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Kamis, 22 Oktober 2020

WATCH LIVE: Donald Trump and Joe Biden face off in final US presidential debate - CNA

NASHVILLE: Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden renewed his attacks on President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus pandemic at Thursday's (Oct 22) final debate, seeking to bolster his lead in opinion polls with 12 days to go to the Nov 3 election.

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The televised debate, which takes place at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennesee, represented one of the Republican Trump's last remaining opportunities to reshape a campaign dominated by a pandemic that has killed more than 221,000 people in the United States and devastated the economy.

"Anyone who's responsible for that many deaths should not remain president of the United States of America," Biden said.

Trump, who was far more restrained than at the first debate in September when he aggressively talked over Biden, defended his approach to the outbreak and claimed the worst of the pandemic was in the past.

"We're rounding the corner," said Trump, who has played down the virus for months. "It's going away."

Opinion polls show most Americans disapprove of the president's response to the virus.

Several US states, including the election swing state of Ohio, reported record single-day increases in COVID-19 infections on Thursday, evidence the pandemic is accelerating anew.

Though Trump trails former vice-president Biden significantly in national polls, the contest is much tighter in some battleground states where the election will likely be decided.

READ: Trump and Biden to headline duelling town halls, as early voters swamp polls

Trump is currently trailing Biden by eight percentage points, the latest Reuters/Ipsos national poll showed.

A record 45 million Americans have already cast their votes, eclipsing the total early voting in the 2016 election, ahead of the debate.

The first segment of the debate was far more civil than the candidates' first clash in September, when Trump's constant interruptions and exchanges of personal insults derailed the evening.

As a result, each candidate's microphone on Thursday was switched off while his opponent made a two-minute introductory statement on a topic. Even after the microphones were turned back on during discussion periods, however, the candidates largely allowed each other to speak.

Biden faulted Trump for avoiding responsibility for the pandemic.

"I take full responsibility," Trump said. "It's not my fault that it came here, it's China's fault."

Trump claimed on Thursday that a vaccine was close to ready, saying approval would be announced within "weeks" before acknowledging that it was not a guarantee.

Most experts, including administration officials, have said a vaccine is unlikely to be widely available until mid-2021.

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2020-10-23 01:09:21Z
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With time running out, Trump to go on offensive at final presidential debate in bid to catch Biden - The Straits Times

NASHVILLE (REUTERS) - US President Donald Trump is expected to come out swinging in Thursday's (Oct 22) final presidential debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden to try to close a gap in opinion polls before an election 12 days away.

Trump needs to score some hits in the televised encounter to steady a campaign that is struggling, in part due to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 222,000 people in the United States.

Trump, a Republican, trails former vice-president Biden significantly in national polls ahead of Election Day, Nov 3, though the contest is much tighter in some battleground states where the election will likely be decided.

Biden leads Trump by eight percentage points in the latest Reuters/Ipsos national poll, conducted Oct 20-22. His lead has slipped by a couple of points over the past few weeks and is back to where it was in September, before Trump was hospitalised with Covid-19.

Relatively few voters have yet to make up their minds, and Trump's window to influence the outcome may be closing.

A record 47 million Americans already have cast ballots, eclipsing total early voting from the 2016 election, ahead of the debate in Nashville, Tennessee.

Trump's campaign signalled that the often pugnacious president would attack Biden for not accomplishing more during his nearly half-century in public service and zero in on what Trump, 74, alleges were corrupt practices by the Biden family.

Aides of Biden, 77, said he needs to deliver a disciplined performance to appeal to the undecided voters and not to allow Trump to get under his skin with attacks on his family, especially his son Hunter.

One Biden adviser said aides want him to counter Trump without seeming un-presidential. He is expected to again bash Trump's handling of the pandemic, arguing that it has had a disproportionate economic impact on low-wage workers.

Several states, including the election swing state of Ohio, reported record single-day increases in Covid-19 infections on Thursday, evidence that the pandemic is accelerating anew.

September's contentious first debate between the pair was watched by at least 73 million viewers. Trump passed up another planned debate last week after it was switched to a virtual format following his Covid-19 diagnosis.

'Rope-a-dope'

Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh said the president would bring up Biden's long record in politics, as well as his family's business dealings.

