CBS News
Presidential debate live updates from Biden and Trump’s first showdown of 2024
President Biden and former President Donald Trump are set to square off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 election cycle on Thursday night, an unusually early showdown that pits a sitting president against his predecessor on a debate stage for the first time.
Hosted by CNN, CBS News will simulcast the debate on the CBS broadcast network and stream it live on CBS News 24/7, which can be found at the top of this page. The debate begins at 9 p.m. in Atlanta. CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash will serve as moderators.
The debate will run 90 minutes and feature two commercial breaks, according to the rules laid out by CNN. In the run-up to the debate, both campaigns flipped a coin, with the winner allowed to select either the candidates’ positions on stage or the order of closing statements. The Biden campaign won the toss, and chose the right side of the stage. The Trump campaign opted to have the former president deliver the second of the two closing statements.
Each candidate’s microphone will be muted when it’s not his turn to speak. They will be given a pad of paper, a pen and a bottle of water before the debate begins, with no prewritten notes allowed. There will be no studio audience in attendance, and they won’t have contact with staffers during the commercial breaks.
The early debate schedule arose out of a dispute over the Commission on Presidential Debates, an independent, nonpartisan group that has hosted presidential debates between major candidates since the 1980s. This year, the Biden and Trump campaign’s declined to participate in debates hosted by the commission, and instead negotiated directly to schedule debates themselves. A second debate is scheduled for September.
Mr. Biden and Trump enter the debate with different objectives. The current president is looking to dispel the perception among many voters that he is too old to serve another four-year term, and will also likely tout the economic gains under his presidency while portraying his opponent as a threat to democracy. Trump, meanwhile, is sure to continue to hammer Mr. Biden over his age and capacity to serve, as well as his economic record and immigration policies.
A Frontier flight appeared to catch fire as the plane was landing Saturday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. Cell phone video showed flames and billows of smoke on the plane’s undercarriage as it touched down on the runway. Fire trucks and other emergency service vehicles rushed onto the runway, as smoke continued to surround the plane.
“Frontier flight 1326 experienced a hard landing,” a spokesperson for the airport confirmed to CBS News. “The Clark County Fire Department responded immediately and all passengers and crew have been safely transported to the gated area. No injuries were reported.”
Frontier flight 1326 from KSAN-KLAS just caught fire on landing at KLAS.
I caught it on video as it landed pic.twitter.com/KGt1Asx3rv
— Tyler (@TylerHerrick) October 5, 2024
Frontier Flight 1326 left San Diego at 1:51 p.m. Pacific Time and landed at Las Vegas at 3:37 p.m., according to Flight Aware.
“The pilots detected smoke and declared an emergency,” a spokesperson for Frontier Airlines confirmed to CBS News. “The aircraft landed safely and all passengers and crew were evacuated via airstairs. No injuries were reported, and passengers have been bussed to the terminal. The cause of the incident is currently under investigation.”
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CBS News
$100 million in federal funds released for North Carolina to rebuild roads, bridges damaged by Helene
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation released $100 million in emergency funds on Saturday for North Carolina to rebuild its roads and bridges damaged by Helene.
“We are providing this initial round of funding so there’s no delay getting roads repaired and reopened, and re-establishing critical routes,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in a statement. “The Biden-Harris administration will be with North Carolina every step of the way, and today’s emergency funding to help get transportation networks back up and running safely will be followed by additional federal resources.”
The storm caused rampant flooding that has devastated several towns and killed more than 225 people – with CBS News confirming at least 114 people killed in North Carolina. There was more than 8 inches of rain across the western North Carolina mountains, with some areas seeing more than a foot.
Hundreds of roads across Western North Carolina remain closed, leading to an increase in air traffic as teams scour the region for survivors by air. Air traffic over Western North Carolina has increased by 300% due to relief efforts since the storm cleared, the Federal Aviation Administration and the North Carolina Department of Transportation.
Mudslides blocked Interstate 40 and other highways in North Carolina and about 400 roads were closed due to damage from Helene. Interstate 40 was damaged at several locations, the Department of Transportation said.
President Biden visited the Carolinas on Wednesday, surveying the flood damage by air from Greenville, South Carolina, to Asheville, North Carolina. Mr. Biden announced the federal government would cover “100%” of all debris removal and emergency protective measure costs in North Carolina for six months.
The Department of Transportation said these relief funds will allow the North Carolina Department of Transportation to act more quickly to fund eligible repairs to their damaged facilities.
Li Cohen and
contributed to this report.
