Hello and welcome to The Midge, the e-bulletin that takes a bite out of politics in Scotland and elsewhere.
Front pages
Exclusive: In The Herald, political editor Tom Gordon speaks to polling expert John Curtice about Labour’s chances in next year’s council elections.
The National welcomes today’s publication of an indyref2 bill.
The Mail says people will be asked to monitor their own health with smartphone apps to cut the numbers seeking appointments with doctors.
In the Evening Times, Caroline Wilson meets a cancer patient who was twice wrongly diagnosed with muscular pain.
The Times says Theresa May is being accused of a cover-up after acknowledging she knew about concerns over the leadership of the child abuse inquiry in England and Wales while she was Home Secretary.
The Telegraph and Express say Mrs May, attending her first EU summit today, will rule out any chance of a second referendum.
The FT and Guardian picture a family fleeing Mosul as the UN warns of “a displacement wave” of between 200,000 and one million people.
Camley’s Cartoon
Never mind Mars, is there life on Scottish Labour, ponders Camley …
TRUMP v CLINTON: THE FINAL DEBATE
Here are the some of the quotables and notables from this morning’s final presidential debate held at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas with Chris Wallace of Fox News Sunday moderating.
TOP NEWS LINE
Trump refused to say if he would accept the result of the election on November 8. “I will look at it at the time. I’m not looking at it now. I will keep you in suspense.” Clinton called this “horrifying”.
Donald Trump refused to say whether he’ll accept the presidential election results: https://t.co/zh1LI8hYWQ pic.twitter.com/24tBe3Rq7W
— New York Post (@nypost) October 20, 2016
HANDSHAKE TO START?
No. Nor, for the first time, to finish.
No handshake between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton at the beginning of the third presidential debate.https://t.co/PufKDReglc pic.twitter.com/I7nNQMBtxR
— ITV News (@itvnews) October 20, 2016
WARDROBE?
She was the woman in white, he was the man in black.
GUN CONTROL
Clinton: “Donald has been strongly supported by the National Rifle Association.”
Trump: “I don’t know if Hillary was saying that in a sarcastic manner but I’m proud to have the support of the NRA.”
ABORTION
Trump said he would appoint “pro-life” judges to the Supreme Court; Clinton said she would defend women’s right to take their own healthcare decisions. On late abortion, Trump said: “You can take the baby, rip the baby out of the mother. You can say that’s okay. Hillary can say that’s okay. That’s not okay with me.” Clinton said that was not what was happening and that kind of rhetoric was “unfortunate”.
IMMIGRATION/DEPORTATION
Trump: “We have some bad hombres here and we’re going to get them out.” Clinton said when Trump went to Mexico to meet the president he did not raise the subject of the wall. “He choked”. She also accused him of using undocumented labour to build Trump Tower. And Anchorman Will Ferrell weighed in ...
Time to get rid of the #badhombres #debate pic.twitter.com/Fjys0ifd55
— Will Ferrell (@Will___Ferrell) October 20, 2016
THE WIKILEAKS AGAINST CLINTON
Clinton accused the Russian government of engaging in espionage against Americans, saying the order had come from “the highest level”.
WAS THE MODERATOR A POTTED PLANT?
Certainly not. Wallace turned out to be a firm, fair, incisive moderator. At one point, he interrupted Trump to say, “Sir, I’m not a potted plant. I’m here to ask questions.”
WHO IS PUTIN’S PUPPET?
Trump said the Russian president had no respect for Clinton. “Well, that's because he'd rather have a puppet as president of the United States,” she responded. "You're the puppet! No, you're the puppet!” he replied.
"No, you're the puppet. You're the puppet." #debatenight pic.twitter.com/mkV3Z29bMi
— Sophia Rosenbaum (@sophrosenba) October 20, 2016
ECONOMY
Clinton: “His whole plan is to cut taxes, to give the biggest tax cuts to the wealthy. It’s trickle down economics on steroids.”
Trump: “Her plan would be a disaster. We will have a massive, massive tax rise under Hillary Clinton.”
Clinton: “There is only one of us on this stage who has shipped jobs to Mexico and that’s Donald.”
Trump: “The one thing you have over me is experience, but it’s bad experience … If you become president there is going to be some mess, believe me.”
GROPING CLAIMS
Trump: “These stories have been largely debunked … I didn’t even apologise to my wife because I didn’t do anything … Nobody has more respect for women than I do.”
Clinton: “Donald thinks belittling women makes him bigger.”
