Screenshot 2024-10-01 223513

The highly-anticipated first and only vice presidential debate hosted by CBS is taking place in New York City.

The high-stakes showdown between GOP Sen. J.D. Vance and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz comes with just 35 days left until the election and with polls showing it could be one of the closest races in decades.

The hosts for the critical face-off are CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell and Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan.

Both candidates have a lot to prove to American voters as they step into the spotlight – and will be trying to dispel the notion that they are not completely ‘weird.’

Walz: ‘I’ve become friends with school shooters’

Tim Walz made an unfortunate gaffe during the debate with J.D. Vance by claiming he has ‘become friends with school shooters’.

Kamala Harris’ running mate was discussing gun violence with his opponent when they began discussing recent shootings in classrooms.

He first said his 17-year-old son Gus had witnessed a shooting at a school volleyball game.

Then he made the slip of the tongue.

Tim Walz tries to explain lie about being in Hong Kong during Tiananmen Square protest: ‘I’m a knucklehead at times’

Gov. Tim Walz tried to explain why he lied about being in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square protests in June 1989 by trying to dismiss his comment as the product of being a ‘knucklehead.’

He began by reminding the audience that he was from a small rural town in Nebraska and admitted to being a ‘knucklehead at times’ but finally conceded he ‘misspoke’ about being in the country during the protests.

When asked to clarify his comment, he repeated he was in the country during the ‘summer’ of the protests, even though he did not arrive there until August.

The pro-Democracy protests Tiananmen Square were squashed by the Chinese government in June.

Gov. Tim Walz faces more questions about his relationship with the truth after a new report shows he falsely claimed he was in Hong Kong during the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests.

Moderators fact-check J.D. Vance and then cut candidates’ mics

Vice presidential debate moderator Margaret Brennan fact-checked J.D. Vance, noting during Tuesday night’s debate that the Haitian immigrants living in Springfield, Ohio were in the country legally.

That prompted an angry response from the Republican vice presidential nominee and ended up with both candidates getting their mics cut.

During a back-and-forth on immigration, Vance talked about how the Haitians were overwhelming resources in the Ohio community.

‘Thank you governor, and just to clarify, for our viewers, Springfield, Ohio does have a large number of Haitian migrants who have legal status, temporary protected status,’ Brennan inserted.

After moderators fact-checked former President Donald Trump in a lopsided manner during his debate against Vice President Kamala Harris last month, CBS said there would be no live fact-checking Tuesday night – instead providing audiences with a QR Code where fact-checks would be provided online.

‘Thank you, Margaret. The rules were that you guys weren’t going to fact-check and since you’re fact-checking me, I think it’s important to say what’s actually going on,’ Vance said.

He then pushed that obtaining a particular type of visa was easy under the Biden Administration and migrants could be ‘granted legal status at the wave of a Kamala Harris open border wand.’

‘Thank you, senator, for describing the legal process,’ Brennan curtly responded.

When Vance, and Democratic VP nominee, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, kept speaking on the subject, their mics were cut.

‘Gentlemen the audience can’t hear you because your mics are cut,’ Brennan told them. ‘We have so much we want to get to.’

Trump attacks moderators, then loads up the insults on ‘not bright’ Walz

It didn’t take long for Donald Trump rip into what he was seeing live TV. Trump, who spoke earlier for more than an hour at two separate events in Wisconsin, began by going after the moderators, before hurling repeated insults at Tim Walz.

‘Both young ladies have been extremely biased Anchors!’ Trump wrote about Margaret Brennan and Norah O’Donnell.

He cheered J.D. Vance’s defense of his foreign policy leadership. ‘A great defense of me and the Administration of fake charges made by an obviously not very bright Governor,’ wrote Trump throwing out his first insult of the night.

Then he called out Walz for looking down and scribbling, following a shaky first answer. ‘Walz is taking so many notes – Never seen a Candidate take more! He needs the notes to keep his brain intact,’ said Trump.

‘JD is steady and strong, Tampon Tim is sweating bullets, he is nervous and “weird”, Trump said using an insult he uses on the stump.

‘JD is doing GREAT – A different level of Intelligence from Tampon Tim!’ Trump wrote in another.