"The clear message is that President Trump has accomplished more in 47 months than Joe Biden has in 47 years. The president built the world's best economy once and is already doing it a second time. Trump is still the political outsider, while Biden is the ultimate insider," Murtaugh said.

In the first face-off, Trump repeatedly interrupted Biden, attacked him personally, and showed little respect for the moderator. Swing voters, especially women, were turned off by his actions, post-debate polls and focus groups showed.

Michael Steel, a Republican who served as a top aide to former House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, said Trump needs to take a step back and give space for Biden to make mistakes.

"There is probably nothing President Trump can do in terms of attacking Biden that he didn't already try in the first debate," Steel said. "He now needs to rope-a-dope, laying back and acting presidential while needling Biden to flub - and flub badly."

After the first debate was marred by disruptions from both candidates, each of their microphones will be switched off while his opponent makes his two-minute introductory statement on a topic, so as to give uninterrupted speaking time.

Both microphones will then be active for the discussion period that follows. Debate topics will include the pandemic, race relations, climate change and national security. The Trump campaign argued that the entire debate should be focused on foreign policy.

Trump is expected to return to a line of attack that surfaced in the first debate, accusing Biden and his son Hunter of unethical practices in China and Ukraine. No evidence has been verified to support the corruption allegations by Trump and his aides, and Biden in the first debate called them false and discredited.

Biden campaign deputy manager Kate Bedingfield said Trump's personal attacks would backfire. "We expect that Trump will attack Biden and his family, and every time he does that all he's doing is reinforcing what we have said all along: he is acknowledging that he has no case for a second term. He has no answers to the failures of the last four years and no plans or vision for the next four," she told reporters.

Biden has been under pressure to explain his position on a push by some within his party to "pack" the Supreme Court to counter its rightward drift, by expanding the number of justices from the current nine.

He said on Thursday that if elected he would put together a bipartisan commission of scholars to examine reforming a federal judiciary that he called "out of whack." He said there were alternatives to consider besides expanding the Supreme Court.

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2020-10-22 21:26:42Z
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Observer on political crisis in Thailand due to anti-government protests - CNA

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Observer on political crisis in Thailand due to anti-government protests CNA
Thailand's 'CIA': The street food vendors who get to protests first The Straits Times
Thai protests: Prayuth given 3 days to resign or face ‘higher demands’ South China Morning Post
The protests in Thailand are making history Al Jazeera English
Thai PM revokes emergency measures after week of protests CNA
View Full coverage on Google News

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2020-10-22 13:11:01Z
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China threatens retaliation after new US arms sales to Taiwan - CNA

BEIJING: China threatened on Thursday (Oct 22) to retaliate against the latest US arms sale to Taiwan, as the island welcomed the weapons package but said it was not looking to get into an arms race with Beijing.

The Trump administration has ramped up support for Taiwan through arms sales and visits by senior US officials, adding to tensions between Beijing and Washington, already heightened by disagreements over the South China Sea, Hong Kong, human rights and trade.

Beijing has applied increasing pressure on Taiwan to accept China's sovereignty, including by flying fighter jets across the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial buffer.

Responding the US approval of a potential $1.8 billion arms sale to Taiwan, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a daily news briefing that such sales should stop.

The sales "seriously interfere with China's internal affairs, seriously damage China's sovereignty and security interests, send a seriously wrong signal to Taiwan independence forces, and severely damage China-US relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," he said.

"China will make a legitimate and necessary response according to how the situation develops," Zhao added.

READ: US pushes arms sales surge to Taiwan, needling China: Report

Commentary: Not even Biden can fix the cold war that is brewing between the US and China

He did not give details, but China has sanctioned US companies in the past for selling weapons to Taiwan, though it is unclear what form they have taken.

The latest US arms package includes sensors, missiles and artillery, and further congressional notifications are expected for drones made by General Atomics and land-based Harpoon anti-ship missiles, made by Boeing, to serve as coastal defence cruise missiles.

In Taipei, Taiwan Defence Minister Yen De-fa thanked the United States and said the weapons were to help Taiwan improve their defensive capabilities to deal with the "enemy threat and new situation".

"This includes a credible combat capability and asymmetric warfare capabilities to strengthen our determination to defend ourselves," he added.

