Election 2020 Today: Debates uncertain, election unrest prep
Here’s what’s happening Friday in Election 2020, 25 days until Election Day:
HOW TO VOTE: AP’s state-by-state interactive has details on how to vote in this election.
TODAY’S TOP STORIES:
DEBATES UNCERTAIN: The fate of final debates between President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger Joe Biden was thrown into uncertainty as the campaigns offered dueling proposals for moving forward with faceoffs that have been upended by the president’s coronavirus infection. It was unclear when or how the next debates would proceed, or whether voters would even get to see the two men running for the White House on the same stage again before Election Day.
VOTING BY MAIL: Some Democrats are flinching at their commitment to voting by mail. That could create more chaos on Election Day because if voters request absentee ballots and try to vote in person, it can take extra time to record and count their vote. Election officials are already bracing for a challenging day because of transitioning to mail voting and having to keep poll workers and voters safe from the coronavirus. The hesitancy frustrates some Democrats who argue that the party’s voters are letting President Donald Trump get into their heads.
ELECTION-RELATED UNREST: Federal and state law enforcement officials have begun expanded preparations for the possibility of widespread unrest at the polls on Election Day, a response to extraordinarily high tensions among voters and anxieties about safety stoked in part by President Donald Trump. FBI and local officials in several states have been conducting drills, running through worst-case scenarios, setting up command centers to improve coordination on reports of violence and voter intimidation, and issuing public warnings that any crime that threatens the sanctity of a Nov. 3 vote will not be tolerated.
PELOSI QUESTIONS TRUMP'S FITNESS: The tensions between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Donald Trump are getting even worse. Now she is questioning his fitness to serve. And she’s announced legislation that would create a commission to allow Congress to intervene under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution and to remove the president from executive duties. The president quickly answered back on Twitter, saying that “Crazy Nancy is the one who should be under observation.”
BIDEN, HARRIS CAMPAIGN IN ARIZONA: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris pitched an economic message during their first joint appearance on the campaign trail, hammering President Donald Trump for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and a failure to address the needs of working Americans. The Democratic presidential ticket chose Arizona to kick off a bus tour, underscoring the significance of a state whose 11 Electoral College votes could tip the scales if Trump can rebound from his fall slump.
ICYMI:
Trump, Barr at odds over slow pace of Durham investigation
Trump says he’s ready for rallies but details slim on health
