In the United States, speaking freely about Israel’s war on Gaza often has a price.
For expressing their opinions on the Israel-Palestine, many Muslim Americans and Arab Americans have paid a hefty price, including the loss of jobs and suspension from college.
Universities across the US are also cracking down on student activism.
Since the beginning of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has received double the usual amount of reports of bias and requests for help, according to the executive director, Nihad Awad.
Speaking to host Steve Clemons, Awad warns that as the Israeli narrative continues “falling apart”, more attempts to dehumanise the Palestinian people will be seen.
Actor revealed in 2012 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Ryan O’Neal, the Oscar-nominated star of the 1970 romantic drama, Love Story, has died at the age of 82, his son has said.
Patrick O’Neal said in a post on Instagram on Friday that his father had passed away peacefully.
“This is the toughest thing I’ve ever had to say but here we go. My dad passed away peacefully today, with his loving team by his side supporting him and loving him as he would us,” O’Neal said, adding that his father “has always been my hero”.
No cause of death was given. O’Neal said in 2012 that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, but the prognosis was good.
O’Neal, an amateur boxer-turned-actor, broke into the entrainment business in 1964 when he bagged a role in the prime-time television soap opera Peyton Place.
During the 1970s, O’Neal became known as one of Hollywood’s leading heartthrobs, starring in films including What’s Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, and Barry Lyndon.
O’Neal’s most celebrated turn came in the 1970 romantic drama, Love Story, opposite Ali MacGraw, for which he received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
O’Neal, who was twice divorced, was also known for his decades-long tumultuous romance with late actress Farrah Fawcett.
The couple split in 1997 but reunited a few years later, and he was at Fawcett’s side during her battle with cancer.
O’Neal fathered actors Griffin O’Neal and Tatum O’Neal with his first wife, Joanna Moore, and had son Patrick with his second wife, Leigh Taylor-Young.
Their bid is expected to face competition from other potential hosts such as Brazil and a trio of European nations.
The United States and Mexico have announced a joint bid to host the Women’s World Cup in 2027, looking to build on their successful campaign to co-host the Men’s World Cup, alongside Canada, in 2026.
Football federations from the two nations announced the joint bid on Friday, competing with bids from other potential hosts such as Brazil and a trio of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
“This is a pivotal time for women’s soccer,” said US Soccer President Parlow Cone. “The US and Mexico are in a unique position to host a World Cup that will leverage the same venues, infrastructure, and protocols used for the Men’s World Cup just a year prior.
“This will not only unlock the economic potential of women’s soccer, it will send a message to young players around the world that there is no limit to what they can achieve.”
The competition to host the 2027 Women’s World Cup follows a 2023 tournament that underscored both the rising popularity and remaining barriers facing women’s football.
Spain secured the victory in that competition, hosted by Australia and New Zealand and seen as an unprecedented success.
But a bright moment for women’s football was quickly soured after Luis Rubiales, the former head of Spain’s football association, forcibly kissed Spanish forward Jenni Hermoso while the team celebrated its victory.
The incident set off a wave of anger and FIFA announced a three-year ban for Rubiales in October.
The US is playing host to both the 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America and the 2026 Men’s World Cup, which it will host along with Mexico and Canada.
The trio of Western European nations put in their bid to host the 2027 tournament earlier on Friday, and Brazil submitted its own bid last month.
“Extensive and detailed consultations between the three federations along with key stakeholders including central governments dates back to 2021,” the Dutch football federation (KNVB) said in a statement accompanying the European nations’ bid.
“This has led to alignment around the belief that our three countries are well placed to stage a FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 of unparalleled quality and impact.”
South Africa initially submitted a bid to host in 2027, but withdrew last month.
The younger Biden is charged for the second time this year amid a heated presidential election campaign.
United States President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, was indicted for multiple counts of tax evasion late on Thursday. Here’s what there is to know:
What are the recent charges against Hunter Biden?
The US Justice Department filed three felony and six misdemeanour tax offences against Biden, 53, on Thursday, according to an indictment filed in the US District Court, Central District of California. He is accused of failing to file and pay taxes, evading tax assessment and making a false or fraudulent tax return, according to court documents presented in Los Angeles.
Biden “engaged in a four-year scheme to not pay at least $1.4 million in self-assessed federal taxes he owed for tax years 2016 through 2019,” the indictment filed in a US district court in central California read.
It further added that Biden instead spent this money on personal expenditures including luxury hotels, cars, clothing and more than $70,000 on drug rehabilitation.
