06:52 (IST)
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Pence, Harris face off on COVID-19 in VP debate
Separated by plexiglass barriers, Republican Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic challenger Kamala Harris sparred over the Trump administration’s handling of the pandemic in a debate Wednesday night that highlighted the parties’ sharply conflicting visions for a nation in crisis.
"The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country," Harris charged as Pence, who leads the president’s coronavirus task force, shook his head.
Pence acknowledged that, "Our nation’s gone through a very challenging time this year."
“I want the American people to know, from the very first day, President Trump has put the health of America first," Pence said, promising millions of doses of a yet-to-be-announced treatment before the end of the year.
06:51 (IST)
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
34 people in White House contract COVID-19
The coronavirus outbreak has infected "34 White House staffers and other contacts" in recent days, according to an internal government memo, an indication that the disease has spread among more people than previously known in the seat of American government.
06:48 (IST)
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
COVID-19 vaccine by end-of-year: Mike Pence
US Vice-President Mike Pence on Wednesday night said that the COVID-19 vaccine can be expected by the end of the year.
06:46 (IST)
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Candidates begin debate with COVID-19
Vice President Mike Pence and Senator Kamala Harris have taken the stage for the only vice-presidential debate of 2020, after what was an extraordinary week even by 2020 standards.
The coronavirus hangs over the event as it has hung over all of American life for months. The candidates are seated 12 feet apart. Two plexiglass dividers stand between them, providing an illusion of protection.
06:38 (IST)
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Who is today's moderator?
The moderator for the vice-presidential debate between the incumbent Mike Pence and Kamala Harris is Washington bureau chief for USA Today, Susan Page.
In her near half-century-long career, Page has covered 10 presidential campaigns.
06:27 (IST)
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Format of Vice-Presidential debate
The debate's format will be divided into nine 10-minute sections with each candidate having two minutes to respond to the opening question in each segment and the remaining time allowed for follow ups.
06:19 (IST)
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates
Harris and Pence to face off
With plexiglass and more than 12 feet of distance separating them, Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic nominee Sen. Kamala Harris of California will debate in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night in the first and only one-on-one matchup between the vice presidential candidates.
Mike Pence vs Kamala Harris Debate LATEST Updates: Harris, in her debate debut as former Vice President Joseph Biden Jr.’s running mate, accused Donald Trump and Mike Pence of hiding the truth of the pandemic from the American people.
Vice-President Mike Pence and his Democratic challenger Senator Kamala Harris are all set for a debate in the Salt Lake City of Utah today (Thursday, 8 October).
This will be the first time in American history that a person of Indian-origin will be at the podium in a vice-presidential debate.
Political analysts believe that an aggressive Harris, 55, will easily prevail over Pence, 61, and help her running mate Joe Biden widen his lead over the incumbent Donald Trump.
Biden, in the past few days, has increased the gap between himself and Trump by double-digits.
However, the Trump campaign believes that Pence could put on a stellar performance.
The debate gains added significance given that Trump is infected with COVID, which has triggered speculation that Pence may, at some point, take the reins of the country temporarily.
Both Pence and Harris have said that they are well prepared for the debate, which would be moderated by journalist Susan Page, Washington bureau chief, USA Today.
According to media reports, plexiglass will be installed between Pence and Harris on the debate stage.
"The debates are a crucial part of making our democracy work and I am honored to participate," Page said in a statement.
The debate will be divided into nine segments of approximately 10 minutes each, said the Commission on Presidential Debates. The moderator will ask an opening question after which each candidate will have two minutes to respond.
The moderator will use the balance of the time in the segment for a deeper discussion of the topic, it said.
We're looking very much forward to the vice-presidential debate, Pence told reporters at the Andrews Joint Air Force Base.
The stakes in this election have never been higher, the choice has never been clearer, and I look forward to the opportunity to take our case to the American people for four more years for President Donald Trump in the White House, he said.
Pence spoke over the phone with Trump before boarding Air Force Two. "I spoke to the President a little while back and he sounded great. As the American people learned just a little while ago, President Trump is going home tonight. So, we're headed to Utah for the vice presidential debate," Pence said.
According to his aides, Pence has some debate preparations. Harris is already in Utah. On Sunday Harris toured This Is The Place Monument, the location marking the end of the 1,300-mile trek to Utah by the early Mormons.
Harris was led by former Utah Senator Scott Howell on the tour of the monument, which was erected in 1847 and also honours Native Americans, Mountain Men, and Spanish Catholic priests who explored the land before the settlement was established.
Vice-presidential debates can often be afterthoughts in a presidential race. But with President Trump in the hospital, Pence and Harris will now face an unusual amount of scrutiny and a tricky balancing act, The New York Times wrote.
Former pesidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, who is helping Harris prepare, said it would be a real mistake to underestimate the skills of Pence.
He was very effective in 2016, Buttigieg told Indianapolis Monthly in an interview.
Largely because he doesn't seem to have any qualms about defending what many of us would consider indefensible, even if it flies in the face of his own professed values, he added.
Ajay Jain Bhutoria, member of the national finance committee, Biden campaign, said it will be an unprecedented debate in an unprecedented year.
This will be historic because Senator Kamala Harris is the first Black woman and person of the Indian descent nominated for vice-president by a major party and because of the circumstances facing the country, he said.
"Harris maintained an ability to excite Democratic voters across the country and for all age groups, especially Among African Americans, Latinos, and Indian Americans, her spirited interrogations of Trump appointees as a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee," he said.
"She is more than prepared for the job as she's spent her career defending our Constitution and fighting for folks who need a fair shake," Bhutoria said.
She is tough on law and order and has fought inequality all her adult life, he said, adding that along with Biden, Harris will help India-US relations grow stronger than ever.
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