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Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates: Harris condemned the police killings of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and George Floyd in Minnesota and spoke about the protests against racial injustice in policing. Addressing criminal justice reform at Wednesday’s vice presidential debate, Harris says a Joe Biden administration would ban chokeholds and require a national registry for police officers who break the law. Leaders of our allies say they have more respect for Xi Jinping than for Donald Trump, said Democratic VP nominee Kamala Harris on US’ standing on world stage. Harris, in her debate debut as former Vice President Joseph Biden Jr.’s running mate, accused Donald Trump and Mike Pence of hiding the truth of the pandemic from the American people. Vice-President Mike Pence and his Democratic challenger Senator Kamala Harris are all set for a debate in the Salt Lake City of Utah today (Thursday, 8 October). This will be the first time in American history that a person of Indian-origin will be at the podium in a vice-presidential debate. Political analysts believe that an aggressive Harris, 55, will easily prevail over Pence, 61, and help her running mate Joe Biden widen his lead over the incumbent Donald Trump. Biden, in the past few days, has increased the gap between himself and Trump by double-digits. However, the Trump campaign believes that Pence could put on a stellar performance. The debate gains added significance given that Trump is infected with COVID, which has triggered speculation that Pence may, at some point, take the reins of the country temporarily. Both Pence and Harris have said that they are well prepared for the debate, which would be moderated by journalist Susan Page, Washington bureau chief, USA Today. According to media reports, plexiglass will be installed between Pence and Harris on the debate stage. “The debates are a crucial part of making our democracy work and I am honored to participate,” Page said in a statement. The debate will be divided into nine segments of approximately 10 minutes each, said the Commission on Presidential Debates. The moderator will ask an opening question after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond. The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic, it said. We’re looking very much forward to the vice-presidential debate, Pence told reporters at the Andrews Joint Air Force Base. [caption id=“attachment_8890091” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of US vice-president Mike Pence. Reuters[/caption] The stakes in this election have never been higher, the choice has never been clearer, and I look forward to the opportunity to take our case to the American people for four more years for President Donald Trump in the White House, he said. Pence spoke over the phone with Trump before boarding Air Force Two. “I spoke to the President a little while back and he sounded great. As the American people learned just a little while ago, President Trump is going home tonight. So, we’re headed to Utah for the vice presidential debate,” Pence said. According to his aides, Pence has some debate preparations. Harris is already in Utah. On Sunday Harris toured This Is The Place Monument, the location marking the end of the 1,300-mile trek to Utah by the early Mormons. Harris was led by former Utah Senator Scott Howell on the tour of the monument, which was erected in 1847 and also honours Native Americans, Mountain Men, and Spanish Catholic priests who explored the land before the settlement was established. Vice-presidential debates can often be afterthoughts in a presidential race. But with President Trump in the hospital, Pence and Harris will now face an unusual amount of scrutiny and a tricky balancing act, The New York Times wrote. Former pesidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, who is helping Harris prepare, said it would be a real mistake to underestimate the skills of Pence. He was very effective in 2016, Buttigieg told Indianapolis Monthly in an interview. Largely because he doesn’t seem to have any qualms about defending what many of us would consider indefensible, even if it flies in the face of his own professed values, he added. Ajay Jain Bhutoria, member of the national finance committee, Biden campaign, said it will be an unprecedented debate in an unprecedented year. This will be historic because Senator Kamala Harris is the first Black woman and person of the Indian descent nominated for vice-president by a major party and because of the circumstances facing the country, he said. [caption id=“attachment_8734491” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of Kamala Harris. AP[/caption] “Harris maintained an ability to excite Democratic voters across the country and for all age groups, especially Among African Americans, Latinos, and Indian Americans, her spirited interrogations of Trump appointees as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee,” he said. “She is more than prepared for the job as she’s spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake,” Bhutoria said. She is tough on law and order and has fought inequality all her adult life, he said, adding that along with Biden, Harris will help India-US relations grow stronger than ever.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate Highlights: Trump's COVID-19 response 'greatest failure' in US history, says Democratic VP nominee
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate Highlights: Harris condemned the police killings of Breonna Taylor in Kentucky and George Floyd in Minnesota and spoke about the protests against racial injustice in policing
 "Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate Highlights: Trump's COVID-19 response 'greatest failure' in US history, says Democratic VP nominee")
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Fly lands on Pence’s head during debate, stays there for nearly two mins
There was briefly another participant swooping into Wednesday night’s vice presidential debate. For several minutes, a fly landed in Vice President Mike Pence’s hair, not moving as he answered questions about racial injustice and whether justice has been done in the death of Breonna Taylor.
