-night move. Students will be housed with their previous roommates. Resident administrative leadership of the impacted dorms, including resident assistants and resident directors, will be relocated alongside students, according to the student paper.
Belmont soccer player Morgan Pettit said despite the challenges of relocating, most students are embracing the debate experience.

“Our campus like looks completely different right now because all of the kind of construction, the different setup for the debate, that’s pretty wild we’re kind of prepping for a kind of mini lockdown.

When the debate is actually happening like we can’t access our dining hall or anything,” explained Pettit. “I think it’s just the reality of the situation and keeping everyone safe and everyone understands that.”

Belmont will also provide a 180,000 square foot space at the Music City Center for students to watch the debate and engage in socially distanced activities together.     source

With 12 days until Election Day …

• Tonight’s debate is scheduled to being at 9 p.m. Eastern and will be streamed on The Post’s website, where live coverage begins at 8 p.m. Eastern. Here’s what to watch for in the final debate.
• Ahead of the debate, Vice President Pence campaigned in Michigan and Indiana and Sen. Kamala D. Harris (Calif.), the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, held a virtual event to bolster women’s support for her ticket.
• Judge Amy Coney Barrett moved one step closer to a seat on the Supreme Court as the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced her nomination. Democrats boycotted the vote.
• More than 47 million Americans have already voted in the 2020 election, surpassing the total number of early ballots cast in 2016.
• Biden leads Trump by nine percentage points nationally, 53 percent to 44 percent, according to an average of national polls since Oct. 12. Biden’s nine-percentage-point margin is the same in Michigan. It’s eight points in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin; six in Arizona; and two in Florida.     source
  

Microphone muting
The nonpartisan Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday that the second and final debate between the two candidates will have each nominee muted while the other delivers his two-minute remarks at the outset of each of the six debate topics. The remainder of each 15-minute block will be open discussion, without any muting, the commission said.
The move is meant to prevent a repeat of the inaugural debate three weeks ago when the two candidates, but mostly Trump, interrupted each other repeatedly...
...Topics are set
The Commission on Presidential Debates released a list of topics for the debate. They are:

• Fighting COVID-19
• American Families
• Race in America
• Climate Change
• National Security
• Leadership

Trump’s campaign is asking The Commission on Presidential Debates to add another topic to the debate...    contine to read

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【完整版】川普造勢狂潮「紅色貪食龍」再起　
緊咬「地獄筆電」炸翻拜登？2020.10.21《新聞龍捲風－10點特攻》
Oct 22, 2020

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 22, 2020

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Iran, Russia obtained voter registration info to sow confusion in presidential election, US officials say

Oct. 22 - Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said late Wednesday voter registration information had been obtained by Iran and Russia in an attempt to undermine confidence in the 2020 election.

Ratcliffe said Iran sought to sow unrest in the U.S. in an attempt to damage the candidacy of President Donald Trump.

He also said that Russia has obtained voter information just as the Kremlin had done in when it interfered in the 2016 election.

Ratcliffe, who appeared with FBI Director Christopher Wray, said that Iran had sent false information to voters, including spoof emails claiming that fraudulent ballots can be sent from overseas.

Ratcliffe said intelligence officials have not seen the same level of activity from Russia but said the country has also obtained voter information.
"These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries," Ratcliffe said. "We will not tolerate foreign interference in our election."
The announcement comes after federal cybersecurity officials Wednesday warned Americans that threatening emails had been sent to voters in Florida, Pennsylvania and other states to undermine the integrity of the election.   source

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 21, 2020

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OCTOBER 20, 2020
Campaign 2020
President Trump Campaigns in Erie, PA
President Trump delivers remarks at a campaign rally in Eria, PA in support of his reelection.

Live: Trump campaigns in Erie, Pennsylvania
Oct 20, 2020

2020 Election Live Updates: Trump Campaign Coffers Shrink to $63 Million Two Weeks Before Election Day

President Trump and Joe Biden are tied in Georgia, a New York Times/Siena College poll found, and Democrats are gaining in both Senate races there. Crowds gathered for Wisconsin’s first day of in-person voting and Florida broke a record for early voting.

RIGHT NOW
President Trump at his campaign rally at Erie International Airport in Erie, Pa.
Trump says before coronavirus he never planned on campaigning in Erie, Pa. ‘We had this thing won.’

Oct. 21 - President Trump falsely insisted on Tuesday that the United States is “rounding the turn on the pandemic” and distorted Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s position on fracking as he sought to close ground in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Trump hammered his Democratic opponent’s energy policies, repeating a false claim that Mr. Biden supports a total ban on fracking, a major industry in the state.

