Connect with us

Published

on

Donald Trump is making a mockery of TV debates just as he has trashed so many other norms of decent behaviour and democratic politics.

He has opted out of the first two debates between the candidates vying for the Republican nomination in next year’s US presidential election.

That does not mean that he is missing out on saturation coverage in the media. Rather than appearing on stage with the people competing against him, and who mostly refuse to criticise him anyway, he sat down for a rambling interview on his own terms with the former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson.

Trump is not the only leading politician doing his best to avoid meeting their opponents on the equal ground of a TV debate.

In the past decade, prime ministers David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson all opted out of properly organised and regulated debates.

The three leaders debates in 2010 between Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg, brought about by the Sky News campaign, are still the only time that British viewers have had the benefit of debates between potential PMs to match the presidential debates which have been a feature of US politics since Nixon v JFK in 1960.

Cameron, Clegg and Brown faced off against each other in the 2010 debates
Image:
Cameron, Clegg and Brown faced off against each other in the 2010 debates

America’s presidential debates have provided the model for other countries to aspire to. Now Trump is undermining that example.

More on Donald Trump

2024 is set to be a double election year in the US and UK. Politicians and the media in both countries need to start considering how debates can serve the public – by informing them fairly about the democratic choices facing them – rather than contributing to the erosion of public confidence and respect for representative democracy.

Nobody can say that Trump is not media savvy. He built his public image as the boss on the US version of The Apprentice and by putting his name to ghost-written books about “The Art Of The Deal”.

His freewheeling conversation with Tucker Carlson revealed that he is as skilled as ever at manipulating the media to his own advantage.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Trump skips Republican debate

During his interview he praised the medium he was appearing on – a pre-recorded interview released on X, formerly known as Twitter – and derided cable news.

“We will get better ratings using this crazy forum that you are using than probably the debate,” he jeered.

He rubbed further salt into the wounds of Fox News Channel – which hosted the Republican debate, which sacked Carlson, and which has been promoting alternatives to Trump – by describing Mike Wallace, Fox’s main debate moderator in the last two election cycles, as “a b***** little man”.

Wallace has since moved to CNN – a more frequent target of Trump’s animosity but which has also found it hard to resist the ratings he brings. Earlier this year there were ructions at the network leading to the departure of its CEO after it gave a platform to Trump, who appeared alone and unchallenged on a full-length TV “town hall” show.

Mainstream broadcasters are struggling to produce even-handed, non-partisan, election events. Unscrupulous candidates have an increasing number of invitations to appear on less rigorous outlets such as GB News or X instead.

Elon Musk, X’s proprietor, is trying to make it a forum for right of centre political discourse, as exemplified by his technically disastrous hosting of the Ron DeSantis campaign launch.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Trump: ‘We did nothing wrong at all’

Trump is boycotting the debates while his rivals attack each other and winnow out the field to his advantage.

Vivek Ramaswamy, 38, was widely seen as the winner in the Fox debate, but his policies are so close to Trump’s that they hardly threaten the original.

After they failed to make an impression there seems little point in the two least known candidates, Asa Hutchinson and Doug Burgum, staying in the race.

Trump’s biggest rival Ron DeSantis turned in a lacklustre performance, as did Tim Scott. Three critics of Trump – Mike Pence, Nikki Haley, and Chris Christie – are also still notionally in contention.

Their anti-Trump stances might appeal to the wider electorate but seem certain to cost them the support of the Republican party activists who vote in the primaries.

Trump is already hailing his fourth set of criminal charges, this time in the state of Georgia, as an opportunity to boost his support among Republicans and to rake in more donations to his campaign.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Trump mugshot released

Carlson gave Trump the chance to say what he wanted without being challenged. He gloated that he had turned the convention on its head “that when someone gets indicted their numbers go down”.