Prosecutors said that between 2016 and October 2020, he received more than $7m in total gross income.
Republican lawmakers have continually slammed the younger Biden for leveraging his family name to make money overseas such as with Burisma, one of the largest gas companies in Ukraine, where he made $2.3m from 2016 to 2019. He has also worked at a Chinese private equity fund. Joe Biden was US vice president from 2009 to 2017.
Has Hunter Biden been indicted before?
Biden is being charged this year for a second time by a special counsel investigating his personal and business dealings.
Previous charges accuse him of illegally owning a handgun alongside two counts of lying about his drug use on a federal application when he purchased the gun.
In July, a plea bargain between Hunter Biden and special counsel David Weiss – which would have erased the gun charges while Biden pleaded guilty to two tax charges and avoided prison – fell apart.
In October, he pleaded not guilty to these charges in Delaware, in the first criminal prosecution of a sitting US president’s child.
Can he face trial and go to jail?
The new charges mean that Hunter Biden could in theory go on trial twice next year. It was not clear when he would appear in court.
If convicted, Biden can face up to 17 years in prison. The Justice Department said its investigation into Biden is continuing.
What are the reactions to Biden’s indictment?
While the White House declined to comment, President Biden has previously insisted he stands by his son despite his past troubled behaviour.
Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said in a statement that his client had repaid his taxes in full, accusing Weiss of renouncing a previous agreement, according to US media. He accused Weiss of “bowing to Republican pressure”.
“If Hunter’s last name was anything other than Biden, the charges in Delaware, and now California, would not have been brought,” Lowell was quoted as saying.
What does this mean for Joe Biden’s 2024 presidential campaign?
This indictment comes as Joe Biden likely faces former US President Donald Trump in the 2024 race for the presidency.
It also comes as congressional Republicans pursue an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, claiming he was engaged in an influence-peddling scheme with his son.
The House is expected to vote next week on formally authorising the inquiry. No evidence has emerged so far to prove that Joe Biden, in his current or previous office, abused his role or accepted bribes, though questions have arisen about the ethics surrounding the Biden family’s international business.
US slaps sanctions on 13 people and entities allegedly involved in efforts to direct funds to the Iran-backed group.
The United States has announced sanctions targeting an Iran-backed network for allegedly providing funding for Yemen’s Houthi rebel group through Iranian commodity sales.
In a statement on Thursday, the US Department of the Treasury said that it was designating 13 people and entities allegedly involved in efforts to funnel tens of millions of dollars to the Houthis.
“The Houthis continue to receive funding and support from Iran, and the result is unsurprising: unprovoked attacks on civilian infrastructure and commercial shipping, disrupting maritime security and threatening international commercial trade,” Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a statement.
The announcement comes as the Houthis, an Iran-backed group that has expanded its influence in Yemen during a protracted civil war, have carried out a series of raids on commercial ships in the region and launched missile and drone attacks on Israel.
The Houthis have said that those attacks are in response to Israel’s assault on Gaza, where it is fighting the Palestinian armed group Hamas.
The Treasury statement says that the network is backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of Iran’s armed forces that carries out clandestine activities, and includes a series of exchange firms in countries including Yemen, Turkey, and St Kitts and Nevis.
The department says that Sa’id al-Jamal, previously sanctioned for alleged activities as a Houthi and Iranian financial facilitator, uses the network of exchange firms to direct funds to the Houthis. Money lenders in Lebanon and Dubai are also listed.
“Treasury will continue to disrupt the financial facilitation and procurement networks that enable these destabilizing activities,” the statement reads.
Claire Chang, a visual merchandiser at sports goods retailer REI’s flagship location in New York City, was drawn to the company because of her then-blossoming love of the outdoors.
After working in an office setting, she said she looked for something a little less stressful. That’s what brought her to REI where she has now worked for six years.
The company, considered to be a progressive beacon in corporate America known for its support of sustainability and Indigenous rights, among other issues, aligned with her interests and values. However, starting in October 2020, Chang says that began to change for her.
At the time, Chang and her colleagues pushed the company for increased health and safety protection amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, she was part of the first store to vote to unionise.
She felt that the Washington state-based cooperative retailer, formally known as Recreational Equipment Inc, has dragged its feet on union negotiations since then. Chang says they are still fighting for their first union contract, and negotiations started in June 2022.
That began a long and drawn-out battle between her colleagues and the company – a fight that is anything but over, and in early November, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) filed a complaint on behalf of the workers with the National Labor Relations Board.