Conversation about the fly briefly dominated corners of Twitter, where debate watchers discussed their distraction and inability to focus on Pence and California Senator Kamala Harris’ answers.
Some joked about the need to test the fly for the coronavirus, as it had skirted the plexiglass partitions separating the candidates and moderator.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
‘Pence doing great’: Trump tweets during debate
President Donald Trump watched the vice presidential debate and thought Mike Pence was doing “great”, but he’s not so hot about the Democratic nominee or the moderator’s performance.
Trump, who is quarantining at the White House as he convalesces from COVID-19, took to Twitter to praise Pence and slam the Democratic vice presidential nominee less than an hour into Wednesday’s debate in Salt Lake City.
“Mike Pence is doing GREAT! She is a gaffe machine,” Trump chimed in on Twitter.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Won’t take vaccine endorsed by Trump: Kamala Harris
Senator Kamala Harris branded the response to the COVID-19 pandemic under Donald Trump as the “greatest failure” of any US administration, as the debate between her and Vice President Mike Pence opened on Wednesday.
But Pence fired back by accusing Harris of undermining public confidence in a future coronavirus vaccine through her attacks on Trump’s credibility. “The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country,” Harris, running mate to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, said.
The US death toll from the pandemic has exceeded 210,000, with over 7.5 million people infected, the highest reported totals in the world.
Pence slammed Harris for her statements questioning whether a vaccine released under Trump could be trusted due to the intense pressure on the president to tame the pandemic.
– AFP
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
No excuse for rioting: Mike Pence on racial justice protests
Harris, the first Black woman on a presidential ticket, spoke passionately about “people around our country of every race, of every age, of every gender” who “marched, shoulder to shoulder, arm and arm, fighting for us to finally achieve that ideal of equal justice under law.”
Still, she said, “We are never going to condone violence.”
Pence, in contrast, proclaimed his trust for the justice system and put the focus on incidents of violence, saying there was “no excuse for the rioting and looting.”
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
COVID-19 looms over a more civil fight
The opening of Wednesday’s undercard matchup made clear that Pence and Harris were set for a much different encounter — an actual debate.
To be sure, there were sharp moments, some modest interruptions and violations of the debate clock. But the dynamics represented a rare 2020 return to some semblance of normal presidential politics.
Pence’s even temperament has been a signature of his political career and he has often served as a kind of translator for Trump’s bombast. Harris had a long career as a prosecutor, comfortable arguing her case under pressure. Both played to type.
In tone and content, their debate was like an alternate universe from the one Americans saw little more than a week ago.
– AP
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Fly lands on Mike Pence’s head during debate
A black bug made its way onto Mike Pence’s white hair during the debate on Wednesday and stayed there for about two minutes, unbeknownst to the vice president.
People on Twitter were quick to notice.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Harris says Breonna Taylor didn’t get justice
Democrat Kamala Harris says she doesn’t believe justice has been done in the case of Breonna Taylor, who was killed in a police drug raid that went bad.
Taylor was shot multiple times in March after being roused from sleep by police at her door. A grand jury did not charge any officers for their role in Taylor’s death.
Addressing criminal justice reform at Wednesday’s vice presidential debate, Harris says a Joe Biden administration would ban chokeholds and require a national registry for police officers who break the law. She says George Floyd would be alive if such a ban existed.
Vice President Mike Pence was also asked if justice was done in the Taylor case. He says Taylor’s family “has our sympathies, but I trust our justice system, a grand jury that reviews the evidence.”
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Harris zeroes in on Trump’s taxes and mystery debt
#BREAKING Harris blasts US Covid response as 'greatest failure' in presidential history#VPDebate2020 pic.twitter.com/B6C8mDxYEZ
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 8, 2020
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Justice not done in Breonna Taylor case: Kamala Harris
Kamala Harris accused the Donald Trump administration of refusing to condemn white supremacists. “Strangers marched shoulder to shoulder after the George Floyd incident, said Harris.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Harris accuses Trump of losing trade war to China
Senator Kamala Harris, on the attack against the Trump administration all night, launched an attack on one of the Trump administration’s proudest achievements: “You lost that trade war,” she told Vice President Mike Pence. “You lost it.”
