Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will debate for a second and likely final time tonight at 9 p.m.
While there will be some format changes for round two (mute buttons, anyone?), viewing options remain the same. The debate will air on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, and a full set of cable news channels. It will also stream live on YouTube and through the various networks’ smartphone apps.
Also similar to their first showdown, there won’t be a shortage of debate watch parties.
Biden-Harris supporters can tune in to one of four Florida-centric options:
— Senate Democratic Leader Audrey Gibson and Westlake Vice Mayor Katrina Long-Robinson will co-host an “African American Women for Biden” virtual roundtable. It starts at 6:30 p.m. RSVP here.
— Miami-Dade Democrats will host an “I Voted” debate watch party with Miami-Dade Mayor candidate Daniella Levine Cava and Florida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo. It begins at 7:30 p.m. at Gramps, 176 NW 24th Street, in Miami. Attendees can get a free drink and slice with their “I Voted” sticker. RSVP here.
— U.S. Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell will host the official statewide watch party. The virtual event begins at 8 p.m. RSVP here.
— Hillsborough Democrats will host a watch party in Sail Plaza at the Tampa Convention Center. The outdoor event begins at 8 p.m. RSVP here.
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The much-talked-about mute buttons debuting at tonight’s debate are drawing interest from bettors.
Just hours ahead of the debate, US-Bookies released odds on which candidate will be the first to get silenced.
“After the announcement that microphones will be muted to avoid interruption during the final debate, many knew which candidate would face this rule the most,” a US-Bookies spokesperson said.
To the surprise of few, the candidate in question is Trump.
The oddsmaker gives POTUS, who frequently interrupted Biden in their first matchup, 1/2 odds of getting his mic cut first. The former VP has 6/4 odds.
There are also betting lines for whether a candidate will storm offstage mid-debate, a prospect some bettors believe is likely given reports of Trump’s early exit from a not-yet-aired 60 Minutes interview.
“Trump showed that he’s not against leaving a setting in which he feels he’s treated unfairly,” says a US-Bookies spokesperson. “And since Trump has already made his feelings clear about tonight’s moderator, it’s no surprise that bookies say he’s far more likely than Biden to just walk out during the debate.”
With that in consideration, Trump has 4/1 odds of bailing early. Meanwhile, Biden has 33/1 odds of giving moderators the Irish goodbye.
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The 2016 testimony of Ghislaine Maxwell, the former partner of Jeffrey Epstein, was unsealed Thursday as part of a lawsuit.
The 465-page transcript of her deposition, which Maxwell’s attorneys fought to prevent, shed light on many of the child sexual abuse allegations levied against Epstein, who died in prison last year before he stood trial.
In the deposition, Maxwell says she never witnessed Epstein having sex with a minor and denied serving as his “recruiter” despite numerous accusers telling police that Maxwell lured them to Epstein and that she sometimes participated.
The revelations quickly drew a response from Plantation Democratic Sen. Lauren Book, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse who is among foremost advocates for victims’ rights and protections in the Legislature.
“Ghislaine Maxwell is about to learn that what’s done in darkness will be brought to light despite money, power, influence, and a deposition filled with false denials. In life and in death, Jeffrey Epstein denied true justice from being delivered to his brave victims — but Maxwell will not be so lucky,” Book said in a prepared statement.
“The unsealing of these deposition transcripts is but one critical step toward accountability and healing for the girls — now women — who were defrauded, forced and coerced into sexual exploitation for the gain of the rich, powerful, and perverse. I look forward to the day when survivors of Maxwell’s predation see justice served.”
Coronavirus Numbers
Positive cases:
— 758,306 FL residents (+5,461 since Wednesday)
— 9,785 Non-FL residents (+96 since Wednesday)
Origin:
— 6,687 Travel related
— 284,642 Contact with a confirmed case
— 7,195 Both
— 459,782 Under investigation
Hospitalizations:
— 47,765 in FL
Deaths:
— 16,470 in FL
Voters are Voting
Total ballots cast: 4,256,102
Voted by mail: 3,195,870
— Democrats: 1,533,525 (+104,861 since Wednesday)
— Republicans: 979,638 (+78,810 since Wednesday)
— NPA/Other: 682,507 (+57,640 since Wednesday)
Voted early: 1,060,232
— Democrats: 392,530 (+112,562 since Wednesday)
— Republicans: 483,443 (+162,436 since Wednesday)
— NPA/Other: 184,259 (+64,266 since Wednesday)
Evening Reads
“Joe Biden heads to the last debate with a firm if somewhat diminished polling lead.” via Nate Cohn of the New York Times
“Donald Trump and Biden, as well as the public, or sharply divided on the subjects of tonight’s debate” via The New York Times
“The first debate was a horror. The second was scrapped. Now it’s up to Kristen Welker.” via Jeremy Barr of The Washington Post
“Fact-checking false claims about debate moderator Welker of NBC” via Bill McCarthy of PolitiFact
“Ashley Judd to energize women voters in Florida ahead of presidential debate” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
“Trump posts unedited ’60 Minutes’ interview before it airs” via David Bauder and Jill Colvin of The Associated Press
“Inside the week that shook the Trump campaign” via Michael C. Bender and Rebecca Ballhaus of The Wall Street Journal
“I found a Clinton-Trump voter” via Peter Nicholas of The Atlantic
“Under pressure to take a stand on court-packing, Biden says he’ll take cues from scholars.” via the New York Times
“Plot thickens over origins of Pope’s civil union endorsement” via Nicole Winfield of The Associated Press
“TV lawyers call for help in voter protection: ‘Actually, we can’t do it’” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Barack Obama hypes early voting in new DNC Florida ad” via Matt Dixon of POLITICO Florida
“Ron DeSantis relaxes rules on nursing homes to allow children, extended family visits” via Kate Santich of the Orlando Sentinel
“Thousands of mail-in ballots have been initially rejected in Florida. But there’s still time to fix them.” via Steven Lemongello of the Orlando Sentinel
“Florida election problems? What election problems?” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics
“Pinellas Sheriff investigating report of armed voter intimidation at St. Pete early voting location” via Janelle Irwin of Florida Politics
“Welcome to Florida’s Hendry County, home of heartland values and small-town tension” via Claire McNeil of the Tampa Bay Times
Quote of the Day
“The last thing we need to do is turn the Supreme Court into a political football.” — Joe Biden, on expanding the Supreme Court.
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