RNC, Trump campaign push back on changing debate rules

Source: The Hill

The Republican National Committee and Trump campaign are signaling they will oppose changes to the presidential debate structure after the nonpartisan commission that manages the events said it is exploring potential adjustments following the chaotic contest in Cleveland.

Appearing on Fox News, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel said that the commission should not make any adjustments without the support of both campaigns and that the rules should not be changed “in the middle of the campaign,” after both sides agreed to specific parameters.

McDaniel also suggested that the Commission on Presidential Debates was pursuing changes in order to assist Democratic nominee Joe Biden, arguing that the former vice president “got away” without answering tough questions at the first debate.

“I hope the Committee on Presidential Debates does not change the rules to once again protect Joe Biden from answering to the American people,” McDaniel said.


Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/519111-rnc-trump-campaign-push-back-on-push-to-change-debate-rules#.X3YpBEDIjyg.twitter

Pelosi signals no coronavirus deal likely with White House

Source: Politico

Speaker Nancy Pelosi was highly pessimistic Thursday about the chances of clinching a coronavirus relief deal with the White House, leaving House Democrats on a path to approve their own stimulus package and head home to run for reelection.

Pelosi cast serious doubt on the likelihood of an agreement during a private call with House Democrats Thursday, stressing multiple times that Republicans don’t “share our values” on the need to provide trillions of dollars in health and economic relief to Americans impacted by the pandemic.

The California Democrat also outlined several key areas where Democrats and Republicans remained far apart, including a child tax credit, where she said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has refused to approve even one dollar in new spending while Democrats have sought tens of billions of dollars for the initiative. The two parties have also been at odds over additional aid for state and local governments — a Democratic push — and Republican demands for liability protections for businesses and schools.

Pelosi and Mnuchin spoke by phone for about 50 minutes Thursday afternoon, where they discussed "further clarifications on amounts and language," according to a Pelosi aide.


Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/01/pelosi-no-coronavirus-deal-likely-424438

BREAKING: Trump campaign claims Debate Commission is biased against him

Constitution Party candidate pulls out of SC-SEN, endorses Graham

Trump's ugly rant in Minnesota shows why Republicans fear he'll lose

Biden is still leading in the polls, and voters say he won his first debate against Trump

Source: CNBC

Democrat Joe Biden came into the first debate ahead of President Donald Trump in the national polls. If voter reactions to the first debate are any indication, Biden is likely to keep a hold on the lead after the face-off, too.

Here’s what some of the national polling trackers said Thursday morning:
* The NBC News national polling average had Biden up 7.9 points over Trump. That figure is based on an unweighted average of the 10 most recent reliable public opinion polls.
* The RealClearPolitics general election polling average showed Biden with a 6.6-point lead over Trump.
FiveThirtyEight’s national polling tracker gave Biden a 7.6-point advantage.
* Three polls asking who won Tuesday night’s debate show Biden coming out on top – though respondents, along with most commentators and even the moderator himself, gave dismal reviews to the contest itself, which appears to have changed few minds.

A CNBC/Change Research poll conducted Tuesday night and Wednesday found 53% of likely voters nationwide said Biden did a better job in the debate, compared with 29% for Trump. The poll also found 45% of those surveyed saying Trump performed worse than expectations, while 11% said the same for Biden.


Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/01/biden-leads-polls-voters-say-he-beat-trump-in-first-debate.html

BREAKING: Trump rejects debate rule changes?

Biden campaign going on air (Statewide) is GA, TX, OH

After pandemic delay, Biden launching in-person canvassing

Source: AP News

NEW YORK (AP) — After months of avoiding direct contact with voters because of the pandemic, Joe Biden’s campaign is about to launch in-person canvassing efforts across several battleground states.

The decision comes amid growing concern from Democratic officials on the ground in key states who fear that Biden has been giving a significant advantage to President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who have been aggressively courting voters at their doorsteps for months. The reversal also reflects a sense of rising urgency as polls tighten in key states just a month before Election Day.

Biden’s campaign, which detailed the new effort to The Associated Press, insists that its existing phone and online voter-outreach operation is effective. The new plans will build upon what’s already in place, not replace it.

“Our voter contact operation is the most innovative and technologically advanced of any presidential campaign in history, and it has been thriving in this unprecedented environment,” Biden campaign manager Jenn O’Malley Dillon said.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-virus-outbreak-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-1e4e392fff3fed0a7925ef9cd9ca33e1

Trump's ex-national security adviser says president is 'aiding and abetting' Putin

Source: Politico

“I agree that he is aiding and abetting Putin’s efforts by not being direct about this, right? By not just calling out Putin for what he’s doing,” McMaster said.
“You know, Putin gets away with, I mean, literally murder or attempted murder … because people don’t call him out on it,” he added. “And so they are able to continue with this kind of fire hose of falsehood, to sow these conspiracy theories. And we just can’t be our own worst enemies.”

McMaster was referring to the president’s complaints about mail-in balloting and claims of widespread voter fraud in the closing months of the general election campaign. Trump has repeatedly said Democrats are sending millions of “unsolicited” ballots to Americans and that the outcome of the election may not be known for months, if it is ever determined.

But only nine states are automatically mailing all voters ballots this year amid the coronavirus pandemic, and five of those states regularly mail every voter a ballot. Experts acknowledge there are some slightly higher fraud risks associated with mail-in voting compared with in-person voting, but only when proper security measures are not in place.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/01/former-national-security-adviser-trump-putin-424458