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i am caitriona perry and this is bbc world news america. we are in the cnn spin room ahead of that presidential debate. joe biden and donald trump are preparing itself in atlanta, each hoping their message wins over voters in it type presidential race. ♪ katrina: hello and welcome to a special edition of world news america. coming to you live from georgia tech university in atlanta, georgia where just a few hours from now u.s. president joe biden and former president trump will take to the stage. it is the first time that a sitting president will debate a former president on television, and the first time they are going head-to-head since donald trump's felony conviction on

falsifying business records, and since president biden's son was convicted for lying about his drug use while buying a gun. the stakes are high, with recent polls showing the two are neck and neck. a recent poll from reuters shows a 41% of registered voters saying if the election was today, they would vote for president biden. 39% saying they would vote for in the key. battleground states, the race is also effectively tied. according to the estimates from our news partners cbs, democrats and republicans each have a chance of winning in seven of those states, including in michigan, pennsylvania, and nevada. but on key issues, polling shows donald trump outperforming joe biden on the two matters most important to voters, the economy and immigration. those are expected to take center stage at tonight's debate along with reproductive rights and foreign policy. the two presidential contenders

appear to have taken different approaches to preparation. president biden has landed in atlanta, but before that he was hunkered down in camp david for about a week holding preparatory sessions with white house aides and campaign advisors. cbs reports the president has also joined a mock tv debate with his personal attorney playing the role of his opponent . donald trump meanwhile, has reportedly taken a less traditional approach, his preparations included in formal policy discussions in private meetings with his allies. stan in contrast to president biden, trump has spent much of the last week on the campaign trail. he had lent a rally in philadelphia this weekend where he appeared to poll his audience on debate strategy. fmr. pres. trump: should i be tough or nasty and say, you are the worst president in history? or, should i be nice and calm let him speak? [applause]

anyway, it would be a good -- i am sure he will be prepared. katrina: thursday's debate breaks with tradition. for the first time in more than three decades, it's not being sponsored or organized by the commission on presidential debates due to disagreements with both campaigns. instead, cnn will be the first network to be the sole sponsor of a general election presidential debate. the 90 minute debate kicks off at 9:00 p.m. eastern. we expect president biden to enter from the right side of the stage, while former president trump will enter from the left side. they will take to their podiums which are about eight feet apart and directly in front of the two moderators. this year the debate has no audience, but it will feature timing lights, and microphones will be muted. when the lights flashing yellow, candidates have 15 seconds to finish their statements. when the light/red, candidates

have 10 seconds. when they are solid red, their time is up. when that happens, the candidate's microphone will be muted and the other candidate's microphone will be turned on. there will be no opening statements. there will be two minutes to respond to questions. in the run-up to the debate, ads attacking each other.ased trump campaign announced two new ads to run during the debates, the first, entitled "promises," in which his campaign attacks the biden administration's record for the economy, immigration and crime. the other is entitled "who is laughing now and it takes aim at president biden's mental acuity and age. the president is 81 and donald trump is 78. separately the biden-harris campaign is launching what it says is a seven -- sager media blitz on news websites

social media platforms and a full page printout in usa today: the former president is self-centered criminal. the biden campaign hopes that sprawling commercial post will show donald trump that someone only working for himself, they say, in contrast with mister biden as a president dedicated to the american people. let's speak now to our guest, kevin munoz is the national president biden i-24 campaign spokesperson. thank you for joining us. what is joe biden doing? he arrived in atlanta with a couple of hours to go. guest: he is expected to be in atlanta. georgia was a huge state for him in 2020 and will be a huge state in 2025. he has already met with supporters. this is an important moment in this debate. we know voters haven't yet been thinking about november yet and we need to make sure they understand the stakes. the stakes of the selection when it comes to their democracy, to

their right to make their own decisions and to building a country where the economy works for every single person and not just the rich like donald trump wants. katrina: joe biden has a very poor and favorability rating though, of what you describe doesn't seem to be landing with supporters. how does he plan to address that tonight? guest: the only. it matters to us is on election day of 2024. we know that our agenda is a winning agenda and when you put it on the ballot box, it wins. donald trump and his extreme agenda of a national abortion ban, of cutting taxes for millionaires, of taking away the affordable care act, it loses. but, look, this will be in close elections. it's about which campaign will put in the work on the ground and earned the support of battleground voters. look at this week alone from joe biden's campaign, more than 1600 events across battleground states.