"This shows the importance attached by the United States to security in the Indo Pacific and Taiwan Strait. We will continue to consolidate our security partnership with the United States."

Yen said they were not looking for confrontation.

READ: Taiwan says it won't be intimidated by China's 'hooligan' diplomats

"We will not engage in an arms race with the Chinese Communists. We will put forward requirements and build fully in accordance with the strategic concept of heavy deterrence, defending our position and defensive needs."

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen has made defence modernisation a priority in the face of a rising Chinese threat, particularly "asymmetric warfare" capabilities, which refers to making any attack Chinese attack difficult and costly, for example with smart mines and portable missiles.

Washington, which, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic ties with Taipei though it is its strongest global backer, has been pushing Taiwan to modernise its military so it can become a "porcupine", hard for China to attack.

Taiwan has been testing new surface-to-surface missiles which its media says have the ability to strike deep inside China, potentially giving the island the ability to attack far off Chinese air bases and command centres.

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2020-10-22 09:45:51Z
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Trump and Biden to square off in final debate - CNA

NASHVILLE: President Donald Trump squares off against Democratic challenger Joe Biden on Thursday (Oct 22) in what promises to be a bruising final debate with less than two weeks left in their turbulent fight for the White House.

The pair's last televised showdown spiraled into an ugly confrontation marred by interruptions and name calling, prompting organizers to introduce mic-muting this time to try to keep things civil.

The debate in the southern city of Nashville fires the starting gun on the final sprint to the Nov 3 election in a deeply polarized and tense United States fearful the results will set off court battles and more protests.

Trump has stepped up his attacks on Biden, who national polls show leading the race, as he fights to hold on to the White House after four tumultuous years.

NBC News journalist Kristen Welker, who will host the debate, has been branded by Trump as a "radical Democrat". (Photo: AFP/Mandel Ngan)

To cut down on the interruptions that marked the last debate, during the two minutes the candidates have to respond to the moderator's questions only their mic will be live.

"I think the mute is very unfair and I think it's very bad," Trump said this week, branding debate moderator Kristen Welker a "radical Democrat".

Biden, 77, had no public events on his schedule on Wednesday for the third day in a row, as the 74-year-old Trump has been hitting multiple rallies per day.

Barack Obama was stumping for his former vice president on Wednesday, urging Democrats to not be lulled into complacency by Biden's lead in the polls.

READ: Iran, Russia interfering in 2020 election: US intelligence agencies

Commentary: Trump's controversial social media is winning him the spotlight, but what about the elections?

He issued a stark reminder of 2016, when surveys showed Hillary Clinton as the clear favorite - only for her and her supporters to be shocked by a Trump victory on election day.

"NOT THIS TIME"

"We can't be complacent. I don't care about the polls," the former two-term president told a drive-in rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of a handful of battleground states expected to decide the election.

"There were a whole bunch of polls last time. Didn't work out. Because a whole bunch of folks stayed at home. And got lazy and complacent. Not this time. Not in this election."

Former US president Barack Obama told attendees of a drive-in Biden-Harris rally in Philadelphia that they "can't be complacent" this election. (Photo: AFP/Alex Edelman)

He told supporters that too much was at stake to have four more years of Trump leading the nation, seeking to contrast his successor - a real estate mogul and ex-reality TV star - with Biden.

"And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously."

The coronavirus has killed more than 220,000 people in the US and seriously wounded the world's largest economy, prompting fierce criticism of the president's handling of the crisis.

While Obama was in Pennsylvania, Trump visited North Carolina, another of the battleground states, as he seeks to recapture the enthusiasm of four years ago.

READ: Obama blasts Trump's tweets, track record in 2020 campaign trail debut

READ: Trump tends to his electoral map, Biden eyes Obama boost

Trump's message has included telling Americans that the coronavirus outbreak is practically over and attacks on the business dealings of Biden's son, Hunter, while his father was vice president.

A Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters released on Wednesday gave Biden a 51 to 43 lead in Pennsylvania, which Trump won by a narrow margin in 2016.

Clear dividers are seen on stage as preparations were made for the final US presidential debate of 2020. (Photo: AFP/Brendan Smialowski)

Trump is trailing Biden in the national polls and another Quinnipiac poll spelled potential trouble for his reelection hopes.