The complaint alleges the sporting goods cooperative took actions that RWDSU referred to as “emotional manipulation and retaliatory actions against workers, such as firings, changes to work schedules and disciplinary practices”.
Banking on REI’s reputation as a progressive company, Chang says she hoped they would operate in good faith on union negotiations, but that hasn’t been her experience.
“In reality, they [REI] have been fighting us every step of the way from the beginning,” Chang told Al Jazeera.
Chang says she saw surveillance tactics used in her store and alleges that the company brought in senior executives to talk to them.
Last month there were worker walkouts at locations in Minnesota, Massachusetts and Illinois.
That was in response to what the RWDSU said was the “retailer’s decision to unilaterally restructure jobs and working conditions in all of its stores”.
In mid-October, the company eliminated 275 jobs.
Meanwhile, REI changed law firms amid the negotiations, which she says essentially started the process all over again, while the 85-year-old company reported a record $3.85bn in sales in 2022.
In an investor release, the company said that “in 2022, REI put an additional $50 million toward pay raises for hourly employees and delivered another $92 million toward employee retirement and bonuses”.
However, Chang says that was not her experience. She alleges that the company withheld those raises from her location amid union negotiations. REI did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request to confirm the validity of these claims.
Claire Chang, an REI employee, says the retailer has dragged its feet on a union contract [Photo courtesy of Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union]
‘Impact brand loyalty’
From a sales perspective, this year could be much different for the retailer – especially during this quarter, the holiday shopping season.
Thanks to a combination of more public pressure from the company’s already hyper-aware and socially conscious customer base, experts believe this could have an impact on holiday shopping.
“REI has a strong brand image associated with outdoor enthusiasts and a commitment to sustainability. If consumers perceive that the company is not living up to its values in terms of fair treatment of workers, it could erode trust and impact brand loyalty. This might prompt some consumers to reconsider shopping at REI during the holiday season,” said Linda Simpson, professor of financial literacy at Eastern Illinois University.
Chris Brinlee Jr is one of those consumers. Brinlee, who works in the outdoor industry, called out the sporting goods retailer on social media. On the company’s “cyberweek sale” Instagram post, he wrote, “I’d rather not spend any money at REI, ever, than to support a company that’s actively union busting.”
Brinlee Jr has more than 36,000 followers.
“One of the few ways as a consumer we can organise is choosing how and where we spend our money,” Brinlee told Al Jazeera.
“They are clearly acting against the interest of their employees,” he added.
“By going against the union, REI could be seen by its core consumer segments as going against its basic brand identity. Consumers are known to punish brands for transgressions,” Aparna Labroo, Professor of Marketing at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Business, told Al Jazeera.
That is exactly how Brinlee Jr feels. He shopped there easily once a month until he learned about the union-busting allegations at REI, and then he stopped. He says he’d consider returning when the company starts operating in good faith with its workers.
“The impact on consumer sentiment and shopping habits during the holiday season will depend on how the public perceives the union fight, how REI responds to the situation, and the values consumers prioritise when making purchasing decisions,” Simpson said.
Brinlee Jr’s position is far from isolated. Alex Bartolo, a wildlife biologist based in Long Beach, California, is among the other consumers that Al Jazeera spoke to who all say they are limiting or outright boycotting the store. Bartolo also has an REI credit card which he says he intends to cancel.
“I think if REI supported what their employees wanted, operated in good faith negotiations and stopped union busting, I would reconsider my opinion,” Bartolo told Al Jazeera.
REI did not respond to a request for comment.
Slowing economy
Workers across sectors took to picket lines to demand better work conditions [File: Frederic J Brown/AFP]
The confrontations at REI come at a time of an increase in the popularity of unions among ordinary Americans.
According to a Gallup poll in late August, 67 percent of Americans approved of unions. That’s the highest since the 1960s. Workers across sectors – ranging from Starbucks baristas to nurses at Kaiser Permanente healthcare facilities – took to the picket line this year to demand better working conditions.
Chang says she fully expects walkouts throughout the holiday season.
This comes amid a tough moment for retailers broadly because of high-interest rates and a slowing economy, which may push consumers to spend less.
According to a survey from PYMNTS, 77 percent of Americans plan to spend less this holiday season than in years past because of heightened interest rates. Moody’s, too, forecasts modest growth for the retail sector at a 1-3 percent bump – compared with 5.1 percent last year and 14 percent the year prior.
