"Even the most creative of spinners" in Joe Biden's camp will struggle to "manufacture a victory narrative out of his dreadful performance" against Donald Trump in last night's presidential debate, said Karen Tumulty in The Washington Post.

The "once unspeakable" question is now being openly discussed among Democrats, said Politico: is it time to replace Biden on the ticket?

'World needs America at its best'
Trump was "preposterous", said Harold Meyerson at The American Prospect, yet "he emerged the undisputed winner" of the head-to-head showdown. And I see no "plausible way" that Biden can beat him come election day in November.

It was so bad, I wept, said Thomas L. Friedman in The New York Times. The debate revealed that Biden, "a good man and a good president, has no business" running for a second term.

"If there was ever a time that the world needs an America at its best, led by its best, it is now", but it's "inescapably obvious" that Biden is no longer "up to the job". If he stands aside, "everyday Americans" will "hail" him for putting the country's needs ahead of his own ambitions.

'Slim' chance of changing course
It was a "catastrophe" for Biden, said Jonathan Tobin on Newsweek, but the "really bad news" was for the Democrats. The odds of replacing him with another candidate "are slim no matter how many of them are now screaming for it".

There is no "realistic mechanism for toppling an incumbent president who already has the nomination sewed up". And the party has "no power" to stop a candidate "sweeping to the nomination" when the primaries give "ordinary" voters the "final word".

Even Democrats who have "privately complained" about Biden's performance have "acknowledged" the unlikeliness of a "brokered convention" or him "stepping aside", said Politico. The "only bright spot", an unnamed adviser to Democratic officials told the news site, "is that this happened in June and not October".

London theatre-goers are paying up to £300 for tickets to musicals, while prices for plays have hit £200 following a 9.3% year-on-year hike.

When top prices are "well into three figures", said The Times, it's easy to conclude that "greed" is "killing the West End".

'Courting redundancy'
A survey by industry journal The Stage found that the average cost of premium West End tickets has increased from £141.37 in 2023 to £154.56. Three plays – "Romeo & Juliet", "Stranger Things" and "Player Kings" – are now charging more than £200 for their most expensive seats, for the first time in the history of the annual survey.

The year-on-year price increase for musicals was more modest, at 3.9%, but "Cabaret", starring Cara Delevingne, was selling top-price tickets at a "staggering" £304, said The Independent.

It's "not all bad news for theatre lovers", with a decrease in the average cheapest West End ticket prices, down by 3.4% to £28.58. "Almost a quarter of the tickets sold in the West End last year were for under £30, and just 13% were bought for more than £100," said Society of London Theatre president Eleanor Lloyd.

But actors including Derek Jacobi and Dominic West have voiced concerns that theatre is "courting redundancy" by "putting itself beyond the reach of much of the population", said The Guardian in March.

'Lightbulbs and loo roll'
Despite the price hikes, West End theatre is actually "getting cheaper in real terms" when adjusted for inflation, said The Times. "Electricity, wage rises, basics have gone up hugely," said Nica Burns, whose company Nimax owns six West End theatres, and ticket prices "haven't gone up to match that".

The costs of putting on a play are "enormous", an anonymous insider told the paper, and include everything from "theatre rental", "advertising and marketing" and "rehearsals" to "lightbulbs" and "loo rolls".

Although that may come as little solace, London theatre-goers are still paying far less than those on Broadway. Average seat prices there are more than 60% more expensive than the West End, with some tickets for the revival of Stephen Sondheim's "Merrily We Roll Along" costing an eye-watering $648 (£510).

Norfolk: Gurney's Manor, Hingham
Grade II manor house with an impressive Georgian facade set in more than 16 acres of parkland. Main suite, 7 further beds, 4 baths, kitchen/breakfast room, 3 receps, study, 4-bed self-contained cottage, outbuildings, garden, paddocks, parking. £2.35m; Strutt & Parker

Somerset: Millards Hill, Frome
Picturesque Grade II house set in 44 acres of parkland with far-reaching views towards King Alfred’s Tower. 9 beds, 5 baths, 2 kitchens, 4 receps, 2-bed self-contained cottage, outbuildings, garden, swimming pool, stables, parking. £3m; Knight Frank

Dorset: Bournemouth Road, Blandford St. Mary
An eye-catching Grade II property with original period features, next to the River Stour. The house is approached along a private gravel road leading to a walled courtyard. 4 beds, 3 baths, 3 receps, kitchen, 2-bed self-contained annexe, garden, parking. £1.25m; Symonds & Sampson

Wiltshire: Rock Cottage, Turleigh
Built from Bath stone, the house has a wealth of period features, including a parterre garden. Main suite, 3 further beds (1 en suite), family bath, kitchen, 4 receps, parking. £1.45m; Hamptons

Sending US contractors to Ukraine could provoke Moscow
Michael Evans in The Spectator
The "golden rule" laid down by the US since day one of Russia's war in Ukraine was "no boots on the ground", writes Michael Evans. But there is now "serious consideration" over whether to allow American military contractors to go to Ukraine. Their arrival would be viewed by Moscow as a "deliberate provocation" and "would, potentially, put American lives in harm's way". Putin might well think: "American contractors today, combat troops tomorrow."

The Sun's eclipse?
Steven Barnett in City A.M.
"Much is being made" of whether The Sun will back Labour at the election, writes Steven Barnett, "but does it really matter?" It's "great PR" for the paper but the "decision will have virtually no impact on how its readers vote". Anyone who remembers the tabloid's "daily vitriolic assault" on Labour leader Neil Kinnock in 1992 will tell you "it's the stories they run for the weeks before the election that count", not a "lukewarm endorsement in the final week".

'Hot rodent boyfriend' is the latest trend reframing men's looks – why can't we extend this generosity towards women?
Rebecca Shaw in The Guardian
Actors with "sort of rodenty features" are having a moment, writes Rebecca Shaw. It’s the latest in a series of "internet thirst trends'' that has included "dad bods, short kings, zaddies (older men), big dick energy, himbos, nerds, golden retriever boyfriends and now rats". "Great", but I wish these trends "happened for women as well". We should "keep expanding our view of what is deemed attractive – for everyone, not just the hot rodent men".