Harris castigated the Trump administration for the tariffs it has imposed on China, arguing that retaliatory measures China has placed on American goods have cost the United States 300,000 manufacturing jobs and forced farmers unable to sell their crops overseas into bankruptcy.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
VP candidates discuss Supreme Court and abortion
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
VP candidates discuss US’ relation with China
Leaders of our allies say they have more respect for Xi Jinping than for Donald Trump, said Democratic VP nominee Kamala Harris on US’ standing on world stage.
Harris also accused the US president of taking the word of Russian President Vladimir Putin over that of American intelligence community. “Trump betrayed America’s friends and embraced dictators around the world,” said Harris.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Kamala will be an incredible Vice President: Joe Biden
Ahead of the vice-presidential debate, Joe Biden tweeted about Democratic candidate: “Kamala Harris is showing the American people why I chose her as my running mate. She’s smart, she’s experienced, she’s a proven fighter for the middle class. She’ll be an incredible Vice President.”
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Moderator Susan page shifts discussion to climate change
Kamala Harris and Mike Pence discussed climate change. “We have cut CO2 emission more than countries that are still a part of the Paris deal,” said Mike Pence on Wednesday’s debate.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
‘Mike Pence makes ‘plagiarism’ joke on Joe Biden
Vice President Mike Pence tried to turn a question about the White House mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic into an attack on Joe Biden — accusing the Democratic presidential candidate of “plagiarism” for stealing Trump’s plan to fight the virus.
Harris shot back quickly, saying that Americans are “looking at over 210,000 dead bodies” as a result of their failure to confront the pandemic head-on.
When the moderator, Susan Page, asked Pence to explain why the administration had not done more to prevent the deaths, Pence quickly pivoted to offense.
“President Donald Trump did what no other American president had ever done. And that was, he suspended all travel from China, the second largest economy in the world,” he said.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Pence, Harris face off on COVID-19 in VP debate
Separated by plexiglass barriers, Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris sparred over the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic in a debate Wednesday night that highlighted the parties’ sharply conflicting visions for a nation in crisis.
“The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country,” Harris charged as Pence, who leads the president’s coronavirus task force, shook his head.
Pence acknowledged that, “Our nation’s gone through a very challenging time this year.”
“I want the American people to know, from the very first day, President Trump has put the health of America first," Pence said, promising millions of doses of a yet-to-be-announced treatment before the end of the year.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
34 people in White House contract COVID-19
The coronavirus outbreak has infected “34 White House staffers and other contacts” in recent days, according to an internal government memo, an indication that the disease has spread among more people than previously known in the seat of American government.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
COVID-19 vaccine by end-of-year: Mike Pence
US Vice-President Mike Pence on Wednesday night said that the COVID-19 vaccine can be expected by the end of the year.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Candidates begin debate with COVID-19
Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris have taken the stage for the only vice-presidential debate of 2020, after what was an extraordinary week even by 2020 standards.
The coronavirus hangs over the event as it has hung over all of American life for months. The candidates are seated 12 feet apart. Two plexiglass dividers stand between them, providing an illusion of protection.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Who is today’s moderator?
The moderator for the vice-presidential debate between the incumbent Mike Pence and Kamala Harris is Washington bureau chief for USA Today, Susan Page.
In her near half-century-long career, Page has covered 10 presidential campaigns.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Format of Vice-Presidential debate
The debate’s format will be divided into nine 10-minute sections with each candidate having two minutes to respond to the opening question in each segment and the remaining time allowed for follow ups.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Harris and Pence to face off
With plexiglass and more than 12 feet of distance separating them, Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic nominee Sen. Kamala Harris of California will debate in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night in the first and only one-on-one matchup between the vice presidential candidates.
French MPs call for social media ban for under-15s, digital curfew for teenagers
A French committee suggests banning social media for kids under 15 and a nighttime digital curfew for teens 15-18. The report cites concerns about TikTok's effects on minors. President Macron backs the ban, akin to Australia's proposed law.
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