President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are scheduled to have their first presidential debate after election officials have started mailing absentee ballots to voters in some states and after early voting has opened in Pennsylvania.

Biden recently committed while on Sirius XM’s “The Howard Stern Show” that he would be “happy to debate” the former president, amid skepticism the gaffe- and confusion-prone incumbent would not go head-to-head with Trump. Trump responded via Truth Social that he was ready to debate “ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE.”

Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles had previously called on the commission to move up the debates “to ensure more Americans have a full chance to see the candidates before they start voting.” The campaign also argued for “adding more debates in addition to those on the currently proposed schedule.”

But the Commission on Presidential Debates told Fox News on Tuesday it would continue with its original schedule that was released last November.

“The CPD’s criteria […] will be applied in early September; afterward, the Commission will extend debate invitations to qualifying candidates,” the commission told Fox News.

The first debate is scheduled for Sept. 16 at Texas State University, followed by an Oct. 1 debate in Petersburg, Virginia with a third debate scheduled for Oct. 9 in Salt Lake City.

But states like Delaware and North Carolina send absentee/mail ballots out 60 days before the election, which means those ballots will go out before the first scheduled debate, which

After passing legislation through the Tennessee House last Tuesday to allow teachers to carry firearms in school, Tennessee Republicans faced criticism from Democrat lawmakers and activists who have a track record of demonizing any “gun violence prevention” efforts that return self-defense authority to the people.

Their opposition to such a policy stems solely from the fear that it would underscore the belief that law-abiding Americans can safeguard themselves and others through the proper exercise of their Second Amendment rights, fundamentally undermining the left’s argument that the issue lies with the firearm instead of the individual. Rather than empowering law-abiding gun owners, who could serve as a strong deterrent against those seeking to misuse firearms, they opt for “gun-free zones” and continuous restrictions, seemingly granting criminals an advantage in violent scenarios.

We must move away from scapegoating firearms and instead shift our focus toward enabling law-abiding citizens to engage in positive actions that contribute to safety and well-being.

After all, this is what Americans want. According to a 2022 PDK International poll, 80 percent of respondents favored allowing preventative safety measures in schools, including armed police. Forty-five percent somewhat or strongly favored arming teachers as a “safety strategy.”

Currently, 32 states allow teachers to conceal-carry firearms, and others are working on joining this effort. Sadly, the “progressive” left is doing everything in its power to demonize this move, meaning children in the remaining 18 states and the District of Columbia are left to fend for themselves behind “gun-free zone” signs.

The left is also working to block Idaho teachers from protecting their students,

Prices are rising again — but for once, Joe Biden is not to blame. Unsurprisingly, however, another Democrat is.

Recent surveys have revealed the extent to which restaurant prices have skyrocketed in California since that state’s new minimum wage for chain restaurants took effect. Even though Biden had nothing to do with this latest bout of rising costs for residents, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-French Laundry) and Golden State lawmakers helped bring it about.

Soaring Prices

Research published in The Wall Street Journal provided visual evidence of how the required higher wage, which took effect on April 1, had raised prices of meals in California restaurants by as much as 10 percent over the past two months alone:

The Journal interviewed one Los Angeles resident who said “his usual $16 meal that he picks up weekly at the Chick-fil-A in Hollywood … now costs $20.” To most Americans, the idea of paying $16 for a fast-food meal already seems like highway robbery, let alone after tacking on a 25 percent increase. But now, as the Journal noted, the state that already had some of the highest fast-food prices in the country will have to suffer even more inflationary pain.

Governor’s Businesses Exempt

The minimum wage mandate began causing pain months before it went into effect. As I previously noted in The Federalist, establishments began laying off drivers just before Christmas in anticipation of higher wage costs, and businesses told customers they would have to raise prices to keep up.