The poll had the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates in a 47 to 47 dead heat in Texas, a state which Trump won by nine points four years ago and which hasn't voted for a Democrat since Jimmy Carter in 1976.

More than 40 million Americans have already voted, according to the US Elections Project of the University of Florida, nearly 30 per cent of the total turnout in 2016.

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2020-10-22 09:04:11Z
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Backpackers out, protesters in: Bangkok hostels offer secret refuge - CNA

BANGKOK: As thousands of Thai protesters try to keep up months of anti-establishment rallies, dozens of hostels across Bangkok have thrown open their doors to give weary demonstrators a refuge, sometimes for free.

Since mid-July, protesters led by young Thais and students, often organised online, have defied crackdowns to keep calling for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to resign and to challenge a longstanding taboo by demanding reform of the monarchy.

READ: Thai royalists confront protesters in Bangkok

With protesters at times facing water cannon and playing cat and mouse with police in sweltering conditions until late into the evenings, many have been sleeping on the street.

"I felt bad for those who didn't have places to stay," said a 23-year-old medical student, who declined to give her name due to concerns about being targeted by authorities.

She has been offering free rooms online to protesters, she said.

READ: 'A moving current': Thai protesters adopt Hong Kong tactics

A Twitter account, Mobmeeteenon ("protesters have places to sleep"), is helping to link up protesters to rooms after the government brought in an emergency decree this month and cracked down on people camping outside government houses.

Another 25-year-old volunteer, who has also helped organise places to stay, said around 500 people had been hosted since the effort to provide rooms started.

Besides a bed, protesters are given three meals per day and transportation to protests.

READ: 2 activists charged with endangering Thai queen as Bangkok protests continue

There is plenty of space in hotels and hostels in usually bustling Bangkok, which is virtually empty of foreign tourists since authorities shut Thailand's borders to most commercial flights in April to contain the coronavirus.

One protester from Chonburi province east of Bangkok was surprised to be offered a bed when he thought he would be sleeping on the street after a recent rally.

"There are four people sleeping in this room. This is my spot," said the 27-year-old, speaking from a hostel in central Bangkok.

The government on Thursday (Oct 22) rolled back an emergency decree that had included bans on political gatherings of five or more people and on publishing news that could affect security.

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2020-10-22 08:48:05Z
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Thai PM revokes emergency measures after week of protests - CNA

BANGKOK: Thailand on Thursday (Oct 22) rolled back an emergency decree aimed at ending months of protests against the government and monarchy that had only inflamed anger and brought tens of thousands of people onto Bangkok streets.

A government statement published in the official Royal Gazette said that as of 12pm (1pm Singapore time) it would mean an end to measures that include bans on political gatherings of five or more people and publishing news that could affect security.

"The current violent situation that led to the announcement of the severe situation has eased and ended to a situation in which government officials and state agencies can enforce the regular laws," the statement said.

The only specific incident given for the ban was one in which Queen Suthida's convoy was jeered by protesters, but it came after protests that are the biggest challenge in years to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Protesters who have given Prayut a three-day deadline to quit said that withdrawing the measures was not enough.

READ: Thai prime minister rejects calls to resign, braces for renewed protest

"He's still seeking to stay in power while ignoring all the people's demands. The emergency decree shouldn't have been issued in the first place," Sirawith "Ja New" Seritiwat, one of the leaders, said:

Dozens of protesters – including many of the most high profile protest leaders – were arrested during the crackdown.

READ: Thai police order media probe over protests, restrict Telegram app

READ: Thailand suspends TV station over protests coverage

Among them was Patsaravalee "Mind" Tanakitvibulpon, who was released on Thursday after being arrested a day earlier.

Patsaravalee, 25, told reporters after being freed that the court had deemed the charges were not serious and that she still needed to attend classes and exams, so bail was granted without having to submit any guarantees.

READ: 'A moving current': Thai protesters adopt Hong Kong tactics

Protesters say Prayut rigged an election last year to keep hold of power he seized in a 2014 coup. He says the election was fair. Protesters accuse the monarchy of enabling years of military domination and want to curb the king's powers.

The palace has a policy of making no comment to media.

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2020-10-22 05:34:43Z
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