
Tulsi Gabbard and a seasoned Trump impersonator: How Trump and Harris are preparing for their first head-to-head debate
CNN
The first presidential debate of 2024 upended the race for the White House, effectively terminated the reelection aspirations of President Joe Biden and perhaps forever altered the direction of the country.
The first presidential debate of 2024 upended the race for the White House, effectively terminated the reelection aspirations of President Joe Biden and perhaps forever altered the direction of the country. With so much potentially at risk at next month’s debate – which will be the first time former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris encounter each other at close range – the planning for the high-stakes showdown has already begun. Harris held her first formal debate training session earlier this week at Howard University, the historically Black college in Washington, DC, she attended nearly four decades ago, and she is working closely with a seasoned Trump stand-in. Trump, meanwhile, has enlisted one of the vice president’s ex-rivals to help with the preparations: Tulsi Gabbard, the former representative from Hawaii who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 in a crowded field that also included Harris. After much back and forth, Trump and Harris agreed last week to the September 10 debate previously arranged by the campaigns of Trump and Biden. ABC, the host network, announced Friday it will be held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The political landscape in the United States and the fortunes of the country’s two major parties have drastically shifted in the weeks since the first presidential debate between Trump and Biden on June 27. The president’s lackluster performance that night shattered the confidence of his party and its donors, who in turn put immense pressure on Biden to drop out of the race. He eventually did on July 21 and endorsed Harris, giving the Democratic Party a new standard bearer and a sorely needed shot in the arm. Swing state polls and national surveys show a race that has quickly tightened amid surging enthusiasm for Harris within her own party and new consideration from voters once put off by a Biden-Trump rematch.

Tensions flare in Minneapolis after federal agent shoots and injures man who allegedly assaulted him
Law enforcement and demonstrators clashed last night near where a federal agent shot and injured a man after he allegedly assaulted the agent. The city is reeling over last week’s fatal shooting by an ICE agent of Renee Good sparked nationwide protests. Follow for live news updates.

The Trump administration is preparing to use private military contractors to protect oil and energy assets in Venezuela rather than deploying US troops, according to two sources familiar with the plans, setting up a potential boon for security firms with experience in the region and ties to the administration.

Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, arrives in Washington this week for high-stakes talks with US President Donald Trump on the future of Venezuela following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro. The meeting comes after Trump surprised many by allowing Maduro’s vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, to assume control, dashing opposition hopes for a new democratic era.










