The vice presidential debate isn't until Wednesday, but there's already been a healthy dose of drama.
Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) will face off at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, with the event organized by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The commission decided on Monday night that there would be plexiglass onstage to help protect against the spread of coronavirus, but Pence's team opposed this, calling it an unnecessary move since Harris and Pence will be 12 feet apart.
"If she wants it, she's more than welcome to surround herself with plexiglass if that makes her feel more comfortable," Marc Short, Pence's chief of staff, said on Tuesday. "It's not needed." In response, Sabrina Singh, a spokeswoman for Harris, said that if "the Trump administration's war on masks has now become a war on safety shields, that tells you everything you need to know about why their COVID response is a failure."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
On Tuesday night, commission co-chair Frank Fahrenkopf Jr. said after Pence's team walked through the debate hall and saw how the stage was set up with plexiglass barricades, they dropped their objection to the extra protection. However, there is still one matter that won't be decided until Wednesday morning.
President Trump and several members of his administration and campaign have contracted the coronavirus within the last week, including senior adviser Stephen Miller. His wife, Katie Miller, is Pence's press secretary, and she is in Salt Lake City now preparing for the debate. She was infected by the virus in May, but the University of Utah has a rule that anyone exposed to COVID-19 must self-quarantine for 14 days. When asked about Miller's situation, Fahrenkopf told The Washington Post that "at this point in time, we have no position. We will find out in the morning."
-
China: Xi seeks to fill America’s voidFeature Trump’s tariffs are pushing nations eastward as Xi Jinping focuses on strengthening ties with global leaders
-
Rebrands: Bringing back the War DepartmentFeature Trump revives the Department of Defense’s former name
-
Supreme Court: Will it allow Trump’s tariffs?Feature Justices fast-track Trump’s appeal to see if his sweeping tariffs are unconstitutional
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
