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WASHINGTON US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday he will seek a second White House term in 2024.

It is a decision that will test whether Americans are ready to give the 80-year-old Democrat, already the oldest US president ever, another four years in office.

Mr Biden made his announcement in a slickly produced video released by his new campaign team, in which he declares it is his job to defend American democracy.

It opens with imagery from the Jan 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump. Remote video URL When I ran for president four years ago, I said were in a battle for the soul of America, and we still are, Mr Biden said. This is not a time to be complacent. Thats why Im running for re-election.

Lets finish this job. I know we can.

Mr Biden described Republican platforms as threats to American freedom, vowing to fight efforts to limit womens healthcare, cut Social Security and ban books, while blasting Maga extremists.

Maga is the acronym for the Make America Great Again political slogan of Trump, who may well be Mr Bidens Republican opponent in the November 2024 election.

The Republican Party reacted to Mr Bidens announcement by calling him out of touch.

Biden is so out of touch that after creating crisis after crisis, he thinks he deserves another four years, the Republican National Committee said in a statement.

If voters let Biden finish the job, inflation will continue to skyrocket, crime rates will rise, more fentanyl will cross our open borders, children will continue to be left behind, and American families will be worse off.

In the two years since he took over from Trump, Mr Biden won Congress approval for billions of dollars in federal funds to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic and for new infrastructure.

He also oversaw the lowest levels of unemployment since 1969, although a 40-year high in inflation has marred his economic record.

Mr Bidens age makes his re-election bid a historic and risky gamble for the Democratic Party, which faces a tough election map to hold the Senate in 2024 and is the minority in the House of Representatives now.

Mr Bidens approval ratings were stuck at just 39 per cent in a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on April 19.

There are steep concerns about his age among some Americans.

Mr Biden would be 86 by the end of a prospective second term, almost a decade higher than the average US males life expectancy. More On This Topic As Biden turns 80, Americans ask 'What's too old?' How old is too old and when do you call it quits from work? Doctors declared Mr Biden, who does not drink alcohol and exercises five times a week, fit for duty after an examination in February. The White House says his record shows that he is mentally sharp enough for the rigors of the job.

Mr Biden will be joined in his 2024 quest by his running mate, Vice-President Kamala Harris. Trump matchup again?

Mr Bidens entry into the race follows Trumps announcement in November that he would seek a second term after losing the 2020 contest to Mr Biden.

Mr Biden, running as an incumbent, is unlikely to face much competition from inside his party.

No senior Democrats have shown signs of challenging him and he has compiled a board of rising-star Democrats to advise his campaign, including governors J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania.

Potential and declared Republican presidential candidates have begun framing the 2024 election around cutting back government spending amid still-high inflation, restricting abortion, crime in Democratic-run cities and illegal immigration.

The two leading Republican contenders are Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

They want to limit the access of trans children to sports teams and gender-affirming medical care, and restrict how schools teach LGBTQ+ issues and Americas history of slavery and racial disparities. More On This Topic Biden plans an election bid that will be more complicated the 2nd time around Trump kicks off campaign in New Hampshire, South Carolina Not a 2020 recap

Mr Biden ran a mostly virtual campaign to defeat Trump in the 2020 election as Covid-19 raged, saying he sought to unify the country, rebuild the economy, and better control the virus.

With pandemic restrictions mostly over in the US, the 2024 race is likely to be a much different, more physical affair.

After losing by 7 million votes to Mr Biden in 2020, Trump refused to concede defeat, falsely claiming there had been widespread electoral fraud.

His supporters stormed the US Capitol building in Washington on Jan 6, 2021, in support of his claims.

However, they failed to halt certification by Congress of Mr Bidens win.

Mr Bidens campaign video suggests he plans to remind voters of these actions, while lauding his handling of the economic recovery from the pandemic slump, especially the strength of the labour market.

Other Biden themes may include strong US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia and what the White House says are Republican plans to unravel federal healthcare and programmes popular with older voters.

This summer, Mr Biden is challenging Republicans to find common ground on raising the US debt ceiling before the country goes into default in a matter of months.

Fifty-nine per cent of Democrats polled by Reuters/Ipsos in February said the phrase Joe Biden is too old to work in government describes the president. REUTERS More On This Topic Biden has picked 2020 deputy campaign manager to manage 2024 presidential election run: Source Biden plots a 2024 presidential run – and a Trump rematch

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Brewers’ Miz scratched from start, placed on IL

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Brewers' Miz scratched from start, placed on IL

Milwaukee Brewers All-Star rookie Jacob Misiorowski was placed on the injured list with a left tibia contusion prior to his scheduled start against the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Misiorowski told reporters that he anticipates missing about two starts and being ready to go after the 15 days. The IL move is retroactive to Thursday.

The right-hander took a liner to the shin off the bat of the Chicago CubsSeiya Suzuki in the first inning of his last start Monday. Later in the inning, after fielding a dribbler in front of the mound, Misiorowski’s knee buckled as he threw wildly to first and two runners scored.

The 23-year-old Misiorowski stayed in the game, pitching three more innings before coming out after 80 pitches.