That’s a result of a downturn in spending, and an increase in the number of Americans living paycheck to paycheck. According to PYMNTS, that is 60 percent of Americans.
Labroo argues that sentiment helps the REI union’s momentum.
“People are struggling for liquidity – and when they’re struggling, they also become more acutely aware about how others may be struggling,” Labroo said.
For Chang, that translates into more support from the shopping public as she and her colleagues push for a seat at the table.
Middle East expert Steven Cook says US President Joe Biden made a mistake with his ‘bear hug’ embrace of Israel.
Some US officials have talked about the need to protect innocent Palestinian lives, but US President Joe Biden has said almost nothing.
Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow Steven Cook says it was a mistake for Biden to have offered the “bear hug” – full, unconditional support for Israel.
Now Biden is stuck in a position of supplying Israel with the means to kill more Palestinians while asking Israel to allow basic food and water into Gaza.
Join host Steve Clemons in his wide-ranging conversation with Cook about where the war on Gaza is heading.
The fourth Republican debate of the 2024 United States presidential election boasted chaotic moments and personal attacks, as candidates tussled to present themselves as viable alternatives to former President Donald Trump.
Trump, the undisputed frontrunner for the Republican nomination, skipped the debate once again, but his candidacy, political record and legal woes were targets of recurring criticism on Wednesday.
The event, hosted by the NewsNation channel in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, came six weeks ahead of the first primary contest: the Iowa caucuses. Trump, however, is already leading in the state by a comfortable margin.
Still, four candidates arrived on Wednesday’s debate stage in an attempt to chip away at his lead. They included Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN envoy Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Familiar themes, including the war in Gaza, immigration, China and healthcare for transgender youth, dominated the conversation.
Here are five key takeaways from the fourth Republican debate:
Haley faces attacks
The former UN envoy has seen her campaign surge after she received the endorsement of the Koch network, a deep-pocketed and influential right-wing group.
Some polls now show DeSantis and Haley tied in second place for the Republican nod. So it was no surprise that DeSantis, who has long been considered Trump’s greatest challenger, came out swinging at Haley.
Early on, he questioned her conservative credentials and criticised her for suggesting that parents should be able to get transgender healthcare for their children. The two candidates went on to trade accusations of being soft on China.
Ramaswamy took it from there. He attacked Haley throughout the debate, painting her as a corrupt neoconservative who is beholden to wealthy donors.
It’s no mystery why the establishment is propping up @NikkiHaley & why her Super PAC puppet masters are now bidding for her services again:
+ Her family income *tripled* in her first 5 years after her first election in 2004 + Took hundreds of thousands $ in gifts while governor… pic.twitter.com/lzrY9myxBe
At one point Christie came to Haley’s defence, calling Ramaswamy “the most obnoxious blowhard in America”.
But the Ohio-born businessman was not deterred. Instead, he doubled down on his attacks, repeatedly questioning Haley’s support for aid to Ukraine.
“You can put lipstick on a Dick Cheney, it is still a fascist neo-con,” he said, referring to a former Republican vice president who pioneered the post-9/11 wars.
Ramaswamy’s attacks did not stop there. He later held up a notepad that read “Nikki = corrupt”.
Haley was quick to dismiss the barb. “It’s not worth my time to respond to him,” she said, and the debate moved on.
Trump gets heat from rivals
Christie resumed his role as the most prominent Trump critic on the debate stage, but while none of his rivals matched his zeal, some still took their own modest shots at the former president.
Haley, in particular, criticised government spending under the Trump administration, which approved a massive COVID-19 economic relief package in 2020. She also described Trump as an agent of chaos.
“We have to stop the chaos, but you can’t defeat Democrat chaos with Republican chaos,” Haley said. “And that’s what Donald Trump gives us. My approach is different: no drama, no vendettas, no whining.”
For his part, DeSantis, who burst onto the national scene with his stern defence of Trump, questioned the former president’s electability, suggesting he may be too old to serve in the White House at age 77.
He also argued that Trump did not deliver on his 2016 election promises.
“He didn’t clean up the swamp. He said he was going to drain it. He did not drain it. He said he was going to build a wall and have Mexico pay for it. We don’t have the wall,” DeSantis said.
Trump is leading the race by as many as 40 percentage points, according to some polls.
Donald Trump’s Republican rivals, including Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, criticised him at the debate [File: Mike Blake/Reuters]
Support for Israel
The presidential hopefuls voiced staunch support for Israel in its war in Gaza, which has killed more than 16,000 Palestinians.