In what Mr. Trump said was a first for one of his campaign rallies, he played on large video screens a montage of several clips in which Mr. Biden and his running mate, Senator Kamala Harris of California, talked about phasing out fossil fuels to combat climate change.

“If Biden is elected, he will wipe out your energy industry,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump also offered a litany of false claims about Mr. Biden’s position on the coronavirus, saying that the former vice president would “delay therapies, postpone the vaccine, prolong the pandemic, close your schools, shut down our country.” But his claim that under his own leadership, the country was “rounding the turn” on the pandemic was sharply at odds with the reality that the virus was surging both nationally and in Pennsylvania, where cases are at a level the state has not seen since April.

Mr. Biden leads Mr. Trump by an average of 7 percentage points in the state, according to the Upshot’s calculator. Mr. Trump, seeming to acknowledge that deficit, pined for the days earlier this year when his electoral standing looked brighter. Before “the plague” arrived, he said, “I wasn’t going to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest, there’s no way I was coming. I didn’t have to.”

He added, “We had this thing won.”
Mr. Trump had one other warning for voters during his rally: that Mr. Biden would fail to entertain them as he has. “If you want depression, doom and despair, vote for Sleepy Joe,” he said. “And boredom.”     source

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Here’s what you need to know:
In latest F.E.C. filing, Trump campaign’s cash on hand has dwindled.

Michigan and Pennsylvania say they can finish counting ballots within three days of the election.

Florida sees a record early vote, with Democrats casting more mail-in ballots than Republicans.

Records shed new light on Trump’s business pursuits in China, including a bank account there.

Trump cuts a ‘60 Minutes’ interview short, and then taunts Lesley Stahl on Twitter.

A poll finds Trump and Biden tied in Georgia, and Democrats gaining in Senate races.

‘No more business as usual’: Democrats weigh boycott of committee vote on Judge Barrett.

White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 20, 2020

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Tucson, Arizona Mayor 'Very Concerned' Trump's Rally Will Become a COVID 'Super Spreader' Event

Oct. 20 - The mayor of Tucson, Arizona—where President Donald Trump will hold a rally on Monday—said she is "very concerned" that the campaign event could become a "super spreader" for COVID-19.

Mayor Regina Romero, a Democrat, explained to CNN on Monday that a mask mandate implemented in her city has been correlated with a 75 percent decline in new infections. As photos and videos of recent Trump rallies in various parts of the country have shown packed venues with thousands of attendees—many of whom do not wear masks—Romero said she is worried that the president's rally could lead to an uptick in infections in Tucson.

"We are very concerned that this can become a spreader event," the mayor said. She asserted that Tucson has "made too many sacrifices" to allow coronavirus infections to once again surge.

But Romero lamented that the city "cannot do much" to force people to wear masks at the event. She explained that police officers at the rally will be there to protect the president, asserting this is the "number one concern." The mayor said that police officers would not be handing out tickets to attendees without masks.     continue to read

Read more

• Trump Supporters Stage Caravan Rally Stretching 30 Miles On Arizona Highway
• Anti-Trump Protesters Pretend to Eat Bloodied Heart of President, Burn Flag
• Fox News Host Confronts Trump Adviser Over Rallies Amid COVID Pandemic
• Donald Trump Cutout Set on Fire, Two Arrested at Dueling Boston Protests

Is this thing on? 

Donald Trump to be 'silenced' at debate as organisers put foot down over rules
The Commission on Presidential Debates say they will enforce rules guaranteeing each candidate two minutes of uninterrupted time - with a mute button

Oct. 20 - Organisers will be able to silence Donald Trump if he tries to disrupt Thursday's final Presidential debate.

Chaos at the first televised debate of the 2020 election prompted the Commission on Presidential Debates to make some changes - including adding a 'mute button'.

The Commission confirmed the organisers will mute the microphones of each candidate, to allow the other two minutes of uninterrupted time for each segment.

In a statement, the Commission did not characterise this as a change to the rules - but as an enforcement of the rules both camps had agreed.

They said: "Both campaigns this week reaffirmed their agreement to the two-minute, uninterrupted rule.

"The Commission is announcing today that in order to enforce this agreed upon rule, the only candidate whose microphone will be open during these two-minute periods is the candidate who has the floor under the rules."

They said the balance of each 15-minute segment would see both candidates' microphones open...     continue to read

PBS NewsHour full episode, Oct.19, 2020
Oct 20, 2020
Monday on the NewsHour, with the election only 15 days away, the candidates traverse the country to appeal to voters. Plus: COVID-19 relief negotiations in Congress, what providers are seeing as the pandemic rages in the West and Midwest, caregivers in crisis, fear as a political campaign tactic, Politics Monday with Tamara Keith and Amy Walter and an essay on interracial friendships.

