First Presidential Debate, Biden Pardons LBGTQ+ Veterans, Failed Coup In Bolivia

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Tonight will be the first time a president and a former president debate each other, and it's the first presidential debate of the election season.

What will the two candidates try to do on that debate stage? I'm Michelle Martin, that's Laila Fadal, and this is up first from NPR News.

Aside from preparing for tonight's debate, President Biden is also pardoning nearly 2,000 veterans, the U.S. vets, who were criminally charged or removed from service because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Why is this happening? More than a decade after, Don't Ask, Don't Tell was repealed, plus, there was a dramatic.

Failed coup in Bolivia yesterday that ended with a top military commander in prison. We'll get into the details and what it means for the South American nation. Stay with us, We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

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The only thing in my mind was, don't screw this up. How to apply sports psychology to everyday life on the Ted Radio Hour Podcast from NPR. When President Biden and former President Donald Trump take the stage tonight, it will mark the first time a sitting president and a former president have ever.

Debated CNN is hosting the first presidential debate of this election season at its Atlanta studios. The candidates are expected to discuss a range of issues that have already surfaced on the campaign trail, including inflation.

The border, abortion and the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. NPR White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez is here to talk about the politics, policies and personalities. Good morning, Good morning Laila. So Franco, let's start with the big picture, the debate.

And you know, each of them is really trying to kind of shake up the trajectory of this election. I mean, that really not many Americans are enthusiastic about. I mean, Biden really wants to show that he can still command the stage, and his team really wants to draw a clear contrast between him and Trump. I mean, they want Americans to see this race. Less as kind of a referendum on his own policies, and more of a clear choice between his vision and that of Trump's. So what about Trump's vision?

Yeah, even though there are a few years apart here.

Where do you expect Biden and Trump to attack each other? Well, Trump's gonna attack Biden on the economy, particularly inflation. Trump will also zero in on the border. Biden wants more of a conversation on protecting democracy, as well as abortion and reproductive rights. Which has really been a big issue for Democrats ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago. Now.

There's a bit of a new format. No audience Muted mics play into the debate. Trump feeds off an audience. I imagine a muted mic might hurt him as well.

Yeah, I mean. Most political strategists agree that the format will largely hurt Trump because of those reasons about how he feeds off large crowds. But some Republicans actually tell me that the mute button could actually help Trump temper some of his worst instincts. They really feel Trump kind of lost his first debate four years ago because he kind of bulldozed over Biden. And he won't be able to do that this time. John McHenry, a pollster with North Star Opinion Research, told me that many Americans really like Trump's policies, but just not his abrasiveness. That's sort of the hang-up. And if he can overcome that in this first debate, that makes us a very long climb back for Joe Biden heading into this fall.

Will he overcome that? Will Trump hold back? I mean, it might be wishful thinking.

I mean, he sure wasn't indicating that he'd play along when he was talking this weekend in Philadelphia.

How should I handle him, should I be tough and nasty, or should I be?

Should I be? she say, no? Should I be tough and nasty and just say, you're the worst president in history, or should I be nice and calm and let him speak?

And I can tell you that Biden campaign is preparing for a more disciplined Trump this evening.

How is the Trump team preparing?

I mean, look, they are almost praising Biden right now, calling him a worthy debater. Which is really a clear effort to kind of flip the script. After setting the bar so low for Biden. I mean, for months, Trump has been charging that Biden can barely walk or even stitch two sentences together, and now they're claiming the media is lowering the bar. So, really, a lot of mudslinging. NPR's Franco Ordonez Thanks, Franco.

Thank you. Join us tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern 6 p.m. Pacific for live special coverage of the CNN Presidential debate simulcast on NPR News.

Yes, the pardons affect LGBTQ plus veterans who had been criminally charged and removed from service because of their sexual orientation. In a statement, President Biden said He was, quote writing, an historic wrong by using my clemency authority to pardon many former service members who were convicted simply for being.

Themselves unquote. With me now for more on this is and Marshall Chalmers, an investigative journalist at The Warhorse, a nonprofit newsroom that covers the military. Thanks for being here morning, thank you, good morning. So I want to start with the why.

Yeah, I think that's a question on a lot of people's minds. Because, as you said, you know, this sort of. The latest anti-LGBTQ policy that was within the military, don't ask, don't tell, was repealed long ago. Administration officials would only say that this is something he's been thinking about for a very long time. It is Pride Month. So that could have been, you know, something that spurred his decision to do this, but it's. It's still a little unclear as to why now.

And for people who might not remember, just remind us what exactly changed in federal law in 2013?