If presented with a sound plan by military aides, Christie said he would not hesitate to send US soldiers to rescue American captives in Gaza, who were abducted by Hamas during the October 7 attack.
“If they had bandwidth [and] showed me that we could get them out safely, you’re damn right, I’d send the American army in there to get our people home and get them home now,” Christie said.
Despite President Joe Biden’s unwavering support for Israel, DeSantis accused the US administration of restricting Israel’s war efforts.
“Joe Biden will say they support Israel, and then they do nothing but try to kneecap them every step of the way,” DeSantis said.
It is not clear what he was referring to. The White House has said it is not drawing any red lines to limit Israel’s military actions, and Biden is seeking a $14bn aid package to the US ally.
Haley called for banning TikTok partly over content critical of Israel. “For every 30 minutes that someone watches TikTok every day, they become 17 percent more anti-Semitic, more pro-Hamas,” she said.
The former ambassador added that she would push a new definition of anti-Semitism that would include anti-Zionism.
“If you don’t think that Israel has a right to exist, that is anti-Semitism. We will change the definition, so that every government, every school has to acknowledge the definition for what it is,” she said.
Palestinian rights advocates, including many progressive Jewish groups, have long warned against conflating anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism. They argue it could curb legitimate criticism of the Israeli government without helping the fight against bigotry.
Ramaswamy reiterated his support for Israel but said that the US ally should be able to defend itself without American intervention.
Tough talk on the border, migration
The candidates were largely in agreement on the need to curb unauthorised arrivals at the southern US border.
DeSantis said he would treat drug cartels at the southern US border as “foreign terrorist organisations” and deal with them militarily.
“We need to build a wall across the southern border,” he added, saying that he would pay for it by taxing remittances foreign workers send from the US to their home countries.
Haley said she would ramp up the deportation of migrants who entered the country without authorisation during the Biden presidency.
“My parents came here legally. They put in the time; they put in the price. They are offended by those that are coming illegally. We can’t let them skip the line,” she said.
For his part, Ramaswamy promoted the racist conspiracy theory that Democrats are looking to replace white voters by allowing more immigrants into the country.
“The great replacement theory is not some grand right-wing conspiracy theory but a basic statement of the Democratic Party’s platform,” he said.
China in the crosshairs
The candidates took turns proposing tough policies against China and accusing one another of being weak on Beijing.
Ramaswamy blamed China for the fentanyl crisis in the US and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We also have to hold them accountable with every financial leverage that we have available,” he said.
“If we’re willing to stand with a spine, China will absolutely have to fold because they’re in a tougher spot than we are,” Ramaswamy added.
DeSantis also emphasised Washington’s competition with Beijing.
“Deterring China’s ambitions is the number one national security task that I will do as president, and we will succeed,” he said.
“The 21st century needs to be an American century. We cannot let it be a Chinese century.”
Republican senators in the United States have blocked $106bn in new funding for Ukraine and Israel, rejecting appeals from President Joe Biden amid anger over the exclusion of immigration reforms they had demanded as part of the package.
Biden had earlier warned of dire consequences for Kyiv – and a “gift” to Russia’s Vladimir Putin – if Congress failed to pass the measure, which includes about $61bn to help Ukraine keep up pressure on Russia during the freezing winter months, as well as help for Israel and Gaza.
“They’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process,” Biden said.
The entire 49-strong Republican minority in the upper chamber voted against the proposal, pointing to a lack of government action on the estimated 10,000 migrants crossing from Mexico into the US every day.
“Everyone has been very, very clear on this to say we’re standing firm. Now is the moment,” Senator James Lankford, a lead Republican negotiator on immigration and border issues, told Fox Business ahead of the vote.
“We’re completely out of control at the southern border, and it’s time to resolve this.”
Citing aid for Israel, independent senator Bernie Sanders also voted against the bill, which needed 60 votes to pass.
Biden has earlier pleaded with Republicans over the package, warning that a victory for Russia over Ukraine would leave Moscow in a position to attack NATO allies and draw US troops into a war.
“If Putin takes Ukraine, he won’t stop there,” Biden said. Putin will attack a NATO ally, he predicted, and then “we’ll have something that we don’t seek and that we don’t have today: American troops fighting Russian troops”, Biden said.
“We can’t let Putin win,” he said.
