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In downtown Miami at what is usually a centre for the performing arts, preparations are under way for a piece of political theatre.

But the man who should be the lead act is setting up his own show a few miles up the road.

Posters for the third Republican debate have been slapped on every spare inch of the Adrienne Arsht Center with metal barriers marking the perimeter of the building.

On Wednesday evening local time, five of the leading Republican candidates vying to be president will take to the stage inside, in a debate which will be relayed to millions of Americans live on NBC.

The issues are likely to range from the Israel-Hamas conflict to the economy and who can beat Joe Biden next year.

But the man most likely to actually beat Mr Biden won’t be there. Because while his Republican rivals are facing off, Donald Trump will be enjoying uninterrupted and unchallenged stage time at his own rally on the other side of town. Just how he likes it.

Mr Trump doesn’t believe he has to partake in these debates to get the nod from Republican voters and polling suggests, emphatically, he’s right.

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His lead has only grown since he missed the first, then the second debate. By most estimates, he’s now at least 30 points clear of his closest rivals, Ron DeSantis, the current governor of Florida, and Nikki Hayley, a former governor of South Carolina, who is positioning herself as the leading anti-Trumper in the race.

Republican strategist Ryan Williams is convinced the debates are a race for second place.

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Trump’s ‘political rally’ from court

“And a distant second place at that,” he says. “It would have to be an unforeseen event, an illness or an accident or him being hit by a meteor to stop Trump becoming the nominee.”

Being a no show at debates hasn’t diminished the possibility of Mr Trump’s second coming, nor has the merry-go-round of civil and criminal charges against him.

Only this week, he was on the witness stand in a New York court in a case in which it has already been decided he committed fraud. Next year he will stand trial accused of committing crimes against the state. But his support is deepening and not just against Republican rivals.

Polling by the New York Times and Siena this week shows Donald Trump ahead of President Biden in five of six key swing states that Mr Biden won last time round.

“If polls showed him falling behind it might provide an opening for someone,” said Williams.

“But that polling shows that these four prosecutions are not only not harming him with Republican primary voters, they’re not hurting him with independents either. It dispels any attack another candidate might make about him being unelectable.”

The debate is the first since the Israel-Hamas war began and America’s role in the Middle East will likely be sparred over, too.

Nikki Hayley, who has some momentum after the last debate, supports Israel but believes America should only have a limited role in the conflict.

Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Doug Burgum before the first Republican presidential debate Pic: AP
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Mike Pence, Ron DeSantis, Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, and Doug Burgum before the first Republican presidential debate Pic: AP

Ron DeSantis is more aggressive in his support, boasting that planes contracted by Florida brought “hospital supplies, drones, body armour and helmets” to first responders in Israel.

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Mr Trump was initially critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the wake of the 7 October attacks, saying he was unprepared. He also called Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant organisation designated a terrorist group, “smart”.

But Israel is unlikely to be a huge determining factor in the Primaries.

“Trump has such strong record of supporting Israel,” says Williams.

“He was the first American president to move the embassy to Jerusalem, and he has a history of siding with Israel completely, so it will be hard to pierce his armour on this.”

It will take some other political cunning or an unexpected event, to overhaul Mr Trump at this stage. But there is still time for these candidates to sell themselves, if any Republican voters out there are still listening.

Watch the Republican presidential primary debate live on Sky News on Thursday: Tune in from midnight on Sky News channel 501, Freeview channel 233 or stream on the Sky News App or YouTube (outside the US)

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Trump’s sanctions are no slap on the wrist – they’re a punch to the gut of Moscow’s war economy

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Trump's sanctions are no slap on the wrist - they're a punch to the gut of Moscow's war economy

The new US sanctions are no slap on the wrist – they’re a punch to the gut of Moscow’s war economy.

Oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil are the twin engines pumping money through Russia’s military veins.

Washington framed the bold move as a bid to “degrade the Kremlin’s ability to raise revenue for its war machine”.

Oil is Russia’s bloodstream, and the Trump Treasury just cut off the blood flow.

But every blow struck in the ring comes with the risk of self-inflicted pain, and there’s potential for collateral damage.

By squeezing Russia’s oil sector, the president is tightening the global market’s chest – and America’s own pump could feel the pressure.

The White House is gambling that the geopolitical payoff will ultimately outweigh the domestic sting.

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Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

“These are tremendous sanctions and I hope they don’t last long,” Mr Trump said.

That mix of swagger and caveat summed up his approach – maximum pressure, but with an eye on prices back home.

Europe rushed to mirror Washington’s stance, adding restrictions on imports and tightening loopholes in shipping.

The EU was clearly signalling that it’s in Trump’s corner, that the Western alliance holds.

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Trump: Putin summit ‘didn’t feel right’

‘Wasted journey’

On both sides of the Atlantic, they know that Moscow will seize on any disunity and slip through the cracks.

An Oval Office meeting with the NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte provided the diplomatic stagecraft.

Mr Trump repeated that he’d cancelled a planned summit with Vladimir Putin because he “didn’t want to have a wasted journey”.

Mr Rutte played the part of loyal ally, twice labelling the US president “the only one who can get this done”.

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NATO chief: Trump-Zelenskyy meeting not a disaster

Earlier, Mr Rutte played down my suggestion that his visit indicated Trump’s meeting with Zelensky last Friday had been a disaster.

It wouldn’t be the first time Mr Rutte, who famously referred to Mr Trump as “Daddy”, has poured oil on troubled waters.