Instead “I got indicted four times” and “I’m leading by 50 or 60 points” in the Republican nomination race. “Do I sit there [in a debate]… and get harassed by people who shouldn’t even be running for president?”. His answer is no.

As his rivals grappled with each other, Trump had the chance to get in some telling blows on his ultimate rival, Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee presumptive.

“I think he’s worse mentally than he is physically, and physically he is not exactly a triathlete.”

His cruel jibes about octogenarian Biden’s state of health raise important questions about presidential debates assuming Biden and Trump are the nominees.

Read more from Adam Boulton:
75 MPs to step down as ‘change election’ looms. Who’s going to replace them?
How Sunak’s California holiday compares with past PMs

The growing list of ‘presenticians’ as lines blur between broadcast news and campaigning politicians

The two men debated each other twice during the 2020 campaign under the auspices of the Presidential Debates Commission. A scheduled third debate was cancelled because Trump caught COVID-19.

Biden “won” both debates according to opinion polls. But Biden is now four years older and frailer. There is a danger that Trump could hijack debates between them to brutally expose Biden’s frailty – to the exclusion of all else.

PMQs
Image:
Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer lack charisma but the public needs to see them debate real issues at election time

In the UK, neither Rishi Sunak nor Keir Starmer have shown any enthusiasm for election debates.

Both men lack charisma but one or other of them will be the next prime minister.

The public needs to see them debate the real issues facing the country at election time – away from the awkwardly structured Punch and Judy at PMQs.

Broadcasters and regulators should be working together to hold a single head-to-head between the two to take place during the campaign.

One debate would surely not detract from the rest of the campaign in the way that it is claimed by some that three debates did in 2010.

There are some tough issues to be faced. The debate should not be “owned” by any network but rather staged in the public interest.

Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts

There is no need for participation by any third force. The Liberal Democrats’ electoral performance over the past decade does not justify participation and the SNP are a single-issue party, not relevant to the vast majority of UK voters and without the capacity to nominate a prime minister.

The influence of broadcast television is waning but it is still the most powerful news medium in the world.

Properly managed TV debates are still the best way to inform the wider voting public about the democratic choices before them – by watching the debates themselves and through the comment and analysis which percolates through afterwards.

Carefully curated debates on both sides of the Atlantic in 2024 would prove that broadcasters can be part of the solution rather than, inadvertently, contributing to the further degradation of democratic politics.

Continue Reading

US

P Diddy: ‘Gut-wrenching’ video appears to show Sean Combs assaulting singer Cassie in 2016

Published

on

By

P Diddy: 'Gut-wrenching' video appears to show Sean Combs assaulting singer Cassie in 2016

“Gut-wrenching” CCTV footage which appears to show Sean Combs attacking singer Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel “has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour” of the rapper, her lawyer has said.

The 54-year-old, whose homes in Los Angeles and Miami were raided by Homeland Security Investigations agents in March, has faced a series of public allegations of physical and sexual violence.

Footage obtained by CNN appears to show Combs also known as P Diddy and Puff Daddy – wearing only a white towel as he punches and kicks Cassie in a Los Angeles hotel hallway on 5 March 2016.

The R&B singer, whose legal name is Cassandra Ventura, was his protege and girlfriend at the time.

Pic: CNN via AP
Pic: CNN via AP
Image:
Pics: CNN via AP

Read more: What is Sean Combs accused of and what has he said?

The footage also shows Combs shoving and dragging her across the floor, as well as throwing a vase in her direction.

It closely resembles the description of an incident at the now-closed InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles described in a lawsuit filed by Cassie in November that alleged years of sexual abuse and other violence from Combs.

The case was settled the day after it was filed.

Sean Combs and Cassie in 2017. Pic: PA
Image:
Sean Combs and Cassie in 2017. Pic: PA

Several more lawsuits were filed in the following months, along with a federal criminal sex-trafficking investigation that led authorities to raid Combs’ mansions in Los Angeles and Miami.

