Debate Commission Will Mute Microphones at Upcoming Presidential Debate

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) announced Monday that the presidential candidates will have their microphones muted while their opponent speaks during the final presidential debate on Oct. 22. The commission decided that the changes were needed because the candidates frequently interrupted each other during the last presidential debate. This time, each nominee will be muted while his opponent has two minutes to speak on each of the six debate topics. The remainder of each 15-minute block is open for discussion, without any muting. Thursday's debate will occur after the second debate was cancelled and each candidate held their own town halls on different networks instead last Thursday. Ahead of the debate, Trump criticized moderator and NBC reporter Kristen Welker for being "terrible & unfair." The story was widely covered by outlets from across the political spectrum. Some right-rated outlets noted that it was Biden who interrupted Trump first during the last debate, while some left-rated outlets speculated that the decision would "likely anger the president."