But it’s Moscow’s apparent refusal to accept Trump’s terms that has put plans for another summit with Putin on hold.

China’s diplomatic influence with Russia could give it some leverage when Mr Trump meets Xi Jinping for trade talks next week.

The US president’s sanctions are more than punishment – they’re a strategic gamble to corner Putin – but the margin of error is razor thin.

If energy prices surge or allied unity splinters, Mr Trump could find himself on the ropes.

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Entire East Wing of White House will be demolished for ballroom – as Trump urged to pause project

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Entire East Wing of White House will be demolished for ballroom - as Trump urged to pause project

The entire East Wing of the White House will be demolished “within days” – much more bulldozing than initially expected for Donald Trump’s new ballroom construction project.

Two Trump administration officials told Sky News’ US partner NBC that the demolition is a significant expansion of the initial plans announced this summer.

“It won’t interfere with the current building,” Mr Trump had said on 31 July. “It’ll be near it, but not touching it, and pays total respect to the existing building, which I’m the biggest fan of.”

Rubble is piled higher and higher as demolition continues on the East Wing. Pic: AP
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Rubble is piled higher and higher as demolition continues on the East Wing. Pic: AP

But a White House official told NBC News the “entirety” of the East Wing would eventually be “modernised and rebuilt”.

“The scope and the size of the ballroom project have always been subject to vary as the process develops,” the official added.

The East Wing was built at the beginning of the last century and was last modified in 1942.

Explainer: How Trump has changed the White House while in power

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Trump shows off an artist's impressions of his new ballroom. Pic:AP
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Trump shows off an artist’s impressions of his new ballroom. Pic:AP

Construction on the ballroom – which is expected to hold up to 900 people when finished – began this week.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit agency created by Congress to help preserve historic buildings, warned administration officials in a letter on Tuesday that the planned ballroom “will overwhelm the White House itself”.

“We respectfully urge the administration and the National Park Service (stewards of the White House) to pause demolition until plans for the proposed ballroom go through the legally required public review processes,” Carol Quillen, the trust’s chief executive, said in a statement.

Windows of the complex could be seen being torn down. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Windows of the complex could be seen being torn down. Pic: Reuters

‘Fake news’

The White House called the uproar “manufactured outrage” by “unhinged leftists and their fake news allies” in a statement.

Last week, Mr Trump said the total price would be about $250m (£187m), which would be paid for by himself and private donors will pay for. However, on Wednesday, he said the ballroom’s price is “about $300m (£225m)”.

The 90,000 sq ft ballroom will dwarf the White House itself – and would be able to accommodate almost five times more guests than the East Room, the largest current space in the mansion.

Mr Trump says the ballroom won’t cost US taxpayers at all. Instead, “donors” would pay for it.

Comcast, the parent company of Sky News, was included on a list of top donors released last week – but it is unclear how much it or others have contributed.

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Daniel Naroditsky: Rival faces disciplinary action for ‘bullying’ chess grandmaster before his death

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Daniel Naroditsky: Rival faces disciplinary action for 'bullying' chess grandmaster before his death

A former world chess champion is being investigated over his public attacks on US grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, who died suddenly this week aged 29.

Russian player Vladimir Kramnik is facing disciplinary proceedings over repeated accusations against Mr Naroditsky.

He was found dead at his home earlier in North Carolina, and the cause has not been made public.

Vladimir Kramnik. Pic: AP
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Vladimir Kramnik. Pic: AP

Mr Naroditsky’s supporters claim he had been “bullied relentlessly online” by Mr Kramnik, with some calling for him to be banned from the game.

Mr Kramnik has accused a number of players of cheating in online games – and first voiced “concerns” about Mr Naroditsky’s play last year, leading to an ongoing feud between the pair.

The 50-year-old routinely posted online about his younger rival, calling for an investigation into his play and at times appearing to threaten legal action.

In an October 2024 interview, Mr Naroditsky characterised Mr Kramnik’s efforts as “a sustained, evil and absolutely unhinged attempt to destroy my life”.

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Now, following the announcement of Mr Naroditsky’s death on Monday, the international chess federation (FIDE) has referred Mr Kramnik’s behaviour to its ethics and disciplinary commission.

Naroditsky was a popular chess streamer on YouTube and Twitch. Pic: AP
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Naroditsky was a popular chess streamer on YouTube and Twitch. Pic: AP

FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich said in a statement: “I, along with the FIDE management board, will formally refer all relevant public statements made by GM (grandmaster) Vladimir Kramnik – both before and after the tragic death of GM Daniel Naroditsky – to the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission for independent consideration.”

Mr Kramnik has denied wrongdoing, and claims he has also been bullied by members of the chess community – as well as receiving death threats.

He told Reuters: “What public statement after the death of Daniel was incorrect? … I have not bullied Daniel Naroditsky, nor ever made personal insults towards him.”

But prominent chess players have condemned Mr Kramnik’s conduct – with former world champion Magnus Carlsen describing his treatment of Mr Naroditsky as “horrible”.

Meanwhile, Indian grandmaster Nihal Sarin said the retired player “needs to pay for what he’s doing”.

Mr Naroditsky was one of America’s most recognisable chess figures and a former world youth champion.

At just 14 years old, he had written and published a book on the game – and in later years, educated followers through livestreams on Twitch and YouTube.

Mr Naroditsky denied cheating and appeared visibly distressed in his final Twitch broadcast last weekend, where he referred to the toll the controversy had taken on him, according to the now-deleted video.

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