Kamala Harris had pleaded for unmuting the mic but Trump had his knees knocking. She was a prosecutor and wanted to have a face-to-face with him, an exchange, some pointed questions, unmask him and his money power, expose him before the American people. But that was not to be and we will not call it a debate. Only the moderator will ask questions!

Harris will be seen Tuesday night on the television on the viewers' right side as they sit in front of the set. Viewers tend to focus towards their right side and that in turn can provide a better impact on their voting behaviour. And from the stage's right podium, or the interviewer's stand, she will be in a commanding position vis-a-vis her rival.

WASHINGTON, Sept 9: It's all quiet on the American front. Everyone is waiting with bated breath for Tuesday night's greatest show. And the campaigns too are busy preparing and rehearsing for the first and last showdown, the great American presidential debate. Democratic candidate Vice-President Kamala Harris and Republican candidate ex-President Donald Trump will be on stage, alone.

It would truly have been a prosecutor vs. bully spectacle. But a muted mic bars the prosecutor from cross-examining the bully behind the lectern.

Kamala Harris will be constrained. Because the so-called debate is a show, not exactly a debate in reality with the candidates not being given an opportunity to question each other on issues at stake. They can only make statements in response to questions from the moderator. There will not be any face-to-face encounter or exchanges, a disadvantage for Harris as she won't be able to put to good use her experience as a prosecutor who interrupts witnesses' prepared statements helping to bring out the truth as they are forced to speak extempore. A muted mic bars any exchanges between the candidates.

Venue: Philadelphia's National Constitution Center

Time: 9 p.m. Tuesday ET (6:30 a.m. Wednesday IST)

Duration: 90 minutes

Rules & Guidelines:

• There is no live audience
• Won't feature live mics despite Harris' push for it
• Moderated by ABC 'World News Tonight' anchor and managing editor David Muir and ABC News Live 'Prime' anchor Linsey Davis
• There will be two commercial breaks
• Trump will make the closing statement at the end of the 90-minute show because he chose that as his preference after winning the coin toss. There are two preferences, they are not just options. The other (containing an option) then goes to the other candidate. That is about the podium position. Harris selected the "right side".
• Harris will be seen on the right side of the television screen (according to the media version that lacks clarity). For clarity, we will say she will be seen on the TV viewers' right side. On the podium position most reports say she will on the right side. To be correct and clear, we will say she will be on the stage's right side podium or a live audience's left side if it were there. (Consider the image above as the TV screen.) Biden was at the same podium, he had won the toss too. In 2020 also, Biden was at the same side.
• There are great advantages of being on the viewers' right side on TV and (that is) the stage's right side in the studio. The latter is a commanding position and one's right hand extends to the audience, if any, with ease to establish a rapport. As for the TV, the viewers' focus always falls on their right side. So Harris is on a strong wicket although she lost the coin toss.
• They will be alone on the stage (studio)
• The candidates will be allowed only water, a pen and pad of paper. No props or earlier drafted notes allowed
• There will not be any opening statements
• They will be given two minutes to answer questions posed by moderators. And one minute each will be given to respond and rebut. A red light will flash when only five seconds left. The mic will switch off at the end of time. Move over to next.
• Candidates won't be able to ask each other questions. No exchanges. Mic will go off.
• The microphone will only be on for the candidate whose turn it is to speak. Mics were muted when the candidates were not speaking in Biden debate also. (Unmuted mics allow for exchanges between the candidates). Harris campaign's senior advisor Brian Fallon had insisted on unmuted mic.
• Two minutes will be allowed for each candidate for closing statements.

Mic disabled, Harris won't be posing these questions

In contrast to President Biden's 'disastrous' performance, Republicans are waiting for a "fine" debate with Harris.

ABC announced the rules last Wednesday after both parties agreed. Mic was at dispute. Because Trump, although assertive in speech, is scared of counter-questioning from the prosecutor he is really scared of.