Right, so, prior to that, there, in the uniform Code of Military Justice, there was this one article in there called Article 125, that outlawed sodomy, or quote, unnatural copulation. Even in consensual relationships. And in 2013, as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, that language around consensual same-sex relationships was taken out. But before that, you know, for 60 years, yeah, even in same-sex relationships. If someone was discovered as gay, that could lead to convictions, even prison time and a lifetime being blocked from veterans benefits now.

You've spoken to gay veterans who were hurt by this law when they heard this announcement, what did they think?

You know, initially, there there's an excitement, right? I mean, this is a historic move. This is something that acknowledges, you know, a very painful, discriminatory past within the military. At the same time, you know. It should be noted that this pardon is pretty narrow. it only applies to veterans who were convicted under that article 125..

What has the military said about the clemency announcement, or how has it?

Responded Yeah, you know, they haven't really provided any sort of comment. They did point reporters to a newly created website, as of yesterday. That has all sorts of resources for veterans interested in a pardon and how to go about that.

And so that is the most that they've said about this. And Marshall Chalmers, an investigative journalist with The Warhorse, thank you so much.

Thank you.

Up next, we go to the South American country of Bolivia, where a top military general attempted to overthrow the government.

Yes, the chaotic episode unfolded yesterday. Over a period of about three hours. Armed soldiers stormed the governmental palace in the administrative capital of Paz, at one point, ramming the front door with an armored vehicle. The failed coup was put down quickly and a top general was arrested for more on the turmoil.

We turn to NPR South America correspondent Carrie Khan. Hi, Carrie, Hi. So sounds like a fast and furious turn of events in Bolivia. What do we know about this general and his attempts to oust the current president in government?

His name is a Juan Jose Zuniga, and until recently he was the top military commander of the Armed Forces, and he was just stripped of that command. He came to the main governmental plaza in La Paz late yesterday, was flanked by soldiers, mass security personnel and several armored vehicles. He was asked if he was overthrowing the government, and he rambled on about saving the country, releasing political prisoners and vowing to install a real democracy.

Streets wait. So did the general just turn around and leave?

Pretty much so. The president held a brief ceremony, appointed a new commander. Arce criticized what he called bad soldiers and praised the new leader as soon after the general was arrested again live on TV, and Arce came out and rallied supporters.

I'm just trying to get my head around all of these turns and just three hours. Were there any indications that such drama and attempted coup was going to take place?

Bolivia has been racked by protests, mostly about the dismal economy that's struggling. There's a scarcity of dollars and food shortages. Arce is unpopular and has been accused of making some undemocratic moves, especially with the opposition. Somewhere in jail. And he's locked in this very public political fight with his once mentor, the former leftist president of Bolivia, Ava Murder Alice. They're fighting over control of the ruling party and who will be next year's presidential candidate. Eduardo Gamara, Bolivia expert at Florida International University, says this win over the failed coup will probably boost the president's popularity.

But just temporarily, he still has the worst economy in the last, at least.

25 years and now there's a crisis of basic food supplies, and especially in the city of La Paz and.

The president still has to deal with the very popular Abel Morales, who can mobilize large groups of supporters.

And so what happens now? Especially with that general?

The attorney general's opened an investigation into the coup and says there will be more arrests of those who participated. There's already a lot of speculation and conspiracies milling about who ordered the coup, and why did the general and his troops back down so quickly? And given Bolivia's history of coups and attempted coups, this run-up to the presidential elections will undoubtedly be a rocky one.

Before we let you go this morning, we do have one more story for you. A Supreme Court opinion, which was briefly posted on a court's website yesterday, indicated that the court will temporarily allow abortions in medical emergencies in Idaho. It's unclear, however, whether the inadvertently posted opinion, which was first reported by Bloomberg News, is the court's final decision. More Supreme Court opinions are expected to be released today while we wait for a final confirmation from the court. You can follow up on this story and others at NPR. org.

I'm Leila Falden and I'm Michelle Martin. And how about giving? Consider this from NPR a listen, that's a deep dive into one story. Today, we'll talk about the Trump Biden debate. For a lot of voters, the Trump Biden rematch is not exciting to say the least. But with the candidates nearly even in the latest polls and undecided voters on the line, the debate could offer the candidates opportunities and risks.

Today's episode of Up First was edited by Megan Pratt's, Lisa Thompson, Tara Neal and H.G. My. It was produced by Zad Butch, Chris Thompson and Nina Kravinsky. We get engineering support from Robert Rodriguez, and our technical director is that Coleman join us again tomorrow.

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