Rather than debating each other last night — before a giant television audience spanning the political spectrum — President Trump and Joe Biden held dueling events, each on a separate network. It happened because Trump, who rejects so many of the traditions of American politics, had pulled out of a scheduled debate. Biden’s event was fairly low-key, with him speaking in detail about his policy ideas, under questioning from ABC’s George Stephanopoulos and Pennsylvania voters. Trump’s was more combative, as he made several misleading statements and NBC’s Savannah Guthrie pressed him on them. “Masks are not perfect, but they offer significant protection,” as Apoorva Mandavilli, a Times science reporter, told me.

Source: International New York Times October 16, 2020 10:30 UTC