Presidential debate live updates: Biden faces Trump in Atlanta

The candidates’ microphones will be muted tonight unless it is their turn to speak — a new rule likely prompted by the persistent interruptions that defined Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s last face-off during the 2020 campaign.

Lights in the candidates’ field of view will turn yellow when they have 15 seconds left to speak and flash red when they’re down to their last 5 seconds, CNN explained in a video Wednesday. The displays will turn solid red when a candidate’s time is up, at which point their microphone will be muted and the other’s turned on.

Biden and Trump will know when their microphones are muted thanks to lights on each of their lecterns. When the lights are green, the microphone is on. When the lights are off, their microphone is muted.

– Josephine Rozzelle

Will she or won’t she?

With less than five hours before the candidates face off, it is still not clear whether Melania Trump will be in Atlanta for the debate between her husband Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

The former first lady has been conspicuously absent from Trump’s side on the campaign trail and at the New York criminal hush money trial, where he was convicted last month of crimes related to paying off porn star Stormy Daniels.

– Dan Mangan

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have debated before, but their first face-off of the 2024 election cycle is bound to look very different.

That’s thanks to the rules put in place by CNN, which is hosting the debate after both candidates sidestepped the Commission on Presidential Debates, the traditional organizer of the events.

Among CNN’s biggest changes: There will be no live audience, and candidates’ microphones will be muted until it is their turn to speak.

In another break from tradition, CNN is allowing two commercial breaks during the debate. Campaign staff are forbidden from interacting with their candidate at those times.

Trump and Biden will be standing at lecterns eight feet apart during the 90-minute debate in Atlanta. Biden won a coin flip to choose his lectern position, though in doing so he allowed Trump to get the final word of the night.

Speaking of which, there will be closing statements, but no opening statements. Candidates will have two minutes to answer questions, and one minute for responses or rebuttals.

The moderators — CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash — will have discretion to allow additional time for follow ups.

— Kevin Breuninger

Donald Trump will debate Joe Biden while his speech is restricted by gag orders in multiple civil and criminal cases against him.

Judge Juan Merchan recently lifted part, but not all, of the gag order on Trump in his criminal hush money case in Manhattan Supreme Court.

Trump, who was convicted on 34 felony counts in that trial, is now free to speak about witnesses and the jury. But he is still barred from discussing lawyers and staff for the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the court, plus any of their family members.

At least two other gag orders on Trump still appear to be in effect: one from his New York civil business fraud trial, and one from his federal election interference case in Washington, D.C., federal court.

The gag order from the civil fraud trial barred Trump from speaking about court personnel. It was imposed after Trump repeatedly verbally attacked the judge’s principal law clerk.

In the D.C. case, Judge Tanya Chutkan restricted public statements about likely witnesses, court staff and related legal counsel, including the lead prosecutor, special counsel Jack Smith. A federal appeals court later narrowed that gag order, allowing Trump to speak about Smith.

— Kevin Breuninger

The White House Correspondents’ Association complained about the exclusion of the White House travel pool of journalists from being in the studio during the debate.

“WHCA is deeply concerned that CNN has rejected our repeated requests to include the White House travel pool inside the studio,” the group said in a statement, which noted it had asked for access for at least one print pool reporter.

The group said the “White House pool has a duty to document, report and witness the president’s events and his movements on behalf of the American people.”

– Dan Mangan

CNN announced last week that Biden and Trump were the only presidential candidates who met its qualification requirements, solidifying tonight’s head-to-head debate.

In order to earn a spot tonight, presidential hopefuls had to cross two key thresholds by June 20.

1. Candidates had to appear on enough state ballots to reach 270 electoral votes

2. Candidates had to receive at least 15% support in four national polls that met CNN’s standards.

Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to meet those requirements, reaching 15% in just three surveys and gaining ballot access in only 10 states, according to an NBC News analysis.

– Josephine Rozzelle