Fetterman’s performance in high-stakes Pennsylvania debate splits Democrats – live - The Guardian US

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That Donald Trump is readying different tally for the presidency successful 2024 is good known, and Martin Pengelly reports he’s considering hiring a Republican operative who played a cardinal relation successful taking down Democrat John Kerry’s statesmanlike run successful 2004:

As helium prepares a imaginable caller statesmanlike campaign, Donald Trump is seeking to enlistee an operative who was down a radical which famously questioned the Vietnam warfare grounds of the 2004 Democratic nominee, John Kerry, the Washington Post reported.

The operative who ran Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, Chris LaCivita, worked for 1 Trump-aligned governmental enactment committee during the 2020 predetermination and present runs another. He is besides a advisor for Ron Johnson, a Trump-supporting Wisconsin legislator warring for re-election.

The Post cited 4 anonymous sources. It besides reported LaCivita’s response: “Thank you for the accidental but I don’t remark connected rumours!!”

Joe Biden is the oldest president ever inaugurated, and volition crook 80 this twelvemonth – but inactive plans to tally for re-election, according to a newsman who precocious interviewed the president, Martin Pengelly reports:

Joe Biden is “totally running” for a 2nd term, the MSNBC big Jonathan Capehart has said, conscionable days aft interviewing the US president.

The oldest president ever inaugurated, Biden volition crook 80 connected 20 November.

He told Capehart: “I can’t adjacent accidental the property I’m going to be. I can’t adjacent get it retired of my mouth. You deliberation I’m joking. I’m not joking.”

Speculation astir Biden’s property and ambition has go a changeless successful US politics. Some Democrats person avoided saying helium should tally again oregon committing to supporting him if helium does. Republicans – members of a enactment dominated by Donald Trump, a decidedly erratic 76 – regularly assertion Biden is excessively old.

Regular Biden gaffes, this week including calling Rishi Sunak, the caller British premier minister, “Rashi Sanook”, person reinforced specified impressions successful immoderate quarters.

Conservative justness Supreme Court Samuel Alito past nighttime spoke earlier a salient Washington rightwing group, and claimed the leak of the court’s sentiment overturning termination rights nationwide enactment the justices successful danger, Ed Pilkington reports:

The leak of the draught ultimate tribunal sentiment abolishing the close to termination enactment members of the blimpish bulk astatine hazard of assassination, Samuel Alito, the writer of the draft, has said.

Speaking successful Washington astatine a rightwing thinktank, the Heritage Foundation, Alito called the leak a period earlier the last ruling was released “a sedate betrayal of spot by somebody” that enactment respective justices successful danger.

“The leak besides made those of america who were thought to beryllium successful the bulk successful enactment of overruling Roe and Casey targets for assassination due to the fact that it gave radical a rational crushed to deliberation they could forestall that from happening by sidesplitting 1 of us.”

Here’s a afloat rundown of past night’s Pennsylvania Senate statement betwixt Democrat John Fetterman and Republican Mehmet Oz, from The Guardian’s Adam Gabbatt:

Abortion rights took centre signifier during the statement for Pennsylvania’s US Senate spot connected Tuesday night, arsenic Mehmet Oz, a personage doc and the Republican candidate, said decisions implicit termination should beryllium near to “women, doctors, section governmental leaders”, portion John Fetterman, the Democrat candidate, criticised the GOP’s hardline stance.

The statement successful Harrisburg started with Oz, a erstwhile surgeon and long-time big of the Dr Oz tv show, discussing his tendency to marque “Washington civilian again”. The Trump-backed Republican said helium wanted to “unify, not divide”.

But Oz was soon reverting to a 2022 Republican playbook that has been characterised by pugnacity successful races crossed the US, arsenic helium referred to Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, arsenic a “left-wing extremist” who had “radical positions”.

Take a look astatine immoderate of the highlights of the Pennsylvania Senate debate, courtesy of The Washington Post:

It was plain that John Fetterman, the state’s Democratic lieutenant governor, was inactive recovering from his stroke. He attempted to thin into it, saying “it knocked maine down, and I’m going to support coming backmost up.”

His Republican hostile Mehmet Oz didn’t person that problem, but made a gaffe erstwhile helium said “women, doctors, section governmental leaders” should determine termination access. That’s precisely the benignant of remark Democrats were looking for to punctual voters of the menace to reproductive rights posed by the GOP.

It was inactive a unsmooth nighttime for Fetterman, and an online canvass from a Pittsburgh tv presumption confirms that viewers noticed:

Here’s however the state’s departing Republican legislator Pat Toomey enactment it:

Bob Casey Jr, Pennsylvania’s sitting Democratic senator, tied Fetterman’s statement performance, wherever helium was assisted by a closed caption system, to the larger contented of rights for radical with disabilities:

Meanwhile, an autarkic moving arsenic a write-in campaigner connected the ballot past nighttime withdrew his candidacy, telling his supporters to ballot for Fetterman:

Brave oregon misguided? Fetterman's halting statement show successful important Senate contention splits Democrats

Good morning, US politics blog readers. The candidates successful Pennsylvania’s high-stakes Senate contention faced disconnected past night, wherever the effects of a caller changeable connected Democrat John Fetterman became clear. He struggled to get his words retired against Republican Mehmet Oz successful the benignant of show that – rightly oregon wrongly – has sunk candidates successful the past. Pennsylvania’s Senate spot is considered important for determining which enactment controls the enclosure overall, and Democrats are present divided implicit whether Fetterman did the close happening by showing up for the statement contempt his recovery, oregon whether helium should person skipped it. Expect to perceive much astir this today.

Here’s what other is going on:

• Joe Biden is doing a flurry of run events for Democrats with little than 2 weeks earlier the 8 November midterm elections, appearing virtually contiguous astatine receptions for Pennsylvania congressman Matt Cartwright, Iowa congresswoman Cynthia Axne and Nevada’s legislature delegation.

• More debates are planned for today, including the New Hampshire governors contention astatine 6pm eastbound clip and the South Carolina governors contention astatine 7pm eastbound time. Both states are presently led by Republicans.

• Kamala Harris is successful Washington state, wherever she’ll look with Democratic legislator Patty Murray amid fears her re-election could beryllium successful jeopardy contempt the state’s longstanding bluish tilt.