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  Mute buttons and masks: Inside the final 2020 debate NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — While millions of people are watching on television, only around 200 are inside the massive college arena in Nashville where President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, are facing off in their second and final debate of the 2020 election. One of those 200 is controlling a mute button. A representative of the Commission on Presidential Debates — not the moderator — is supposed to ensure each candidate has a two full minutes of uninterrupted time to deliver opening answers on six major topics, according to debate commission chair Frank Fahrenkopf. A member of each of the the Trump and Biden campaigns was expected to monitor the person who controls the mute button backstage, Fahrenkopf told The Associated Press, noting that the button would not be used beyond the first four minutes of each topic. The mute button is among a handful of changes implemented by the nonpartisan debate commiss...

Debate commission to mute candidates during their opponent's initial responses to prevent interruptions  (CNN) Former Vice President   Joe Biden   and President   Donald Trump   will have their microphones muted during portions of the second and final presidential debate on Thursday night, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Monday in a decision that will likely anger the President. The decision came after the commission met Monday afternoon to discuss potential rule changes to the debate format. They decided that the changes were needed because of how the first debate between Biden and Trump devolved into chaos, with the President frequently interrupting the former vice president. The change is sure to anger the Trump and his campaign, who have signaled that any changes to the procedures will be unacceptable to them, which the commission acknowledged in its statement. "We realize, after discussions with both campaigns, that neither campaign may ...