Trump campaign adviser Jason Miller said they agreed to an ABC debate on the same terms and rules as followed in the CNN debate between Trump and Biden in June, according to the Washington Post.

In the context of the AI generated social media campaign maligning Harris, ridiculing her, using unparliamentary words, the latter could easily question him about his dubious activities and the pending criminal cases, if felons can contest? But mic is banned and so no 'cross-examinations'.

Yet, could Harris raise a question, Biden (81) was forced to bow out due to his age and failing health but how younger is Trump (78) ?

Of dubious vibes, Trump is a guy not adept in the world of learning either. On April 23, 2020, at his daily covid briefings, he suggested considering injection of disinfectants like Lysol to kill the virus in the human body. Next. When Bill Bryan of Department of Homeland Security's science and technology division said "The virus dies quickest in sunlight," Trump was quick to expose his learning, saying "you could bring the light inside the body."

After watching Trump on TV, an Arizona man ingested chloroquine phosphate and died. A top health official was sacked as he did not push the Trump treatment course.

To his 'credit' he also has a ring of 'MeToo's'. Only last week he was in the court of appeal pleading to overturn the verdict in a sexual abuse and defamation case and a plane episode involving one Jean Carroll even as the Stormy Daniels hush-money sentencing is pending.

Harris is also disabled from asking him what was his grandfather's job?

Well, large sections of sensible Republicans do not wish to vote for Trump the unpredictable. Will they make history by supporting a woman candidate to become the first woman President of the United States notwithstanding party line. If so, that will be a transformative action which will make America stronger.

When he was President he himself letting loose his goons to rampage Capitol (parliament). Members meeting in the House ran helter skelter. In live streaming of the episode, a goon was seen sitting on the Speaker's chair, his legs thrown over the table, while others broke windows and furniture.

The moot point is how Nancy Pelosi 'ran' to Pentagon to prevent the man gone crazy from pressing the nuclear button as the story goes.

Harris has been disabled by the rules of the debate from asking questions about any guarantee these happenings will not recur under Trump, the impulsive bully.

Live streaming: One can tune into ABC News Live, Disney+ and Fox News and other networks.

Voters will write the balance sheet on November 5.

Tailpiece: Trump the bully can be a hot subject for social psychology, on how they are straying into positions.

The terminations are part of a large-scale exercise going on all across Fed departments and organisations to reduce wasteful Government expenditure as decided by a Trump in a mess gone berserk, and improve administrative efficiency following the whims of billionaire and his associate Elon MusK and his DOGE. It has not been shared how terminations are going to raise the efficiency bar! It looks like Trump has stolen some of the prescriptions meant for India. But the American problems are quite different.

Suddenly these colonial clerks feel this effortless, little rule will tremendously enhance security and convenience for the railway passengers manifold. More stations will be covered in the next 77 years! (Also See: New Delhi station stampede... What went wrong?)

ANALYSIS: "The standard operating procedure for deportations by aircraft used by ICE that is effective from 2012 provides for the use of restraints," says the Government. That means, it is taken for granted the US will set the standard for deportations. For another, the Government is more interested in comparing with what happened in 2012 under a different Government to justify its own compliance! No surprise, others are trampling upon us. (How we conduct ourselves inside decides, inherently, how we are treated outside) Thirdly, the Government blamed the gangs doing the business of human trafficking for the illegal migration. For all the crimes taking place in the country, let us blame the criminals! Funny! We will never move an inch forward! The mindset defines what we are.

Meanwhile, a UN-returned Congress leader Shashi Tharoor sounded like a layman when he said, "If they are citizens of India we have an obligation to take them back." Who said 'No'?. He should know that is not the issue now. Who will identify an undocumented person, and how?

The function was held indoors from 12 pm (10:30 pm IST) at the rotunda of the US Capitol building because of unusually intense cold and snow. Delivering his inaugural address, Trump remarked, “The golden age of America begins right now," and just hours later signed a slew of executive orders to redeem the election pledges.

