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Joe Biden CNN town hall in Pennsylvania: Start time, how to watch and stream

President Donald Trump participated in a town hall in Pennsylvania earlier this week. Now it’s Joe Biden’s shot.

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks after the rally at Scranton Cultural Center on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Biden will be returning to the Scranton area on Thursday to take part in a town hall event that will air on CNN.
Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks after the rally at Scranton Cultural Center on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. Biden will be returning to the Scranton area on Thursday to take part in a town hall event that will air on CNN.Read moreTYGER WILLIAMS / Staff Photographer
  1. Biden Town Hall in Pennsylvania

  2. Date: Thursday, Sept. 17

  3. Time: 8 p.m. Eastern

  4. Location: PNC Field, Moosic, Pa.

  5. TV: CNN

President Donald Trump participated in a town hall in Pennsylvania earlier this week. Now it’s Joe Biden’s shot.

Less than seven weeks until Election Day, the former vice president will travel to Moosic, a small town just outside of his childhood home of Scranton, to take part in a town hall on CNN moderated by longtime anchor Anderson Cooper

In an unusual setup forced by the coronavirus pandemic, the town hall will be held in the parking lot of PNC Field. One hundred attendees, all chosen by CNN, will drive in and park near the stage, where they’ll be called on by Cooper to ask questions.

Outdoor gatherings are limited to 250 people in Pennsylvania under Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus orders, though those restrictions were recently ruled unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge William S. Stickman IV, a Trump appointee. Wolf said he plans to appeal the ruling.

Biden last visited the Scranton area in July, and delivered a speech at McGregor Industries in Dunmore, promising to build the “economy of the future.” He also criticized Trump as “singularly focused" on the stock market.

Pennsylvania, and its 20 electoral votes, could ultimately decide the 2020 election. In 2016, Trump won Pennsylvania by just 44,000 votes, a margin less than 1%. Though polls have tightened since the summer, Biden has continued to hold a lead over Trump. Real Clear Politics has Biden ahead by a little more than 4 percentage points, based on an average of recent polls. A new NBC News/Marist College poll released last week showed Biden widening his lead to 9 percentage points over Trump.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch and stream the town hall:

How can I watch and stream Biden’s Scranton town hall?

The town hall, which will air on CNN, is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern and last about an hour.

You can stream the town hall on the CNN app and on CNN.com. The network is also available on several so-called skinny bundles, including YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and AT&T Now.

Who will be moderating Biden’s town hall?

Moderating the town hall will be longtime CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who interviewed Biden at the end of August. In that interview, the former vice president condemned the violence surrounding protests in Kenosha, Wis., and claimed Trump and his allies were “rooting for violence.”

Cooper also moderated a Democratic debate during the primaries in October, and drew scrutiny for asking Biden if it was proper for his son, Hunter, to do business abroad during his tenure as vice president. Senate Republicans are investigating Hunter Biden’s former role on the board of a Ukrainian energy company, which House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) said was “political retribution intended to help the president keep his job.”

“My son did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong,” Biden said. “I carried out the policy of the United States in rooting out corruption in Ukraine.”

Kamala Harris will be in Philadelphia on Thursday

Biden’s running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris (D., Calif.), arrived in Philadelphia Thursday morning for her first campaign swing through Pennsylvania since being added to the ticket.

According to my colleague Sean Collins Walsh, Harris will participate in a “Sister to Sister, Mobilizing in Action” event hosted by City Councilmember Cherelle Parker, a meeting with U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans (D., Phila.) and a small business owner, and a conversation with Latino elected officials and community leaders. She’ll also attend a virtual fundraiser tonight with Biden from the campaign’s headquarters in Center City.

Earlier this week, Harris held a Zoom fund-raiser with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Saturday Night Live cast member Maya Rudolph, who earned an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of “fun aunt” Harris during the Democratic primary.

Trump to hold a rally in Wisconsin Thursday night

Trump will travel to Mosinee, Wis., Thursday for a campaign rally, according to his public schedule. Trump is expected to speak to supporters at Central Wisconsin Aviation at 9 pm. Eastern, just after Biden’s town hall is scheduled to end.

The president has been criticized for continuing to hold large rallies with thousands of supporters, many who flout the White House’s own guidelines on social distancing and face masks. The indoor site in Nevada Trump held a campaign event on Sunday was fined $3,000 for violating state coronavirus guidelines banning large gatherings.

Trump won Wisconsin in the 2016 election by just 22,478 votes, a margin less than 1%. Recent polls show Biden increasing his lead in the state — an ABC News/The Washington Post poll released Wednesday shows the former vice president up 6 percentage points. Real Clear Politics has Biden ahead in Wisconsin by nearly 7 percentage points, based on their average of recent polls.

Recent stories about the 2020 election in Pennsylvania

  1. Here are five questions that will help decide the presidential race in Pennsylvania.

  2. What a group of Pennsylvania voters thinks of Trump, Biden, protests, looting, and the conventions.

  3. The Inquirer fact-checked Trump’s frequent claim that Joe Biden “abandoned Scranton”

  4. A Pennsylvania town was a government-planned homestead established by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Now, fear of socialism runs deep — and so does support for Trump.

  5. Bernie Sanders on Biden, progressive primary wins, socialism, and the presidential race in Pennsylvania.

  6. The Green Party’s candidate can remain on the Pennsylvania ballot, judge says, but his running mate gets the boot

2020 presidential debate schedule

The Trump and Biden campaigns have agreed to three debates during the 2020 election:

  1. Sept. 29: Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, moderated by Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace

  2. Oct. 15: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, moderated by C-SPAN Political Editor Steve Scully

  3. Oct. 22: Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., moderated by NBC News White House correspondent (and Philadelphia native) Kristen Welker

A debate between Harris and Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled for Oct. 7 at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. USA Today Washington bureau chief Susan Page will be the moderator.