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 CCTV footage and the video circulating on social media do not indicate any serious abnormalities in takeoff or descent, it has been confirmed. The disaster is becoming curiouser and curiouser. The flight path was not curvy. And the aircraft maintained a steady, gliding descent with its nose straight and the wings perfectly level. The pilot's distress call does not specify what prevented lift and climb-out. Here are some expert opinions. The sole purpose is to raise travellers' awareness about air travel.

Many of the victims were charred beyond recognition, making identification difficult. Three hundred nineteen body parts have been sent for DNA matching with relatives to determine the identities.

• The Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla line provides Kashmir with all-weather connectivity and integrates the Valley with the rest of India.
• The saying 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari' is now a dream come true.
• The Chenab bridge on the line, an engineering marvel, is the world's highest railway bridge, taller than the Eiffel Tower. (Video: File)

A comment on social media on Kanimozhi's answer on the question of national language read: "Daughter of Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Delivered the Birthday Present to her Father!!" (Karunanidhi was born on June 3, 1924) (Today's headlines )

Trump said, "Elon is not really leaving" and will be "back and forth" to the White House because DOGE is his "baby." "I think he’s going to be doing a lot of things.”

Musk wrote: "My scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end... The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government." Now on it will be on auto-pilot.

PROGNOSIS: DOGE was prematurely born to protect the country by aborting an impending socio-economic disaster which very few people could see coming.

Although its immediate job was to save American taxpayers billions by slashing waste, eliminating fraud, cutting Government bloat and ensuring utmost efficiency in administration for the good of the people. (Today's headlines )

"Coming from a system like in England, empowering," she says she never had an idea of this sort of experience... being asked to “socialise with middle-aged men” who financed the event...humiliating...

Originally from Junagadh, Gujarat, Pataudi was relocated to Etawah Lion Safari in September 2019 before being transferred to Gorakhpur Zoo in 2021. Recently it was receiving treatment for pancreatic and liver infections. After tigress Shakti died in the zoo on May 7 due to bird flu, Pataudi was shifted to Kanpur. Some birds are also reported to have died mysteriously around Gorakhpur. All zoos in UP are closed for fear of a bird flu outbreak.

Three other animals too had died - a tiger, a leopardess and a female wolf. Wolf Bhairavi died last Saturday, leopardess Mona died the Thursday before that and tiger Kesari died on March 30. Some of them had Shakti's symptoms but the cause of death has not been confirmed yet.

As tourist inflow is an indicator of normalcy returning to an erstwhile terrorist infested Valley, the Government has been trying hard to make everything travel-friendly, launching lot many projects and bringing Kashmir on the national rail map that physically completes the process of Kashmir's integration with the rest of India. And that defeats the designs of Pakistan eyeing Kashmir and simply explains a recrudescence of terrorism in J&K.

The committee headed by justice Kurian Joseph will study Centre-State relations and make proposals to ensure foolproof separation of powers.

"It's a big victory not just for Tamil Nadu but for all Indian States. DMK will continue to struggle for and win State autonomy and Federal polity," Chief Minister MK Stalin said.

Of 2.08 km in length, it features 99 spans and a 72.5-metre vertical lift span that rises up to a height of 17 metres, facilitating smooth movement of ships while ensuring seamless train services to the holy town of Rameswaram on Pamban island.

ANALYSIS: There is a lot of hue and cry around the world over Trump's tariffs. But tariff, simply put, is a tax. But unlike tax, it affects the exporting country too. Domestic prices will go up for some time. Nothing more will happen, good or bad!

What motivated Trump's newfound policy, apart from being a stunt to justify his existence in the White House, is a false realisation that increased tariff will make foreign goods prohibitive, thereby boosting local production, and create more jobs, and more prosperity will ring in! If that is true, India would have been shining by now: Producing own Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail and Scotch Whiskies! And what about coconut and palm oil by America! (Today's headlines )

PROGNOSIS: It looks a Real New Trump is emerging - courageous, balanced, powerful and disinterested. Determined to save his country from the cliff, he has done quite a few draconian things that will reduce the burden of debts of the Federal entity, like the golden handshake, stopping senseless funding, pulling out of a worthless WHO. Shutting the Education Department is another. On the other hand, running it is also not the Centre's job either (We will convincingly elaborate it in the next chapter).

In India the scene is just the opposite. Centralisation is the core agenda and identity of the ruling dispensation without which it has no existence, or in other words, it exists for that set of schemes only. A realisation of this never dawned upon any Opposition party in 2014 or any time thereafter, what to talk of being able to see it coming 70 years ago! The consequence of all this violation of basic natural law of the universe we cannot predict.

THE AMERICAN CONUNDRUM: Political venom has migrated to top echelons in the US. It was reported last year NASA has become politicised, vitiated. But NASA refuted the charge. How Boeing developed a glitch but its unmanned return was smooth. When Suni-Wilmore were stranded last June, why the return was set for February? Because that comes only after January 20! SpaceX called the shots, for itself and for Trump. Then the mission was manipulated for March for a better bargain! In between, what made Elon Musk 'predict' during campaign if Kamala Harris wins he would be in jail. In politics, it is said, "the only rule is there are no rules." Difficult times for Americans too.

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.