a 50 million dollar advice for the month of june alone. these things win elections and donald trump is not doing any of that. katrina: we have seen from the do campaign this week in particular, a sharp focus on joe biden's age and commentary abou how he will sustain himself through tonight's debate. if the former president himself brings the bat, how do you expect by to respond to that? guest: guest: i would remember that in 2020, joe biden debated donald trump twice, beat him twice, then he beat them at the ballot box by 7 million votes, the most amounfor a presidential ticket in history. so the, look, this election is much bigger than these two candidates. this is about who is fighting for the american people, who is making their lives better, and that is what our voters will care about tonight. and when you look at this president's's agenda, what he has gotten done in a gridlocked

washington, he has oy been able to get it done, like the infrastructure law, lowering prescription drugs, because joe biden knows how washington works. that is not something to donald trump will be able to defend our guest tonight. katrina: we know tonight will be different. aside from the timing, there will be no life of your audience, microphones will be muted. has that changed how the president is preparing for tonight debate or how he might handle things? guest: i think the president is more sadder than anybody to debate. donald trump, peak may come one way or, another way. what is important is donald trump either we will have to defend his extreme and unpopular policy positions. what we know and what we think the american people deserve is a debate on the merits. a debate focused on the issues that matter to the american people when they come home at night, not another spectacle likely got from trumpian 2020. so we are confident the moderators will moderate and we

will have a productive night. katrina: of course there is a focus on what happens tonight but it is still a long way off to november what were the president be doing when things wrap up here? guest: he is heading straight to battleground state north carolina to talk to voters across a state where donald trump is really vulnerable because he has paved the way for an extreme abortion ban that has been empowered by his maga apostles across the state. and joe biden will post his biggest gravity to date, to talk to these motors about not just tonight debate, but about the state of this november. but you're completely right, this election will not be won that one moment, it will be won by doing the work every single day. organizing on the ground, talking to voters every single day and that is what this campaign is committed to. katrina: all right, kevin giannis, national campaign

spokesperson for biden's 2024 campaign, thank you for joining us on bbc news. well, this will, of course, be a historic rematch for the two candidates, who left squared off in 2020. they now have presidential records that voters can judge when going to the ballot box this november. we have heard from joe biden's campaign. let's hear now from donald trump's campaign. i am joined by a republican u.s. congressman from florida, representative byron donalds. thank you for joining us. we have been talking about president biden's campaign. tell us about trump's preparation. guest: he knows about the issues. he has been on the campaign trail for months, talking to the american people, talking with advisors. his rep has been an engagement. engagement with everybody our country. and that is hearing from people

about what is going on in america. obviously, he observed it knowing what is going on in the business world. he will come in tonight talking about the issues that are hurting every man and woman in america, especially the working class in our country. katrina:. katrina: you mentioned that the trial in manhattan that kept him off the campaign trail, that will likely come up tonight, how is he going to address that, how is he going to convince people he still has the character to be president, although he is a convicted criminal now? guest: what happened in lower manhattan was a travesty of our justice system. and under the rule of law if you are going to try somebody, you have to tell them what they are being accused of. george marchand never did that. how can you mount a defense? this goes way past criminal law. you're talking about kamala practices as far back as the magna carta in 2015.