Misiorowski is 4-1 with 47 strikeouts in 33⅓ innings this season.

In a related move, the Brewers recalled right-hander Logan Henderson from Triple-A Nashville, and he is expected to start against the Nationals on Sunday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Rockies closer Halvorsen (elbow strain) put on IL

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Rockies closer Halvorsen (elbow strain) put on IL

DENVER — The Colorado Rockies have put closer Seth Halvorsen on the 15-day injured list with a right elbow strain after he had to leave Saturday’s win over Pittsburgh.

Interim manager Warren Schaeffer said at the time the injury didn’t look good — following the right-hander’s exit after throwing five pitches in the ninth inning. Halvorsen leads the Rockies with 11 saves.

Colorado also recalled right-hander Nick Anderson and catcher Braxton Fulford from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday, and the Rockies optioned infielder Michael Toglia to Albuquerque.

The 25-year-old Halvorsen is 1-2 with a 4.99 ERA this year. He made his big league debut in August of 2024.

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Braves-Reds showcase at Bristol stalled by rain

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Braves-Reds showcase at Bristol stalled by rain

BRISTOL, Tenn. — It was a red flag for Major League Baseball at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night.

The Speedway Classic between the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds was suspended in the first inning because of rain, soaking a record-breaking crowd for the first regular-season game in Tennessee. The plan is to resume the game on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

The first delay at the historic bullring of a racetrack came after the ceremonial first pitch featuring a pair of Hall of Famers in Johnny Bench and Chipper Jones, joined by NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Chase Elliott. The second with one out in the bottom of the first led to the game being pushed back a day.

Fans who stuck out the first delay of 2 hours, 17 minutes started heading toward the exits before the game was postponed with the Reds holding a 1-0 lead.

It was an unwelcome detour for the long-planned event mixing baseball and NASCAR.

“We’re going to suspend tonight’s game. … We are optimistic for a better weather forecast for tomorrow,” Michael Hill, MLB’s senior vice president of on-field operations, told Fox.

The rain made life difficult on the players before the suspension. A bat flew out of TJ Friedl‘s hands as he led off for the Reds. A pitcher seemed to catch his footing going to cover first base.

The Speedway Classic was announced nearly a year ago as part of commissioner Rob Manfred’s push to take MLB to places where baseball isn’t played every day live. MLB played a game at the “Field of Dreams” movie site in Iowa in 2021 and 2022. Games have been held in Alabama and North Carolina too.

Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott showed up Saturday afternoon at Bristol wearing a cutoff version of a NASCAR race suit. Born in Lynchburg, Virginia, Abbott said he wanted something to wear in for a special game.

“I grew up around NASCAR,” Abbott said. “Just went on eBay and found a couple options, and luckily that was the one that arrived in time. I had a couple of backups. I know who Rusty Wallace is too, so I actually do know the backstory behind it.”

Long before the fans departed in the rain, they were entertained by a 110-foot Ferris wheel along with food trucks, live music, pitching tunnels and batting cages. Fans also had a chance for photos with the Commissioner’s Trophy and Clydesdales outside the historic racetrack.

Inside, star Tim McGraw performed and was joined by Pitbull.

Before the weather moved over the area, players stood in the back of pickup trucks with their numbers emblazoned on the side and rode around the half-mile racetrack. Some used their phones to document the moment. For introductions, the Braves and Reds walked between a pair of cars decked out in Atlanta and Cincinnati colors.

Then the tarp came out as rain that had been falling around Bristol much of Saturday turned heavy and delayed the start.

The first delay led to the Braves switching starting pitchers. Spencer Strider, who grew up in nearby Knoxville, got a bigger ovation than Reds starter Chase Burns, who is from Hendersonville and played at the University of Tennessee. The Reds stuck with Burns despite the delay.

Strider warmed up. The Braves chose not to risk his third start in this situation coming off a second elbow surgery and turned to Austin Cox.

The rain stopped long enough to take off the tarp and start the game.

Michael Waltrip, who raced plenty at Bristol, restarted the festivities by quoting his brother Darrell: “Boogity, boogity, boogity. Let’s play baseball, boys!”

Atlanta went down in order in the top of the first inning. But there was another rain delay after Austin Hays hit an RBI single for Cincinnati in the bottom half.

MLB didn’t try to sell every ticket inside the speedway that drew 156,990 for the Battle of Bristol college football game in 2016. The track with a racing capacity of 146,000 could host 90,000 or more even with sections blocked off.

Officials announced Monday that more than 85,000 tickets had been sold, topping the previous paid attendance of 84,587 set Sept. 12, 1954, when Cleveland Stadium hosted the New York Yankees.

A batter has to clear 400 feet to hit anything out of center field, 375 in the alleys and 330 down each baseline. Pulling a ball down the line raises the prospect of a ball bouncing off the racetrack beyond the outfield wall.

“Honestly, my first thought: I can’t believe they did all this for one game,” Braves first baseman Matt Olson said of his first visit to Bristol. “To be able to set all this up, get a playing surface ready, set the stands up in order to have the proper viewing, it’s pretty incredible.”

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