Representatives for Combs did not immediately comment on the video. He has previously denied the allegations in the lawsuits and his lawyers have said he denies any wrongdoing.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

P Diddy’s homes raided

Cassie’s lawyer said: “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behaviour of Mr Combs.

“Words cannot express the courage and fortitude that Ms Ventura has shown in coming forward to bring this to light.”

According to NBC News, Sky News’ US partner, if Cassie were to make a complaint the LAPD could investigate, but charges would likely be declined by the district attorney because California law has a one-year statute of limitations for assault and the alleged incident happened nearly eight years ago.

CNN did not say how it obtained the video, but noted it verified the location it was shot by comparing the footage to publicly available images of the InterContinental Hotel.

Continue Reading

US

Man sentenced to 30 years for bludgeoning Nancy Pelosi’s husband with hammer

Published

on

By

Man sentenced to 30 years for bludgeoning Nancy Pelosi's husband with hammer

The man convicted of attacking then-US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband with a hammer has been sentenced to 30 years in prison.

David DePape, 44, was found guilty last November of attempted kidnapping of a federal official and assault on the immediate family member of a federal official.

Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley handed down the sentence of 30 years in prison after prosecutors asked for a 40-year prison term.

David DePape. Pic: Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP
Image:
David DePape in 2013. Pic: Michael Short/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

DePape was given 20 years for one count and 30 years for another count, to run concurrently. He was also given credit for the 18 months he has been in custody.

DePape admitted during trial testimony he broke into the Pelosis’ San Francisco home on 28 October 2022 intending to hold Ms Pelosi hostage and “break her kneecaps” if she lied to him.

He also admitted bludgeoning Paul Pelosi with a hammer after police showed up, saying his plan to end what he viewed as government corruption was unravelling.

The attack on Mr Pelosi, who was 82 at the time, was captured on police body camera.

Defence lawyers argued DePape was motivated by his political beliefs, not because he wanted to interfere with Ms Pelosi’s official duties as a member of Congress, making the charges against him invalid.

One of his lawyers said during closing arguments that DePape was caught up in conspiracy theories.

Read more from Sky News:
Bodies of three hostages killed at music festival recovered in Gaza
Video appears to show Sean Combs assaulting singer in 2016
Anne Robinson confirms relationship with Queen’s ex-husband

Investigators work outside the home of Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in San Francisco, Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. Paul Pelosi, was attacked and severely beaten by an assailant with a hammer who broke into their San Francisco home early Friday, according to people familiar with the investigation. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Image:
The attack happened at the couple’s San Francisco home in October 2022. Pic: AP

Plans to wear inflatable unicorn costume during interrogation

During the trial, the Canadian, who moved to the US more than 20 years ago, testified he believed news outlets repeatedly lied about former president Donald Trump.

DePape also told jurors he had planned to wear an inflatable unicorn costume and record his interrogation of the Democratic speaker, who was not at home at the time of the attack, to upload it online.

Prosecutors said he had rope and zip ties with him, and detectives found body cameras, a computer and a tablet.

‘A tremendous shock’

Mr Pelosi also testified at the trial, recalling how he was awakened by a large man bursting into the bedroom and asking: “Where’s Nancy?”

He said he responded that his wife was in Washington and DePape said he would tie him up while they waited for her.

“It was a tremendous sense of shock to recognise that somebody had broken into the house, and looking at him and looking at the hammer and the ties, I recognised that I was in serious danger, so I tried to stay as calm as possible,” Mr Pelosi told jurors.

State court charges

DePape is also charged in state court with assault with a deadly weapon, elder abuse, residential burglary and other felonies. Jury selection for that trial is expected to start on Wednesday.

Mr Pelosi suffered two head wounds in the attack, including a skull fracture. His right arm and hand were also injured.

