新选组

周三，美国总统拜登与前总统特朗普宣布，将在即将到来的6月与9月举行两场备受瞩目的总统竞选辩论。首场辩论定于6月27日，由CNN主办；次场辩论则定于9月10日，由ABC承办。    Israeli officials are planning to ask US President Joe Biden for his formal blessing to provide an Iron Beam laser-based air defense system to Gulf Arab states including the United Arab Emirates and possibly Saudi Arabia, Israel’s Channel 12 has reported.,The unsourced Hebrew-language report, cited by the Times of Israel, indicated the delivery of the system to the Gulf countries would assist with the US-led push to ramp up air defense cooperation between Tel Aviv and a loose regional coalition including Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.,The Jewish State does not have formal diplomatic relations with the latter two country, and Riyadh has repeatedly stated that it would not establish formal ties with Israel until the Palestinian question and the creation of a Palestinian state was settled.,On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing US and Middle Eastern sources, that the Pentagon had organized a hush-hush meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in March to discuss ways to improve air defense cooperation against Iranian ballistic missiles and drones. The meeting was said to have been chaired by then-US Central Command chief Frank McKenzie, and attended by top military commanders from Israel and the Arab countries who were invited.,Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who announced the formation of a regional anti-Iranian air defense alliance last week, appeared to signal the veracity of WSJ’s reporting on Monday, saying Israel was “building” a “wide partnership with additional countries in the region to ensure a secure, stable and prosperous Middle East,” and that “among other things, this also includes aerial defense.”,Israel Creating 'Middle East Air Defense Alliance' Under US' Wing, Defense Minister Says20 June, 11:03 GMT,“We will strengthen this, as a stable Middle East is an international, regional and Israeli interest of the highest order,” Gantz said.,Iran’s military also appeared to issue an indirect response to WSJ’s report, with Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri warning Monday that Tehran “will not tolerate” the threats posed by Israel and its cooperation with CENTCOM, and “will definitely react to them.”,Israel has long touted the purported advanced capabilities of its so-called ‘Iron Beam’ laser-based air defense system, a prototype of which was unveiled last year. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the “game-changer” weapon would shift the balance in Israel’s favor, with the estimated $2 in electricity required per burst to intercept enemy rockets just a drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of dollars a rocket might cost. Bennett expressed hope that the system would come online by 2023.,‘Iron Beam’: Israel’s New Laser Air Defence System ‘Will Bankrupt Enemies’, Bennett Says1 June, 11:44 GMT,Last week, Breaking Defense reported that Israel would ask Biden for more money Iron Beam’s development, on top of the $3.3 billion in annual US subsidies already received by the Israeli military and defense establishment. The outlet’s sources indicated that Israel will likely ask the US president to shell out about $300 million in additional cash.,“The relations between the US and Israel are solid. The issues that will be on the table during the visit are of utmost importance to both the US and Israel. I’m confident that the talks will be fruitful to both sides,” a senior defense source told the outlet.,During his trip to the Middle East next month, Biden is expected to tour an Israeli airbase and get a firsthand look at the prototype laser weapons being developed by Israeli defense giants Rafael and Elbit Systems.,Lasers for use against aircraft, missiles, drones, ships, and ground equipment have been on the drawing board of weapons developers since the Cold War, with engineers spending decades mulling over the prospects of replacing conventional missile and shell projectiles with the futuristic beam pulse. But energy-directed weapons have long faced what have previously been deemed unsolvable issues, such as the immense amounts of power required to operate them, as well as interaction between combat lasers and natural phenomena such as rain, fog, smog or dust, all of which dissipates their strength.,Last month, US weapons maker Raytheon reported that its own laser weapon, fitted aboard an Army Stryker vehicle, had successfully downed incoming mortar rounds in testing.,Raytheon Laser Weapon on Stryker Vehicle Succeeds at Shooting Down Incoming Mortar Shells19 May, 22:19 GMT。这两场辩论的确定，为即将到来的总统竞选对峙奠定了重要基础，并预示着两位候选人在短短数周内就将首次正面交锋。

在民主党宣布退出由历史悠久的无党派委员会主办的秋季总统辩论后，双方迅速就辩论时间达成了一致。拜登的竞选团队建议媒体直接组织辩论，与民主党和共和党候选人直接对话。第一场辩论安排在6月下旬，而第二场辩论则计划在9月提前投票开始前进行。特朗普在其真相社交网站上积极回应，表示他已准备好并愿意在拜登提议的时间辩论。

不久后，拜登接受了CNN的邀请，确认参加6月27日的辩论，并公开向特朗普发起挑战：“交给你了，唐纳德。

二 | 正如你所说：随时随地。”特朗普也在《Truth Social》上确认了他的出席，并激动地写道：“让我们准备好隆隆作响吧！！！”

紧接着，双方又敲定了在ABC上的第二场辩论。特朗普在《真相社会》上表示，接受此次辩论是他的“莫大荣幸”。拜登也随即回应，表示他已收到并接受了邀请，并幽默地表示：“特朗普说他会自己安排交通工具，那我也带上我的飞机。我计划再保留四年。”

