Last Call – A primetime read on current political events in Florida.

First shot

Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are scheduled to debate on September 10. Maybe.

In the first weeks after Harris took office as President, Joe BidenOne point of contention was when, if and on which network the two major party candidates would compete against each other.

Before the change, Trump had agreed to two debates with Biden. The first was the trigger for the 81-year-old being sidelined; the second was scheduled to air on ABC on September 10.

Trump argued that Biden’s withdrawal would invalidate the agreement and proposed alternatives, including a debate on September 17 on Fox News. Harris’ campaign team declined to do so, presumably because of the network’s Republican leanings.

The former president continued to stoke the controversy over the past 24 hours, starting with a social media post on Sunday in which he sharply criticized the ABC News team for its alleged anti-Trump bias.

“I ask why I should conduct the debate against Kamala Harris on this network,” Trump said in his post. He also highlighted George Stephanopoulos (or “Slopadopolus”). However, Biden’s lackluster performance in an interview with the ABC News journalist arguably raised the heat in the presidential hot seat from “hot to hot” to “sizzling.”

Harris’ campaign used Trump’s comments on Monday as an opportunity to demand its own changes to the agreed-upon terms, suggesting a change to the microphones. During the Trump-Biden debate, each candidate’s microphone was muted when it was the other’s turn to speak – a condition that Biden’s campaign had pushed for.

The renewed dispute comes amid signs that Harris’s momentum in the polls is flagging. Despite entering the race as an outsider, Harris has caught up with and overtaken Trump in most national polls and top polling averages.

However, the latest tracking poll update from Morning Consult on Monday suggests that Harris may not be able to count on a “party lead.” Her lead remained stable at 48% to 44%. Thirty-fiveEight And RealClearPolitics On average, Harris was ahead by 47.1%–43.7% and 48.4%–46.9%, respectively.

A special feature of these numbers: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.which is around 5% in both average values, suspended his election campaign and endorsed Trump over the weekend. It remains to be seen whether his supporters will listen to him.

Evening reading

—“Why Democrats don’t talk much about one of their biggest issues” about Umair Irfan from Vox

—”The sharpest political divide in a generation on the issue of poverty reduction” via Jason DeParle of the New York Times

—”So where are we *now*?” about Chris Cillizza from So What

—“How much of a boost will RFK Jr.’s support give Trump?” via G. Elliott Morris and Mary Radcliffe of FiveThirtyEight

—”Meet the 50 major donors who are pumping $1.5 billion into the election“via Clara Ence Morse, Luis Melgar and Maeve Reston of the Washington Post

—”Democrats still hope to fill Supreme Court vacancies in 2025” via John McCormack, Michael Warren and Charles Hilu of The Dispatch

—“The US cannot confront China alone” via Peter Coy of the New York Times

—”Elon Musk’s tough turn to politics in 300,000 of his own words” via Andrea Fuller, Alexa Corse, John West and Kara Dapena of the Wall Street Journal

—“DEP confirms unknown foundation abandons plans for golf courses in Jonathan Dickinson” via Kimberly Miller of The Florida Times-Union

—”Young men have invented a new way to defeat themselves” via Ian Bogost of The Atlantic

Quote of the day

“We didn’t understand the local community landscape and appreciate the clarity.”

– The Tuskegee Dunes Foundation’s statement opposing plans to build a golf course in John Dickinson State Park.

Put it on the tab

Look left, then right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour joint, flag down the bartender and add one to your bill. Recipes included, in case the Cocktail Codex falls down the fountain.

Drivers in Florida have been given a federal Toll relief program to order the 16 million Highways to heaven.

Alcohol is not so popular in the LDS community, but if their suggested 52,450 acre cultivation goes through, someone should Mormon Surprise in their name.

Nothing against the Tuskegee Dunes Foundation, but we toast to retreat of their golf course plan with a Goodbye forever.

Groundbreaking insights

Turn on

Rays open series in Seattle on national television

Sitting at .500 with 32 games remaining, the Tampa Bay Rays open a series in Seattle against the Mariners tonight (9:40 p.m. ET, FS1).

Tampa Bay (65-65) is in fourth place in the American League East, two and a half games behind third-place Boston and two and a half games ahead of last-place Toronto. Heading into the final month of the season, the Rays could be in third, fourth or fifth place in the AL East.

The Rays have been a rollercoaster team since cutting most of their high-priced veterans from their roster before the trade deadline. They were swept by the Houston Astros in a three-game series earlier this month, only to bounce back and sweep the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series.

The Rays then split a four-game series with the weaker Oakland team before losing two of three games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

There’s still a lot at stake for Seattle (66-65). Although they’re six and a half games out of the wild-card race, the Mariners are closer to the Astros in the American League West, who are four and a half games behind them today. Seattle had lost seven of its last 10 games before the series against the Rays.

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Last Call is published by Peter Schorschcompiled and edited by Phil Amman And Drew Wilsonwith contributions from Florida Politics staff.

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