Fox News, Univision announce moderators for second GOP presidential debate

NEWS AND OPINION:

Mark your calendars, people. Fox News Media revealed Wednesday that community hosts Stuart Varney and Dana Perino will likely be two of the three co-moderators for the second Republican presidential major debate, set to happen Sept. 27 on the spectacular Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Mr. Varney is a longtime anchor for Fox Business News, Ms. Perino is co-anchor for “America’s Newsroom” and a co-host of “The Five” — which occurs to be the most-watched program within the cable information realm, in response to the community.

The pair will “provide Americans with a comprehensive view of the qualifying candidates vying for the Republican nomination for president,” Jay Wallace, president and govt editor of Fox News Media, mentioned in a written assertion.

The third co-moderator will likely be Illia Calderon of Univision, which can solely air the talk in a Spanish translation. Ms. Calderon additionally co-moderated the ultimate Democratic major debate in 2020 between then-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.

In case you miss it, the primary Republican presidential debate occurred Aug. 23, and aired on Fox News — drawing 12.8 million viewers, in response to Nielsen.

READY TO ROLL

The Federal Emergency Management Agency — that’s FEMA for brief — is prepared for hurricane Idalia.

“FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center is activated to support any requests for federal assistance. FEMA deployed 640 personnel, including six Incident Management Assistance Teams, nine Urban Search and Rescue teams, and three Disaster Survivor Assistance Strike Teams,” the federal company mentioned in an announcement launched Wednesday.

“FEMA has fully stocked distribution warehouses with response commodities and teams ready to move those assets at the request of the state once the storm passes. The American Red Cross and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed teams and resources anticipating the need to provide shelter, food and emergency power support,” the company suggested.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis additionally suggested in an announcement that the Florida National Guard has been totally activated, with a mobilization of three,700 guardsmen in place throughout the state for preparedness and response efforts. An extra 1,800 guardsmen are on the way in which bringing the entire to five,500 previous to the storm touchdown.

Also available: 2,400 autos — together with “high mobility and high-water” autos plus 14 strategically positioned helicopters and 23 small watercrafts able to carry out search-and-rescue and reconnaissance missions, the assertion mentioned.

THE TRUMP PARADOX

Former President Donald Trump doesn’t seem to concern danger. Some say it really works for him, nevertheless.

“Most candidates would see their poll numbers drop after taking risky moves like skipping a nationally televised debate or, say, being arrested and having their mugshot released coast to coast. This is not the world that former President Donald Trump lives in,” writes Nate Ashworth, founder and editor-in-chief of ElectionCentral.com.

“In a move that is probably surprising to some but unsurprising to anyone paying attention, the more persecution Trump receives from his political foes, the more his supporters dig in and his base broadens,” he mentioned.

“The anti-Trump argument usually centers around electability. Sure, they concede, his policies were golden and the country thrived under this leadership. However, they contend, he has too much baggage to win over independent voters and will drive more Democrats to the polls than Republicans in 2024. Plus, they scream, look at these indictments,” Mr. Ashworth notes.

“However, that all seems irrelevant for most GOP primary voters as a majority of them see Trump as more electable after skipping the debate and having his mugshot released,” he factors out.

Findings from a latest Morning Consult ballot of 800 Republican voters again up this declare.

“According to our Aug. 24-27 survey, 62% of potential primary voters said they think Trump has the best chance of beating the Democratic incumbent. That is up 9 percentage points over the previous week, and matches a high in Morning Consult’s tracking of the question since April,” the pollster factors out.

HOPE FOR THE MEDIA

The information media has been maligned loads lately, charged with political bias, inaccuracy and sensationalism, amongst different journalistic sins. But issues usually are not all dangerous.

Participants at “LMA Fest” — a latest gathering of journalists, broadcasters and different media folks — provided some hope. The occasion was organized by the Michigan-based Local Media Association which boasts a membership of some 3,000 print, broadcast and digital organizations.

“Despite the well-documented challenges facing local journalism, the mood in the room was one of optimism, energy and determination,” Editor & Publisher, an business supply, famous in its evaluation of the occasion.

Evan Smith, former CEO of the Texas Tribune, identified that “smaller, scrappier” newsrooms are actually breaking main tales and garnering affect with dedication and creativity regardless of a slim price range.

“I am so hopeful when I see these smaller insurgent news organizations punching above their weight every day,” Mr. Smith instructed the viewers.

“Local journalism plays an indispensable civic role despite all the challenges,” Editor & Publisher mentioned in its abstract of the occasion, which occurred Aug. 1-2.

“Reliable local news is vital for an informed populace and a healthy democracy,” the group mentioned.

POLL DU JOUR

• 74% of U.S. adults agree that “things in this country are headed in the wrong direction.”

• 64% disapprove of the way in which President Biden is dealing with gun coverage.

• 63% disapprove of the way in which Mr. Biden is dealing with the U.S. economic system.

• 57% disapprove of the way in which he’s dealing with his job as president general.

• 56% disapprove of the way in which he’s dealing with overseas coverage.

• 52% have an general “unfavorable” opinion of Mr. Biden.

SOURCE: An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research ballot of 1,165 U.S. adults carried out Aug. 10-14 and launched Wednesday.