10:40 PM: Debate wraps up, shockingly the status quo is maintained.
10:36 PM: Clinton points out Trump’s affection for beauty contests, tendency to call women “fat pigs and slobs.” He says “Rosie O’Donnell deserved it.”
10:33 PM: Questions of stamina on either side.
10:23 PM: Donald Trump thinks his strongest asset is his temperament.
10:20 PM: Would somebody please call Sean Hannity so we can stop talking about it?
10:18 PM: Trump credits himself for NATO’s decision to form an anti-terror branch.
10:15 PM: Trump blames Clinton for growth of ISIS, says “we should have taken the oil.”
10:10 PM: “I was just endorsed by Ice…” says Trump. Huh?
10:02 PM: “I think I’ve developed very good relationships over the last little while” with African-American communities, says Trump. Over the last two weeks? Good for you, Trump.
10:00 PM: “I think Donald Trump just criticized me for preparing for this debate. And yes I did. You know what else I did? I prepared to be president, and I think that’s a good thing,” says Clinton.
9:53 PM: Clinton acknowledges harsh truths regarding race for the first time tonight. “I think implicit bias is a problem for everyone, not just police,” she says.
9:47 PM: Trump implies benefits to stop and frisk, Lester Holt reminds Trump that stop and frisk was ruled unconstitutional, Trump tells Holt that he’s wrong.
9:46 PM: Clinton tiptoes around race question, emphasizes her respect for law enforcement.
9:42 PM: “It’s all words,” says Trump. Yes Donald, you need words to have a debate.
9:41 PM: “We have become a third world country,” says Trump. Didn’t know LaGuardia put us in the third world.
9:40 PM: Clinton smooth-talks her way through email jibe, clearly more practiced discussing emails than policy.
9:35 PM: Trump refuses to release tax returns. “Maybe he’s not as rich as he says he is,” says Clinton.
9:31 PM: “We are in a big fat ugly bubble.”
9:27 PM: “I’m really calling for major jobs,” says Trump. He does not follow with a plan to create them.
9:23 PM: Trump claims pride in tax cut that is “biggest since Ronald Reagan,” seems contrary to what I just learned in Principles.
9:20 PM: Hillary wastes time defending her husband’s record.
9:17 PM: Clinton highlights that Trump rooted for housing crisis– “I hope it does collapse, cuz then I can go in and buy some and make some money”– and Trump responds with– “That’s called business, by the way.”
9:08 PM: “Finally we are on the stage together, Donald Trump and I. Donald… It’s good to be with you,” says Clinton with marked hesitation.
9:00 PM: As the countdown begins for the first of three presidential debates before the November election, the anticipation grows- who will come out on top? Will Trump’s buffoonery trump Clinton’s practiced pragmatism?