Continue Reading

US

Scottie Scheffler: Golf star ‘rattled’ and ‘in shock’ after being arrested by police

Published

on

By

Scottie Scheffler: Golf star 'rattled' and 'in shock' after being arrested by police

World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler says he was “rattled” and “in shock” after he was arrested and charged by police this morning.

The 27-year-old reportedly tried to get around a traffic jam caused by a fatal accident near the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, at around 6am local time (11am UK time) on Friday.

He is due to appear in court on Tuesday after being charged with second-degree assault of a police officer, third-degree criminal mischief, reckless driving, and disregarding signals from officers directing traffic.

Scheffler was released at 8:40am local time (1:40pm UK time) and allowed to return to the golf course to play his second round of the PGA Championship, where he currently sits three shots off the lead.

Speaking to reporters after his round, Scheffler said: “It was a chaotic situation and a big misunderstanding. My head is still spinning.

“I spent some time warming up in a jail cell, which was a first for me.

“I was pretty rattled, to say the least… I was never angry, I was just in shock. I was shaking for about an hour.

More from World

“Coming out here and trying to play today was definitely a challenge, but I did my best to control my mind and control my breathing… just try to play golf.

“I knew there was going to be a lot of distractions… but to be honest, it was great having the fans behind me. I felt they were really glad to have me out here competing today.”

Police earlier released a mugshot taken of Scheffler while he was wearing an orange jailed-issued jumpsuit.

The fatal crash occurred this morning when a bus struck and killed a man as he was crossing the road near the front gate of the Valhalla Golf Club.

 Scottie Scheffler tees off No. 10 to begin his second round of the PGA Championship, May 17, 2024, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Pic: AP
Image:
Scottie Scheffler tees off hours after being detained and handcuffed. Pic: AP

Tournament officials said they were “devastated” by the death of local man John Mills, who was working for an on-site vendor at Valhalla.

Scheffler, who was not involved in the accident, was allegedly trying to drive around the crash site when he failed to stop for a police officer.

An officer is then said to have grabbed on to Scheffler’s car.

The golfer drove around 10 to 20 yards before stopping his vehicle at the entrance to Valhalla, according to an ESPN reporter Jeff Darlington who was on the scene.

Darlington said: “At that point the police officer instructed Scheffler to get out of the car.

“He rolled down the window, the police officer grabbed his arm and started pulling at it. He reached inside, opened the car door, pulled Scheffler out, pushed him up against the car, immediately placed him in handcuffs.”

According to the police report, a detective stopped Scheffler’s car and “attempted to give instruction”.

The report continued: “Subject refused to comply and accelerated forward, dragging Detective Gillis to the ground. Detective Gillis suffered pain, swelling and abrasions to his left wrist and knees.

“He was transported to the hospital for further medical treatment by emergency medical personnel. Detective Gillis’ uniform pants, valued at approximately $80, were damaged beyond repair.”

Read more from Sky News:
Rishi Sunak leapfrogs the King in new rich list
Teacher who had sex with two schoolboys is jailed
Tory peer resigns after foul-mouthed drunken outburst

LOUISVILLE, KY - MAY 17: Fans look on as Scottie Scheffler walks off the No. 10 tee box after beginning his second round of the PGA Championship, May 17, 2024, at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Pic: AP
Image:
Scottie Scheffler was given a roar of support as he teed off in the second round. Pic: AP

In a statement, Scheffler’s attorney Steve Romines said the player was proceeding as directed by a traffic officer and is alleged to have disregarded signals from another officer “in the confusion”.

“Multiple eyewitnesses have confirmed that he did not do anything wrong but was simply proceeding as directed,” the statement added.

“He stopped immediately upon being directed to and never at any point assaulted any officer with his vehicle. We will litigate this matter as needed.”

Speaking after a second round, Scheffler expressed his sympathies to the family of Mr Mills.

“I can’t imagine what they’re going through this morning,” Scheffler said.

“My situation will get handled… I can’t get into what transpired… my heart goes out to the family.”

Continue Reading

Trending