ST. LOUIS (AP) – The Latest on the second presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump (all times local):
8:50 p.m.
The fireworks at the second presidential debate exploded even before the candidates took the stage.
Donald Trump unexpectedly appeared live on his Facebook page with women who have accused former President Bill Clinton of rape and unwanted advances. They didn’t take questions but repeated some of the claims they made against Clinton years ago.
The women are expected to attend the debate as guests of Trump.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign responded by calling it a “stunt” that wouldn’t alter Clinton’s plans to speak directly to voters in the debate.
The stunning moment raised further questions about how directly Trump plans to go after Bill Clinton in the debate.
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8:45 p.m.
The second presidential debate is shaping up as potentially Donald Trump’s final opportunity to keep his campaign from collapsing a month before Election Day.
With prominent Republicans already abandoning him in droves, other Republicans, including leaders in Congress, are looking to the debate to see whether Trump shows enough contrition to stand by him despite his vulgar comments about women. There’s been uncertainty about whether the Republican Party might shift resources away from his campaign in the final weeks or even try to replace him on the ticket.
Another layer of unpredictability is the debate format. The candidates are taking questions from undecided voters and will be onstage with stools rather than traditional podiums.