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WASHINGTON — The Latest on the 2020 presidential election (all times local):
10:50 p.m.
President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden are painting a very different picture of the reliability of the upcoming election.
Biden urged voters to cast their ballots and not be intimidated by Trump’s suggestions he might not accept a loss. Trump has been groundlessly casting doubt on the reliability of mail ballots and elections in general.
“Vote whatever way is the best way for you,” Biden said. “Because he will not be able to stop you from determining the outcome of this election.”
Biden agreed not to declare victory before the ballots are counted and to accept voters’ verdicts.
Trump continued to spread falsehoods about mail voting. He said falsely that his campaign’s poll watchers were improperly turned away at a Philadelphia early voting site Tuesday — the poll watchers had not yet been accredited to observe. He suggested widespread Democratic fraud because a handful of ballots were improperly thrown in the trash last week — but didn’t mention it occurred in a Republican-controlled elections office and was quickly reported to authorities.
Biden urged viewers not to worry about Trump’s scare tactics.
“I will accept it, and he will, too. You know why?” Biden said. “Because once the winner is declared once all the ballots are counted, that’ll be the end of it.”
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HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE:
The first presidential debate between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden begins at 9 p.m. Eastern time in Cleveland.
Read more:
— 5 questions heading into Trump and Biden’s first debate
— Viewers’ Guide: Trump, Biden meet in Ohio for 1st debate
— Trump, Biden prepare to debate at a time of mounting crises
— Analysis: In debate, a last chance for Trump to define Biden
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING:
10:30 p.m.
Democrat Joe Biden has evoked his son Beau Biden to criticize President Donald Trump for reportedly calling members of the American military who lost their lives “losers” and “suckers.”
Raising his voice at Tuesday night’s debate, Biden described his son as a hero. Beau Biden died of cancer in 2015.
Trump responded by pivoting to a familiar attack, on Biden’s other son, Hunter.
The president said, “I don’t know Beau. I know Hunter,” and accused Hunter Biden of having collected millions of dollars from oversees interests, including China, while working as a consultant during his father’s tenure as vice-president. It echoed attacks the president made earlier in the debate in Cleveland, but have little basis in fact.
Trump also opened a new line of attack when he said Hunter Biden was dishonourably discharged from the military for cocaine use. Biden responded that his son wasn’t dishonourably discharged.
He addressed viewers directly and said that, like a lot of Americans, Hunter had a drug problem but was “working on it” and had “fixed it.”
Biden added, “I’m proud of my son.”
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10:25 p.m.
President Donald Trump says he does see human beings as contributing somewhat to climate change but doesn’t support strict regulations in part because of negative ramifications for business.
When asked at Tuesday’s debate about humans being partially to blame for environmental deterioration, Trump said, “to an extent, yes.”
But when asked why he took steps like withdrawing the U.S. from the landmark Paris climate pact, Trump reiterated his argument that such agreements were “driving energy prices through the sky.”
Nearly 200 nations signed the climate deal in which each country provides its own goals to curb emissions of heat-trapping gases that lead to climate change.
Biden