we think his constitutional rights were violated -- we believe. number one. . number two, people in america believe this is politically motivated. the only reason the case was brought was to interfere in the 2024 election, and the response of the american people by their donation to donald trump, record ndraising since that verdict in lower manhattan, demonstrates the american people do not buy it. . they know his right were violated. they know it will be overturned on appeal. if everybody knows that, why would the case come forward in the first place, except to interfere with the selection? katrina: we will not preempt what will happen in the court on appeal, but in terms of what happens tonight, we know do not compromise the big audience, the big rallies. he feeds off the crowds. there will not be an audience with that. how does he cope with that? guest: the big question is what is there no crowd? that is because joe biden cannot have anybody disrupt his train of thought. katrina: the donald trump

campaign agreed to these conditions. everyone is in agreement d the people have the option not to agree. they did. we are really are and the conditions tonight are the conditions that have been agreed to by the trump campaign. guest: it's important to note that these are the conditions laid out by joe biden. why? he can't have people in the room who will give their respons trumpet showing up and he will do this debate because he has been saying, he will debate joe biden any, anyplace, no matter the weather, no matter the conditions, it could be in the rain or in the studio. joe biden can't do that. it really does show up no matter what the parameters are. katrina: despite what the polls shows, we have -- this time. what we'll do not from time to people that maybe is positive to help h them to for him? guest: he has been doing that the past two years, he has been

focused on the forgotten man and woman in america, that have been his focus the entire time. you have to understand, with donald trump, a lot of the criticism is coming from a media-driven narrative, democrats-driven narratives. from the steel dossier to russia, russia, all that stuff proven to be lies and manufactured distraught the american people from the choices in front of them. what you have in this election is very simple, two men have been president, both have track records. who did the better job? without question, it is donald trump. katrina: the choice we have not heard from former president trump yet is his choice for vice president. you were on the longest, we are led to believe. donald trump also said his vice presidential pig is here at the debate in atlanta. anything you want to tell us? is it you? guest: donald trump will make a decision. the key thing is the list of people, anyone of them will be a

significant upgrade over kamala harris. >> all of us want one thing. we want donald trump back in the white house, we want to win in november and we want to get this country back on track. katrina: congressman byron donalds from florida, living in the same state as the president is, making his way to atlanta, we appreciate your time. guest: thank you. katrina: and we will be airing the cnn presidential debate simulcast here on the bbc news channel and also at the bc news website and app, live at 9:00 p.m. eastern time, so tune in. special coverage will start at 8:00 p.m. eastern time, this year presidential debate getting underway at 9:00 p.m. so the atmosphere is building here in the spin room behind me. once the debate that is, we will have lots of analysis for you. this will be filled up with supporters of the two candidates. they will be here talking to

everyone and anyone and there is a large collection of media here in to second yes, this debate. it's a key battleground state, georgia itself. . we are a georgia tech university in atlanta. it's estate joe biden one, by fewer than 50,000 votes in 2020 -- it is a state that joe biden won by fewer than 15,000 votes in 2020. and it is a long way off to november 5. this is the first debate. there is a second was set for september 10. we can talk about everything that will go on between now and november. i am joined by molly, senior political correspondent, just joining us now. it's a tight space, slipped in so we can see you. [laughter] an event we have just been speaking to representatives

from both campaigns and everybody is high-energy. it's a really significant moment in this election cycle, isn't it? guest: it may be the most important presidential debate in decades, one of the most important we have seen in any campaign since i have been covering them. because this is a race that is stuck in neutral. it has been essentially tied in the polls for a year now, neither candidate able to break out because you just noted, both of them disliked by a majority of americans who wish they had different choices. so the polls have been virtually tied and not moving for a long time, so the reason we are having this debate so early on the calendar is because both candidates hope to shake out the race and do something that could change in voters' perceptions of them a get some momentum in one direction. katrina: how are they going to do that? they both have that track record of what they are going to do as president so it makes it harder

to see what you would do. guest: exactly, they are both well-known and i think that is why they have both had such a difficult time changing perceptions ofhem to date. i do know what they are going to do, i hope they do something we don't expect. i hope there is news for us to cover. there are different directions they could take it. it'll be interesting to have a debate with the audience and also -- without the audience and with microphones that can be muted. donald trump's involves a lot of interesting. you may not be able to do that tonight and some advisors hopefully may hope that it causes them not to look so aggressive, some voters do not like that aggressive persona. joe biden being president wants to seem presidential, have gravitas, and because his age is such a concern, he wants to seem energetic, to prove he is up for the job. katrina: and the rheric between both of them has been quite negative in recent times particularly, this week trump campaign surrogates have been