Border security with Mexico has emerged as a major stumbling block to continued support for Ukraine, even as the White House warned this week that funds designated for providing aid to Ukraine would run out by the end of the year.
House and Senate Republicans are backing renewed construction of a border wall, former President Donald Trump’s signature policy, while deeming large numbers of migrants ineligible for asylum and reviving a controversial policy under which asylum seekers are told to remain in Mexico while their immigration case is heard.
Biden said he was willing to make “significant” compromises on the border issue but said Republicans would not get everything they wanted. He did not provide details.
“This has to be a negotiation,” he said.
Clock ticking
Biden, who had discussed Ukraine in a virtual summit with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and G7 leaders earlier on Wednesday, said the US and its allies were prepared to continue supporting Ukraine in its 22-month war against Russia, which currently occupies about a fifth of Ukrainian territory.
Zelenskyy warned the G7 that Moscow was counting on Western unity to “collapse” and said Russia had ramped up pressure on the front lines of the conflict.
The precarious prospects for the aid package had been clear since a classified Ukraine briefing for senators on Tuesday saw several Republicans walk out, angry that there was no talk of border security.
Zelenskyy had been due to address the meeting via video link but cancelled at the last minute.
Senators of both parties have acknowledged the need to move quickly to secure a deal given that Congress has just a handful more days in session before the end of the year.
Republican negotiators were expected to send a new proposal to Democrats after the failed vote.
The president’s willingness to directly engage on the issue carried some political risk with some Democrats and migrant advocates urging him to reject sweeping conservative demands on immigration – which they say are akin to closing the border.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who voted against aid to Kyiv before he took on the job, has made clear he will not agree to send any more money without “transformative” changes to border policy.
“The American people deserve nothing less,” Johnson said in a statement.
The Louisiana Republican has also declared that any Israel aid needs to be offset with spending cuts, a policy Democrats, the White House and most Senate Republicans oppose.
Even amid the disagreement over the new funding package, the US unveiled aid for Kyiv worth $175m from the dwindling supply of money that has already been approved.
It includes HIMARS rockets, shells, missiles and ammunition.
Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley are racing to establish themselves as the obvious alternative to Donald Trump.
US presidential hopefuls are set to take the stage for the fourth debate in the 2024 Republican primary, with the race narrowing to a head-to-head battle to be the main alternative to frontrunner Donald Trump.
Four candidates will be on stage at the University of Alabama for their last scheduled meeting before the Iowa caucuses kick off the United States presidential nominating season next month.
Candidate dropouts and Trump’s clear stance on not attending the debates have left the battle between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
The debate will be held at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa city at 7pm (01:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
Former President Donald Trump is running to retake the White House despite facing 91 felony charges.
Spotlight on Haley and DeSantis
With Trump up by more than 40 percentage points in most opinion polls, DeSantis and Haley are in a rush to establish themselves as the obvious alternative for voters looking to move beyond the former president.
Ramaswamy and Christie will also take the debate stage – but the spotlight will be on DeSantis and Haley.
“The two people on the stage that have a shot at challenging Trump one-on-one are DeSantis and Haley,” said David Kochel, a longtime Republican strategist in Iowa.
DeSantis holds a small advantage over Haley in national polls. But Haley has been closing the gap, and has a substantial edge over DeSantis in New Hampshire and her home state of South Carolina – crucial states in the nomination battle because they’re among the first to pick a nominee.
The two are effectively tied in Iowa, where the first Republican contest will be held on January 15.
Last chance?
With no additional debates currently scheduled, Wednesday’s televised clash could be the last chance for Haley or DeSantis to land lasting blows against their opponents in front of a national audience.
Much of Haley’s momentum has been credited to strong performances in the previous three debates, and she is riding high on a key endorsement from the powerful Koch family and $250,000 from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, a major Democratic donor.
In a sign of the DeSantis camp’s eagerness to gain back ground from Haley, spokesman Bryan Griffin slammed the donation as evidence she is actually “a liberal”.
“She would let corporations set immigration policy, roll out the red carpet for China, hike taxes on hardworking Americans, and require social media users to register with the government,” he said.
Haley received plaudits for the way in which she handled a heated exchange over foreign policy with Ramaswamy during the first debate in August. But more recent exchanges between them have been more of a wash for both candidates, and have devolved into personal attacks.
Former Governor Christie barely met the minimum polling thresholds set by the Republican National Committee to qualify for the debate. The former federal prosecutor once supported Trump, but has become one of his most vocal opponents and will likely attack the former president on stage.
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