The issue: Trump says he is open to 'economic force' to acquire Canada as its '51st State' if it does not stop the flow of illegal migrants and drugs into the US and secure its border.

Trudeau gets ready for the battle: Trudeau under Trump's onslaught had appeared quiet as a lamb because he was facing serious internal problems and now the situation has changed. He has resigned and has enough space for a single-minded counter-attack as acting PM. And that is what he is doing to Canada's advantage. He will prapare Canada to take the 'bull' by the horns (literally) when he takes office on January 20.

There is more to it: On the same page now, Conservative Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre has also outlined his plan to deal with the US President-elect's threats. Both will stand united against the common enemy, and take on him adequately when he assumes office.

And the latest: The counter-attack begins. In a CNN interview, Trudeau strategically addresses the Americans, tells them a ghostly 25% tariff will create a recession in Canada but will be equally devastating for the US economy. And he has a point.

• A President-elect at the instance of 'sensible' aides has declared, “A smaller Government, with more efficiency and less bureaucracy, will be the perfect gift to America.” A Trump statement said he will chop off the bureaucratic flab, or in his own words, “drain the swamp” in Washington. This contrasts with India where millions and millions of clerks rule the roost with the blessings of petty vote bank politicians, who badly needed them, all these 77 years.
• The South African migrant who will benefit more than Trump himself from the election victory has climbed to the helm - Elon Musk will be the monarch of all he surveys in Washington!
• Musk will lead a 'Department of Government Efficiency' with Vivek Ramaswamy, the eccentric dreamer.
• They will slash bureaucracy and Government spending and restructure Federal agencies. (But no mention of what next and how!)
• The irony lies here: Musk will also be the boss of all Federal agencies, including those currently investigating business frauds in his own companies like Tesla, SpaceX and Starlink, which receive Government funding, inter alia making him the richest man on earth.

"We are the only nation not based on race or religion. Literally we are the only nation based on an idea... That all men are created equal."

The former President asked voters to cast their ballot early. (Last elections large-scale early voting had helped Democrats foil any foul play by Trump's alleged foreign agents.)

MAYHEM IN THE AIR: The Civil Aviation Ministry wants to take strict action to prevent more such incidents disrupting Indian aviation!!! Punishment: Culprits of the hoax bomb threats will be put on no-fly list!!! LUDICROUS! Typically this will continue - Both the crime and the punishment. Because our system pushes the scum to the top.

COMMENT: Dragon, unlike what has been reported in the media, is not a rescue mission. Its schedule of liftoff or return has not been changed to suit the stranded astronauts. On the other hand, the astronauts' return has been put off by several months to suit the Dragon's schedule. What SpaceX has done is only dropping two spacemen to accommodate Suni and Wilmore on the capsule's return. And that too was at the instance of NASA which has authority over the choice of astronauts under the contract which facilitates flow of moneys from the American treasury to the pocket of Elon Musk for running his SpaceX business, making him a billionaire and dance with abandon. Result: NASA is a divided house!

Note: The video of the debate (above), a replica of the live telecast, is the best bet to get a real picture of what really was the latest American presidential debate, first hand. Watch.

Kamala Harris had pleaded for unmuting the mic but Trump had his knees knocking. She was a prosecutor and wanted to have a face-to-face with him, an exchange, some pointed questions, unmask him and his money power, expose him before the American people. But that was not to be and we will not call it a debate. Only the moderator will ask questions!

Harris will be seen Tuesday night on the television on the viewers' right side as they sit in front of the set. Viewers tend to focus towards their right side and that in turn can provide a better impact on their voting behaviour. And from the stage's right podium, or the interviewer's stand, she will be in a commanding position vis-a-vis her rival.

HERE's THE PROOF: Attorney General Merrick Garland has accused Russian State broadcaster RT of paying a Tennessee firm $ 10 m to create and distribute content to US audiences with hidden Russian Government messaging. RT chief editor Margarita Simonyan (see pix) is one of 10 people sanctioned by the US for trying to manipulate the elections.

