Washington, Sept 29 (AFP/APP):President Donald Trump reeled Tuesday on the eve of his first televised debate against challenger Joe Biden after a bolt-from-the-blue report showed he has been avoiding paying almost any federal income tax for years. The scoop from The New York Times, reporting that Trump paid only $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017, and none at all for 10 of the previous 15 years, was a shot to the jugular of the self-described billionaire. Trump, who portrays himself as a hard-nosed businessman on a mission to drain the Washington swamp, dismissed the Times story — which the newspaper says is based on examination of his long-secret tax returns. “The Fake News Media, just like Election time 2016, is bringing up my Taxes & all sorts of other nonsense with illegally obtained information,” he tweeted Monday. But with several new polls on Sunday once again suggesting Biden has the upper hand, the Republican goes into the debate in Cleveland on Tuesday ever more on the defensive. Japan government warns on suicide after death of actress A Washington Post/ABC News poll put Biden 10 points ahead of Trump nationally, at 53 to 43 percent support among registered … Continue reading Tax bombshell throws Trump on defensive ahead of debate