Congressional allies to both candidates brace for test of mental fitness to overshadow presidential debate
CNN
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill say that one looming question will be hanging over Thursday night’s presidential debate–how both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump address concerns over their age and mental acuity.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle on Capitol Hill say that one looming question will be hanging over Thursday night’s presidential debate – how both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump address concerns over their age and mental acuity. Democrats want the president’s performance to dispel the GOP-propelled narrative that the 81-year-old president lacks the fitness to hold the nation’s highest office, and by extension prove that Trump, who was found guilty in one criminal trial and faces three more, is the one who is unfit to serve. Republicans, meanwhile, are engineering a double-edged expectations game that seemingly raises the stakes on Biden, while lowering them for Trump. Beyond that, Democrats say they want Biden to clarify what he can and cannot do to help the economy while Republicans implore Trump to stay on message and not resort to personal attacks. In conversations with over a dozen lawmakers, both sides acknowledged that a debate performance four months out from election day is unlikely to make or break either candidate, but each side said they had high expectations for the rematch that presents a unique opportunity for both men to outline what they accomplished in four years as president. The chair of the House GOP campaign arm, Rep. Richard Hudson, wants Trump to focus on his record and not go after Biden for his age, telling CNN he doesn’t think that should be a political issue.
Residents in parts of Arizona’s most populous county asked to evacuate as a wildfire threatens homes
Residents in parts of Maricopa County, Arizona – the state’s most populous and home to Phoenix – have been asked to evacuate as the Boulder View Fire threatened structures.
Registered voters who watched CNN’s presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump largely think Trump outperformed Biden, according to a CNN poll of debate watchers conducted by SSRS, with most saying they have no real confidence in Biden’s ability to lead the country. At the same time, a majority who tuned in say it had little or no effect on their choice for president.
The Biden administration is holding discussions with Israel and Ukraine about the possibility of transferring aging Patriot air defense systems currently in Israel to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself in the war with Russia, according to a senior administration official and a source familiar with the discussions, as the US urgently prioritizes air defenses for Kyiv.