然而，尽管在辩论的时间上达成了共识，但双方在如何组织辩论的关键问题上仍存在分歧。这包括主持人的选择、辩论规则的制定等——正是这些问题促使了1987年总统辩论委员会的成立。

拜登的竞选团队提议将包括小罗伯特·F·肯尼迪在内的第三方候选人彻底排除在辩论之外。根据辩论委员会的规则，如果肯尼迪或其他第三方候选人能够获得足够的选票以获取270张选举人票，并在一系列全国民意调查中获得15%或更高的支持率，他们将被允许参加辩论。

三 |

CNN方面表示，辩论将在亚特兰大的演播室举行，并且“不会有观众到场”。

四 | 至于主持人的选择和其他细节，该公司表示将在稍后公布。如果肯尼迪或任何其他候选人满足了与辩论委员会类似的投票和准入要求，CNN将为他们的参与敞开大门。

就在周三早上，特朗普还表达了他希望有大量现场观众的愿望。他坚定地说：“我强烈建议举行两场以上的辩论，并且需要一个非常大的场地，尽管据说拜登害怕人群，那只是因为他不喜欢人群。

五 | ”他进一步表示：“告诉我什么时候，我就到。”

特朗普一直积极推动更多的辩论和更早的辩论，他坚信选民应该在9月份提前投票开始之前看到两位候选人的直接对峙。他多次表示，他将“随时随地”与拜登辩论，甚至提议两人在曼哈顿法院外对峙，这恰好是他目前因封口费案而接受刑事审判的地方。

六 | 此外，他还在一些集会上用空讲台来嘲笑拜登。

拜登的竞选团队长期以来对无党派辩论委员会持批评态度，他们认为该委员会在2020年的总统辩论中未能公正地执行规则。其中最引人关注的是，该委员会对特朗普及其随行人员未能严格执行新冠检测规则，这令拜登团队深感不满。

七 | 因此，拜登团队与电视网络和一些共和党人进行了多轮会谈，共同探讨如何摆脱辩论委员会对总统辩论的垄断控制。

周三，拜登竞选团队主席珍·奥马利·狄龙向总统辩论委员会发出一封公开信，明确表达了对委员会所选秋季辩论日期的反对。她指出，这一日期安排与部分美国人的投票时间重叠，重复了特朗普竞选团队的抱怨。

八 | 同时，她对委员会在规则执行上的疏忽，以及坚持在现场观众面前举行辩论的决定表示了深深的失望。

狄龙在信中强调：“辩论的本质应是为了美国选民的利益，让他们能在电视或家中观看，而不是作为现场观众与喧闹或破坏性的党派和捐助者一起娱乐。我们呼吁回归1960年最初的电视辩论形式，即只有候选人和主持人的电视演播室，这是一种更好、更具成本效益的方式，能够真正聚焦选民的利益。”

特朗普对辩论委员会的态度同样冷淡。他曾在2016年与希拉里·克林顿的首次辩论中因技术问题表达不满，并在2020年因共和党人感染新冠后取消与拜登的辩论而感到不安。因此，共和党全国委员会已明确表示，在2024年的总统竞选中将不再与该委员会合作。

面对外界的质疑和批评，辩论委员会周三并未立即作出回应。

特朗普竞选团队在5月1日发表声明，强烈反对委员会安排的辩论时间，认为辩论“在提前投票后开始”是“不可接受的”。他们强调，选民应在投票前听取候选人的意见。

狄龙再次强调，辩论应该是候选人之间一对一的对决，让选民能够直接比较两位在选举团中具有获胜机会的候选人，而不是将时间浪费在那些没有成为总统前景的候选人身上。

肯尼迪在一份声明中直言不讳地指出，特朗普和拜登“联手将美国推入了一场70%的人表示不希望发生的正面对决”。

九 | 他指责两位候选人试图将他排除在辩论之外，是因为他们担心自己会赢得选民的支持。

十 | 他强调：“将可行的候选人排除在辩论舞台之外，无疑是对民主制度的严重破坏。”

在辩论准备阶段，拜登和特朗普在社交媒体上展开了激烈的口水战。双方都声称自己在2020年的最后一次辩论中取得了胜利。拜登在X上发帖称：“唐纳德·特朗普在2020年输给了我两场辩论，从那之后他就再也没有勇气面对我。现在他却表现得好像很想再次与我辩论。

十一 | 好吧，那就让我开心点吧，朋友。”特朗普则回应称拜登是“我遇到过的最糟糕的辩手，他连两个句子都说不清楚！”

民主党总统拜登在上个月接受电台主持人霍华德·斯特恩采访时首次表示愿意与特朗普进行辩论，并告诉他：“我已经做好了准备，虽然我不知道具体的时间。但我很乐意与他进行一场公平的对决。”上周，他再次表示自己正在积极准备辩论，并在离开白宫活动时对记者说：“请尽快安排吧。”