Author: The Guardian

Moderators of the first presidential debate of 2024 have taken a completely hands-off approach to fact-checking the candidates, allowing lies and half-truths (most commonly of Donald Trump) to go unchallenged.The former president often ignored questions from CNN hosts Jake Tapper and Dana Bash and instead spoke freely. Several times, they reiterated the question and gave Trump another chance to answer.Joe Biden has sometimes contradicted Trump’s claims and vice versa, although he hasn’t always done so specifically beyond saying the other person is lying.Although the network said before the debate that the moderator would not intervene, the slight moderation left a…

1. Biden performs poorlyThe president joked about the rightwing conspiracies that he would take some kind of performance-enhancing drugs before the debate, posting a link to a can of water for sale on his campaign website called “Dark Brandon’s Secret Sauce”.But his low-energy, muted and garbled performance didn’t live up to expectations. And keep in mind: Biden challenged the former president to the debate, which looks like a strategic error in retrospect.Voters regularly say they are concerned about Biden’s age and fitness for office. This debate will not assuage their fears.If someone were reading a transcript of Biden’s remarks, some…

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia was considering a possible downgrade of ties with the West but had not yet made a decision as the United States and its allies become further entangled in the war in Ukraine.. A downgrade – or even a break – in relations would illustrate the seriousness of Russia’s confrontation with the West over Ukraine after war tensions escalated in recent months. Relations remained intact even during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, when the Cold War was considered the closest thing to nuclear war. Ukraine’The military said on Thursday its forces had forced Russian…

Donald Trump and Joe Biden sparred over abortion and tax policy in the first presidential debate in which the president struggled to land his lines and the former president repeatedly made false claims about January 6, the national debt, and that he presided over the “greatest economy in the history of our country”.Biden described Trump as “the worst president in American history”, citing a consensus of historians. Trump responded by extolling the historic virtues of his tax cuts. “Nobody has ever cut taxes like us. We cut taxes four times,” Trump said.Trump regularly answered straightforward questions – about the economy,…

LeBron James and his son Bronny James will become the first father-son duo in history to play for the same NBA team. It’s a dream LeBron James first floated a few years ago, the idea of ​​playing in the NBA with one of his sons.Now one step closer to reality.Bronny James, the eldest son of the NBA’s all-time scoring leader and four-time champion, was drafted Thursday by the Los Angeles Lakers, the team his father has played for since 2018. James with the 55th overall pick, deep in the second round, leaving just three picks left in this year’s draft.As…

A defunct Russian satellite has broken up into more than 100 pieces of debris in orbit, forcing astronauts on the International Space Station to take shelter for about an hour and adding to the mass of space junk already in orbit, US space agencies said.There were no immediate details on what caused the breakup of the Resurs-P1 Russian Earth observation satellite, which Russia declared dead in 2022.US Space Command, tracking the debris swarm, said there was no immediate threat to other satellites.The event took place at around 10am mountain time (1600 GMT) on Wednesday, Space Command said. It occurred in…

Jos Buttler admitted he needed a break after being beaten by India in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup. He was quick to clarify that it was not to think about his future as England white-ball captain but to take some time and space to reflect on a hugely disappointing exit.In a format as fickle as Twenty20 cricket, reaching the knockout stages is widely considered a requirement after England’s poor performance in last winter’s 50-over World Cup has cast doubt on Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott. As a leadership partner, doubts arose. So, in that regard, they…

In a searing dissent Thursday, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson slammed her fellow justices’ decision to dismiss the case over whether a state can ban abortions to protect women’s health, pointing out that the dismissal will drag out the case – and potentially endanger Americans.“Will this court just have a do-over, rehearing and rehashing the same arguments we are considering now, just at a comparatively more convenient point in time?” Jackson asked in a dissent read from the bench, a move justices tend to only make when they feel particularly fired up.“Or maybe we will keep punting on this issue altogether,…

nitrogenNothing can prepare a defender for that; the demands, the pressure, the intensity, the sheer ruthlessness. They’ve probably heard the stories, especially at the big games. But until they do, they don’t know. Yes, playing in front of England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is certainly something else.”It’s just the amount of talk,” linebacker Mark Gay said with a smile. “It’s a lot, but it’s good. I would say I’m not particularly used to Jordan, and it was a bit of a shock at first. But when you see it, you realize he’s awesome. It’s constant communication, constantly making sure you’re on…

BrewDog has been accused of sacking an Asian woman after she voiced her distress when members of the far-right English Defence League met in the London bar where she worked.The former staff member said members of the EDL had gathered unchallenged at the “punk” brewer’s flagship bar in Waterloo, ahead of a rally to mark St George’s Day on 23 April.Police went on to arrest 10 people at the event, after groups of men tried to break through cordons in an areas of Whitehall, while glass bottles were also thrown.The former BrewDog staff member said she had gone to see…