And now Putin declaring an unsolicited support to Harris: A close connection is seen in Trump, in his interview with his chum Musk, making an inappropriate comment calling Harris as most beautiful and comparing her to his wife with a view to blunting her electoral campaign like the fox in the crow story. And Musk later sharing an AI-generated image of Harris as Communist dictator in uniform. The South African has joined the war as his empire is at stake!! All these look like a coordinated Russian traditional job. The Russians managed to give it to Trump in 2016 by damaging Clinton, but failed in 2020!

• In a fiery speech, an emboldened "girl fallen from the coconut tree" opened her box of agenda and promised the Americans she will take the country to new heights.
• Kamala exhorted all Americans to forge a new unity that will "chart a new way forward," a first in history, laying the foundations of a new America, and that's her vision. She was greeted with a non-stop standing ovation by the delegates as she took the mike at the jam-packed convention arena.
• "I will be a President who unites us around our highest aspirations. A President who leads and listens. Who is realistic. Practical," she promised.

Joe Biden was so pleasing to the ears as he sought to invoke the power of democracy and list his Government's achievements all due to the grace of God. But what broke the mike was Clinton's hard metallic, sounding so genuine and dedicated as, may be, she had a revenge carryover from 2016, the year when the Russians were alleged to have begun a social media misinformation campaign in favour of Trump and a suspected hacking of the machines using applications quite unfamiliar to the rest of the world. Which was thwarted by the Democrats in the nick of time in 2020 although Trump as President tried to block them by cutting postal funds. He went violent and attempted insurrection not fully because of his animal insticts but also because he was made to believe in a result like the 2016's and that belief was shattered. What marked out Day One at the convention was a 'presumptive' candidate's unscheduled appearance on the stage made possible by the virtual roll call of August 1 - Kamala Harris, the Vice President. The day also facilitated a less known but deserving New York Guv Kathy Hochul, the American cheetah breaking into the national scene for future purpose! Not well done this time!

ALL ISMs APART, WHO IS Muhammad Yunus? Aside from a Nobel prize that does not assess but compare, Yunus's social biz idea of melding capitalism and social responsibility in the late 1980s, known as microfinance, did revolutionise rural Bangladesh - unlike the destructive infrastructure funding mania of the political underdogs - pulling millions out of perennial poverty, setting an example for many other poor countries to emulate.

On the lines of Dr Verghese Kurien of India much much earlier, who was hounded by the communists as a CIA agent out of compulsive ignorance and a lack of basic ability to gauge what he had done which they should have indeed. He mobilised the Indian grassroots, introducing the concept of cooperatives, the implications of which the pseudo socialists and their forefathers couldn't ever dream of.

Certified for use as store, if the space was being illegally used as library, who should primarily be held responsible, irrespective of whether such usage was the cause of the tragedy or not. Could anybody guess right? No. The police have arrested any number of people! What for? Now a CBI inquiry! Into what?

The court also 'discovered' (nobody else knows!) that, "Delhi has multiplicity of authorities who are only passing the buck and blaming each other.”

A PROGNOSIS: Much maligned over old age and gaffes (or allowed to be !), Biden (81) leaving the scene has made Trump (78) the old man in the field! Now on a weak wicket, having forced to change his target mid-stream and rearrange his campaign strategy, the 'rogue' behind the Capitol rampage will be asked by a woman opponent, how old are you? Additionally, the sharpshooting prosecutor will be converting the hustings into a trial court for a decisive onslaught where the convicted felon will finally succumb.

OPINION: Quotas, permanent Government jobs, pay scales and tons of allowances and more than matching pensions are the 'gifts' of wretched vote bank politics in developing societies masquerading as a type of nascent democracy. Depressing poverty and painful migrations are the byproducts. The reality is: There can't be permanent jobs because demand for work is a 'variable'. And quota is its offspring. The agenda of creating jobs and quotas is therefore poor economics, with far-reaching social impacts, but of course serves those politicians in the short term.