International

The debate from the inside: two podiums, stopwatch of lights and a thousand journalists in a stadium

The logistics of a presidential debate in the United States is not a simple thing and even less in the first and decisive face-to-face that democrat Joe Biden faces Republican Donald Trump this Thursday.

These are the studies inside where this historic day will be held in the city of Atlanta, which were already armored by the Police with several surrounding streets cut off to traffic.

The debate will begin at 9:00 p.m. local time (01:00 GMT on Friday) in a CNN television studio on the Techwood campus, in downtown Atlanta, with no public presence and will last 90 minutes with two advertising breaks.

The candidates, the oldest in history, will debate standing on two podiums separated by 2.4 meters and will have behind them a set with the slogan ‘CNN Presidential Debate’.

By lot, it was up to the Democratic campaign to choose the position of the candidates and opted for Biden to be on the right side of the television screen and Trump, on the left side.

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Candidates will access the study by opposing entries and it is unknown if they will greet each other by shaking hands.
Right in front, the moderators of the debate, journalists Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, will be sitting at a table, who will ask the questions to the candidates and they will have two minutes to answer.

Biden and Trump will not have a stopwatch as such: above the cameras they will see lights that will turn yellow when they have 15 seconds left of their turn of speech, they will blink when five seconds remain and they will be red when their time has run out.

Only the microphone of the candidate who has the turn of the word will be turned on and his rival will have it off. Anything he says will be practically inaudible to viewers.

This is how it is tried to prevent the repetition of the screams and interruptions that led the two tense face-to-face between Biden and Trump of the 2020 elections.

None of the candidates will be able to talk to their advisors during the two breaks and they are prohibited from taking previous notes, although they will have a notebook and a pen to take notes.

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About a thousand journalists from several dozen different countries have been accredited for the debate, a demonstration of the great international interest of this event, which could break audience records.

But the reporters will not be in the CNN studio, but in an adjoining basketball stadium, the Hank McCamish Pavilion, where the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets usually play.

It is not an unusual press room. Journalists work from the stands where spectators usually watch the matches, but this time what they will see on the giant screens of the stadium is the face-to-face between Biden and Trump.

The court where the games are played has been lined with a red carpet to house the famous ‘spin room’ and the programs of the major American television networks.

It will be in that space, where the advisors of both campaigns will walk to give interviews and pull arguments to convince journalists that their candidate was the clear winner of the day.

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International

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.