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White House News (白宮消息) | Oct 19, 2020

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Donald Trump Advisers Reportedly Fear He Will Lose Election, Some Already Looking For New Jobs

Oct. 18 - According to a Sunday report from The New York Times, those close to President Donald Trump fear that he will lose the upcoming presidential election to Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.

Trump and his allies have publicly signaled confidence about the contest, dismissed public polling and worked on persuading Republican donors and voters that they have nothing to worry about.

But, in private conversations, “some of Mr. Trump’s aides are quietly conceding just how dire his political predicament appears to be, and his inner circle has returned to a state of recriminations and backbiting.”

“Some midlevel aides on the campaign have even begun inquiring about employment on Capitol Hill after the election, apparently under the assumption that there will not be a second Trump administration for them to serve in.”

Trump’s campaign manager Bill Stepien has told Republican leaders that the commander-in-chief still has a path to victory, but even he has reportedly admitted that it is very “narrow.”

With a little over two weeks until the election, aides and advisers have reportedly realized that it is too late for a major change in strategy, so they are hoping to keep Trump “off Twitter” and avoid controversy.     more details

Dan and Nan Barker of Arizona, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who remain Republicans but do not support President Donald Trump. Source: The New York Times

How Mormons fed up with Donald Trump could help lift Joe Biden in Arizona

Loyalty to the Republican Party is ingrained in the Latter-day Saints religion. But in Arizona, some find the president’s behavior at odds with their values and are shifting to Joe Biden.

Oct. 19 - For the better part of a century, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have made their political home under the Republican Party’s tent, motivated by conservative beliefs rooted in the family values, personal liberty and economic frugality of their faith.

But some church members now find themselves in a political quandary: They’re still Republicans, but they no longer fit in with the party as exemplified by President Donald Trump, who for them represents a hard departure from the church’s teachings on sex, crude language, empathy and humility.
In Arizona — the only state up for grabs that has a significant Latter-day Saint population — a growing number are finding refuge in Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee.     more details

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President Trump, in 2017, with Mark Burnett, who put his stamp on American television with the reality show “Survivor.”Credit...

Donald Trump Is Losing His Touch. So Is the TV Producer Who Shaped His Image.

Mark Burnett helped turn Donald Trump into a national figure with “The Apprentice.” But since 2016, his impact “has kind of gone bust.”

Oct. 18 - Did you catch Steve Harvey’s “Funderdome” on ABC? How about “The World’s Best” on CBS, “The Contender” on Epix, or “World’s Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge” on Amazon Prime? Or the Christian-themed dramas “A.D. The Bible Continues” on NBC and “Messiah” on Netflix?

No? Well, you’re hardly alone. And the man behind the string of flops is Mark Burnett, the legendary TV producer who shaped Donald Trump’s image from “The Apprentice” through his 2016 inauguration. Like his greatest creation, Mr. Trump — who sought and then lost an idiotic television ratings war on Thursday night with Joe Biden — Mr. Burnett seems to be struggling to keep his grip on the cultural moment.

Mr. Burnett’s story has been told often, and until 2016 he was eager to help tell it — how he reshaped American television with “Survivor” in 2000 and how, with the 2004 start of “The Apprentice,” he “resurrected Donald Trump as an icon of American success,” as The New Yorker put it. He’s been in Mr. Trump’s ear ever since: He held a planning meeting for the 2016 inauguration in his Ritz-Carlton apartment, the event’s planner, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, wrote. His associates produced the Republican National Convention this summer, Michael Grynbaum and Annie Karni reported for The New York Times. When President Trump took the presidential helicopter from the hospital to the White House this month, panicked Twitter commentators compared an official video of his triumphal return to the work of the Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl. But Mr. Burnett was the artiste whose influence really shined through on the video, though a spokeswoman said he did not consult on it.

“The level of production coming out of the White House is something we would have appreciated having,” Bill Pruitt, a producer on the “The Apprentice,” said of the video’s specific camera angles and its particular obsession with helicopters, a longtime favorite prop of Mr. Burnett’s dating back to “Survivor.” “As is customary for this, the reality TV version of a presidential campaign, it seems they’re not striving as much for ‘four more years’ as they are ‘Season 2.’”    continue to read

PBS NewsHour Weekend Full Episode October 18, 2020
Oct 19, 2020
On this edition for Sunday, October 18, PBS NewsHour Weekend is in Ohio, reporting on how its cities are coping with the financial stresses unleashed by the pandemic, and the political state of play in the swing state as both campaigns appeal to voters weeks before the election. And, our report from ground zero of the Azerbaijan - Armenia conflict. Hari Sreenivasan anchors from Columbus, OH.