John Jefferson
Key events
Here are some images from the newswires as preparations are under way for tonight’s vice-presidential debate in New York City.
Trump backs out of 60 Minutes interview, says CBS
CBS News said Donald Trump has backed out of a previously scheduled interview with 60 Minutes that would have been broadcast during a primetime election special next week.
The election special will go forward on Monday with Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz.
In a statement, the network said the Trump “has decided not to participate” after “initially accepting 60 Minutes’ request for an interview”. CBS News added:
Our original invitation to former President Donald Trump to be interviewed on 60 Minutes stands.
The announcement came just hours before CBS News hosts a vice-presidential debate between Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, and his Democratic opponent, Tim Walz.
A Trump campaign spokesperson, Steven Cheung, denied CBS’s characterization of events, calling it “fake news”.
Fake News. 60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in.
They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented. https://t.co/l7xIacc1JK
— Steven Cheung (@TheStevenCheung) October 1, 2024
Donald Trump has said that he plans to do a “personal play by play” of tonight’s vice-presidential debate.
In a Truth Social post, the Republican presidential candidate wrote:
I will be doing a personal PLAY BY PLAY of the Debate tomorrow between the Brilliant J.D. Vance and the Highly Inarticulate “Tampon” Tim Walz. I hope that Cognitively Challenged, Lyin’ Kamala Harris, will be listening so that she can again show the World how she will make up false facts and stories in order to change around an administrative FAILURE! In any event, I will be commenting on what is going on.
Pete Buttigieg, transportation secretary and frequent TV news interviewee, has been playing the role of JD Vance during Tim Walz’s debate prep.
Both Buttigieg and Vance are Ivy Leaguers from the midwest and roughly the same age.
On the Republican side, Vance has been preparing for the debate with congressman Tom Emmer as a stand-in for Walz. Emmer, like Walz, hails from Minnesota.
On Monday, Emmer gave an insight into how debate practise has been going, telling reporters about portraying Walz:
Quite frankly it’s tough because he is really good on the debate stage.
What are the rules for the debate?
Like during last month’s debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, there will be no live audience in the studio tonight.
Unlike the two previous presidential debates so far, the microphones for both candidates will not be muted. The moderator retains the ability to mute their microphones, however.
JD Vance and Tim Walz will have two minutes for closing statements. Vance won a virtual coin toss and elected to get the last word.
There will be two commercial breaks.
CBS News has indicated that it is up to Walz and Vance to factcheck their opponents – not the moderators.
CBS says a QR code will appear on screen for portions of the debate. Viewers can scan the code to follow the outlet’s live coverage and analysis – including fact-checks – of the debate on their website. Moderators will be primarily focused on facilitating the debate and enforcing the rules of the debate, CBS said.
How to watch the Walz-Vance debate
Tim Walz and JD Vance will face off tonight in the first – and only – vice-presidential debate before the November election.
Here’s what to know about the debate:
When is it? The 90-minute debate is scheduled to begin at 9pm ET on Tuesday, 1 October. It will take place in New York City and be hosted by CBS News.
How can I watch it? In the US, the debate will air live on CBS News. It will also be livestreamed on their YouTube channel.
Major news networks are likely to carry the debate in prime time. PBS will have live coverage of the debate.
In the UK, the BBC News Channel and BBC One will air the debate, with coverage from 1am-5am BST on Wednesday. In Australia, you can watch the debate on the ABC News Channel.
Who is moderating the debate? Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan will serve as moderators for the debate. O’Donnell is the anchor of CBS Evening News, and Brennan is the network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent.
Vance and Walz to face off in vice-presidential debate
Good evening US politics readers and welcome to our coverage of tonight’s debate between the Democratic and Republican candidates for vice-president, Minnesota governor Tim Walz and Ohio senator JD Vance.
The two candidates will square off for 90 minutes in New York City in a televised debate hosted by CBS News and moderated by the network’s Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan. It is likely to be the last debate showdown between the two parties’ tickets before election day on 5 November, in exactly five weeks’ time.
The pair – who have had sharp words for each other at a distance – are both midwesterners with very different styles and vastly diverging messages, and will be bringing contrasting strengths to the gladiatorial ring. Vance is an experienced debater who will relish confrontation under the glare of the TV lights; Walz, by contrast, will be able to lean on skills learned during his 17 years as a public school teacher.
While vice-presidentially debates don’t usually tip the scales much, they could matter in a close race. The stakes are raised by polling evidence that shows the contest between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump poised on a knife-edge.
Read the full article here