going on the point of age and energy and, do you think we will see quite personal jabs and jibes tonight? guest: you do see both campaigns previewing it quite personal approach to this. on the one hand, many of trump's advisors again believe he will do better to rise above and make it about the issues. but i have been covering donald trump for nearly a decade now and i have never seen him do that. on the bite inside, too, they sought to make this about character, about trump's criminal conviction, also striking him in a personal weight rather than focusing primarily on governing about on the issues. so i trust moderators will be trying to hit both of those subject areas -- the voters, in my experience, they want to know both. they want to know, what kind of man is this and can i trust him to lead to? but they want to know about policy and how they might govern the country going forward. katrina: and that might be what we are to, how concerned people

are about the future of america. whether it is about the economy, kitchen-table issues, or even this debate about the future of democracy is love. guest: exactly, consistently the most important issues are immigration, and the economy, specifically immtion. the biden campaign would prefer to work on the issues they believe are stronger for them, the issue of democracy, talking about trump's conduct on january 6, talking about institutions and norms, and also about abortion. there was an abortion from the supreme court today. i am positive it will come up tonight. but it is uncomfortable a subject for both these candidates, trump has been running away from the unpopular republican position on abortion. joe biden, while his campaign has made into it, he is himself uncomfortable talking about that issue.

katrina: indeed. we don't have much longer to wait. political correspondent with the wall street journal, thank you so much for joining us. guest: thank you. katrina: let's turn to other important news, u.s. supreme court released rulings on thursday in separate cases, on enronmental regulations, an, opiate settlement and as we have been discussing, emergency abortion care. it moved by the abortion ban, which allows exceptions for the ce, but not the health of the mother, may not enforced in medical emergencies. the case centered around a federal law requiring hospitals to provide stabilizing treatment to any patient to arise an emergency medical condition. following the decision, president by the celebrated, saying noblemen should be denied care made to wait until she's ar death, or forced to flee her home state just to receive the health care she needs. this should never happen in america, he said. the supreme court also blocked a

settlement and bankruptcy plan between purdue pharma and victims of the opioid epidemic that. settlement would have provided billions of dollars to address the opioid crisis, while shielding for doing pharma wealthy family owners from lawsuits. five of the nine justices sided with the biden administration in objecting to the agreement, suggesting it was a misuse of the bankruptcy protection system to free the owners, the sackler family, from future liability, without consent from those with claims. the company, which is blamed for fueling the uso. crisis, pleaded guilty ta federal felony over its pale oxycontin. protests continued in kenya on thursday after the president urged lawmakers to scrap the controversial finance bill. police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at crowds giving repeated skirmishes in the capital of nairobi.

businesses in the city center have remained closed. on thursday, the most vicious forced presidents ruto to abandon support for the hugely unpopular bill which would have brought new taxes. at least 30 people have been killed by police in recent days. our bang sent this update from nairobi. reporter: the city center is basically shut down, you can see a w people walking around and a few cars, but the situation is different than it was on tuesday when protesters flooded the streets. some of them stormed parliament and set it on fire. now they are trying to gather in small groups, but police fired they are scattered.sed them. certainly way fewer than on tuesday. also, the security forces far out in much greater strength. the military has joined together with the police. they are more organized and more effective at keeping people out of the city center. then, too, the movement that has been protesting against the tax bill, led by the youth, is

divided now on how to proceed because essentially they won, presidents ruto ceded to their demands. some say they don't want to come out in protest anymore, they went to see about his offer of having dialogue with the youth. others are afraid because some were shot dead on tuesday. others say it's no longer just about the finance bill, people have died. they don't trust the president, they say he has to go, so they have increased their demand. katrina: that is it for world news america from atlanta. remember, you can watch the cnn presidential debate live here on bbc news and also on our website and our announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

cunard is a proud supporter of public television. announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

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