in the days that followed his dismal debate performance, joe biden was, by all accounts contrite. and in listening mode. but this past week, we are told the mood has changed. the president is telling those closest to him the coversation about his future is over, and he is growing increasingly irritated that they are not getting it. the problem is, his assertions that he can win this race are not backed up by the numbers. indeed the numbers are getting worse. democrat funded polling shows he is going backwards in 14 states. in the swing states his approval rating is below a0%. it is a long way back from that position with just 16 weeks to run. on tuesday, jared huffman, the democratic congressman from california said: tonight his california colleague adam schiff, running for the senate, has issued a statement calling onjoe biden to step aside. joe biden has been one of the most consequential presidents in our nations history, he wrote, but our nation is at a crossroads, i beli
back on, apparently indefinitely. but first tonight, and megacities are in crisis. look at the statistics, they are everywhere. rate, robbery, assault and murder is skyrocketing. in portland the murder rate is up on whopping 800% and in minneapolis it s up by a whopping 56%. philadelphia, washington, d.c., los angeles, new york and chicago also now suffering through major spikes violent crimes. now, what do all the cities have in common? one comfort they are all run and have been for many years by far left democrats. number two, the same democrats that vilified law enforcement/police budgets, defunding the police, vowing to defund and dismantle as well and acting soft on crime policies like no bail reform. refusing to prosecute people that we have video of rioting and looting, involved in arson, and other violent criminals during the summer of 2020, these democrats spent a need to an angry mob and denied the reality that was it played out before the entire country. in minneap
going to be an important backdrop to the whole of this election campaign, all the way through to may the 6th. lets see how it plays out in the debate, which is due to start in the next few minutes. let s take you live to the corn exchange in edinburgh. built in 1909, live to the corn exchange in edinburgh. built in1909, now live to the corn exchange in edinburgh. built in 1909, now a conference centre, banqueting hall and live music venue. tonight it is the same for the first scottish leaders debate, moderated by sarah smith. i was expecting the titles of the programme to start there. obviously. here we go, let s go into it now. welcome to the first leaders debate of the 2021 election for the scottish parliament. i have with me the leaders of scotland s larger political parties to answer questions forjust over the next hour. you ll know all of them, i m sure, but let me introduce them. the leader of the scottish national party, nicola sturgeon. the leader of the scottish co
cloud will stick most of the day. it s tuesday, the 2nd of march. our top story. communities could be given up to a quarter of a million pounds to take over struggling pubs in their area under plans expected to be announced in the budget tomorrow. the chancellor will unveil a community ownership fund, which is also expected to cover sports clubs, theatres and other venues at risk of closure. our political correspondent, chris mason, has the details. how do you save your local pub? many were already closing permanently before the pandemic. how many more might follow now we are out of the habit of propping up the bar? in the budget tomorrow, the chancellor will announce that community groups across the uk could be given up to a quarter of a million pounds to help take over struggling pubs. they will be helped, too, to buy into theatres and sports clubs. rishi sunak will also say he will spend £300 million of taxpayers money to help summer sports such as tennis, horse racing a