Watch: Chris Wallace had to shush the crowd after they laughed when Trump said "nobody has more respect for women than I do." pic.twitter.com/bkathsU3Lu
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) October 20, 2016
FITNESS FOR OFFICE
Trump: “She’s guilty of very, very serious crimes … She should never have been allowed to run for the presidency.”
Clinton said Trump frequently complained of contests being rigged against him, including the Emmys when his show, The Apprentice, failed to win three years in a row. “This is a mindset, this is how Donald thinks. It’s funny but it’s also deeply troubling.”
'I brought bin Laden to justice while you hosted Celebrity Apprentice' #debatenighthttps://t.co/PufKDReglc pic.twitter.com/OK8GMFGVPG
— ITV News (@itvnews) October 20, 2016
‘NASTY WOMAN’
After Clinton says her social security contributions would go up to pay for health and social care, she adds: “As will Donald's, assuming he can't figure out how to get out of it.” He hit back: “Such a nasty woman.”
ICYMI - @realDonaldTrump calls @HillaryClinton "such a nasty woman" as she talked about entitlement initiatives https://t.co/gdeA8CGbVc
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 20, 2016
REACTION
USA Today: "Voters looking for an uplifing conclusion didn't get one."
That was really exciting. Made all of my points. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2016
New York Times: "In saying he was not sure if he’d support the election results, Mr Trump added another reason he is not qualified to be president."
.@EricTrump reacts to tonight's final presidential #debate. #FoxNews2016 pic.twitter.com/zr3kyNQXBI
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 20, 2016
CNN/ORC poll: Clinton beats Trump in debate 52% to 39%
Michael Goodwin, New York Post: "Trump had done well, delivering his best prepared and most substantive performance, but it wasn’t nearly good enough to reshape the race. He came into Las Vegas trailing big time, and surely leaves the same way."
Well, there you have it. A highly intelligent, experienced woman just debated a giant orange Twitter egg. Your move, America. #debate
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) October 20, 2016
Vote: November 8
Afore Ye Go
Shamsher Sherin, 13, one of the refugees the singer Lily Allen spoke to in Calais, was one of a dozen children who arrived in London yesterday from the camp known as the “Jungle”. Allen, who cried when meeting the teenager and apologised “on behalf of my country … for what we put you through”, tweeted: "So happy to see that Sham Sher made it to the UK safely and won't be risking his life jumping on to moving vehicles." Philip Toscano/PA Wire.
The treatment by some towards these young refugees is hideously racist and utterly heartless. What's happening to our country?
— Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) October 18, 2016
Footballer turned broadcaster Gary Lineker tweets his dismay after Tory MP David Davies, chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, suggests dental checks be used to confirm the ages of child migrants. The Home Office dismissed the tests as "inaccurate, inappropriate and unethical”.
Tommy Sheppard's new hairdo is the best pic.twitter.com/iwkjFvQcWy
— Esther Webber (@estwebber) October 19, 2016
From the BBC's Esther Webber
"While the columnist's opinions were undoubtedly offensive to the complainant, and to others, these were views he had been entitled to express.”
The Independent Press Standards Organisation (Ipso) says the comments by Sun writer Kelvin MacKenzie, above, about Channel 4 News correspondent Fatima Manji wearing a hijab to present a report on the Nice massacre in July, were not religious discrimination. Channel 4 said it was “dismayed” by the ruling. Lewis Whyld/PA Wire
“I see her periodically, but not as often as we'd like.”
President Francois Hollande in revelatory mode about his girlfriend, the actress Julie Gayet. The quote is one of many in a new book, A President Shouldn't Say That …, making headlines in France. Above, the authors, journalists Gerard Davet, left, and Fabrice Lhomme. AP Photo/Francois Mori
15,000
The number of people who applied for 78 jobs driving new Virgin trains - that’s 200 for every vacancy. Some will now be invited to a selection day. Mikael Buck/Virgin Trains/PA Wire
“The content of the tweet shows a picture of a soldier wearing camouflage and concealment measures, standard for jungle training in Belize. We can see how the tweet may have been misinterpreted, have immediately removed it and apologise for any offence it may have caused.”
The British Army apologises after some Twitter users claimed the tweet above was racist.
"...für den Namen, den die Welt so glorreich kennt!“ 😂 🙈 #CELBMG #UCL pic.twitter.com/XRxxzeCtGa
— Borussia (@borussia) October 19, 2016
A Glasgow pub appears to be having language problems as Borussia Moenchengladbach comes to town, much to the amusement of a tweeter from the club.
Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow. Twitter: @alisonmrowat
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