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President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump take the stage tonight in Atlanta for the first presidential debate of 2024.

The first duel in US history between a sitting and a former president is likely to be a defining moment for 81-year-old Biden and 78-year-old Trump, both of whom have been criticized for their advanced age and their differing views on immigration, abortion, the Gaza war and other issues.

The approach has changed significantly since they last met in 2020. Both candidates have accepted new rules and a new format for this debate, in which there will be no studio audience and one person’s microphone must be muted when the other speaks.

⌚ When, where and how can you watch?

The first debate has begun. It will be moderated by CNN from the cable network’s studios in Atlanta and will last 90 minutes with just two commercial breaks. Yahoo News will stream the CNN presidential debate live below.

Yahoo.com also publishes reports and analyses from our editorial team in real time.

You can also watch the debate live on CNN, Fox News, NBC, NBC News NOW or ABC. All networks will provide complete coverage and pre- and post-debate analysis. If you don’t have a cable subscription, you can also live stream the debate on CNN.com, CNBC.com, Max and Hulu.

🗣️ Who moderates the debate?

Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, co-hosts of CNN’s Sunday morning show State of the Nationwill act as moderators.

Tapper hosts CNN’s The main role with Jake Tapper and has debating experience. He previously moderated the first Republican presidential debate in 2015 and the last Democratic debate in 2020 between Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders. His latest series, The United States of Scandal, sheds light on the biggest political scandals of the 20th century and was renewed for a second season in May.

Tapper is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the author of several books. According to his CNN biography, he previously worked as a senior White House correspondent for ABC News.

Bash, a graduate of George Washington University, hosts CNN’s Inside Politics with Dana Bash and has regularly served as moderator of numerous political town hall meetings and debates – including six presidential primary debates in 2016 and two in 2020.

Author of the forthcoming book America’s deadliest electiondocumenting the 1872 presidential election, Bash launched her digital CNN series The tough women of Washington in 2017 and presented her latest interview series, Being…in 2021.

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📖 What are the debate rules?

This week’s debate will feature major changes from previous broadcasts that Biden and Trump agreed to, including:

• No live audience, meaning there will be no applause or booing to derail the entertainment.

• Muted microphones when it is not their turn to speak.

• Pre-written notes are not allowed.

• The only aids permitted at the lectern are a pen, a notepad and a bottle of water.

• They will stand behind their lecterns the entire time, limiting their mobility – with Biden on the right and Trump on the left.

• There will be no opening statements from any of the candidates.

• Trump will have the last word during closing arguments, as was recently decided by coin toss.

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🛑 Will other presidential candidates appear?

No. To qualify for Thursday’s debate, a candidate had to appear on a certain number of ballots that would make them eligible to reach the minimum number of 270 electoral votes and win the presidency. The candidate also had to receive at least 15% of the vote in four separate nationwide polls of registered or likely voters, according to CNN.

Only Biden and Trump met these requirements. The independent candidates and third-party candidates Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West and Jill Stein did not meet these criteria.

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📺 How could Tapper and Bash approach the debate?

Moderators Tapper and Bash are expected to strictly enforce the rules and use all available means to “enforce timelines and ensure a civilized discussion,” according to CNN.

That came four years after Tapper and Bash criticized Trump’s repeated interruptions at his first presidential debate with Biden in 2020, moderated by Chris Wallace for ABC. At the time, Bash used a curse word on the air to describe the debate, while Tapper called it a “hot mess” and “the worst debate I’ve ever seen.”

Both moderators felt the brunt of Trump’s rhetoric last week at a rally in Philadelphia, when the former president called Tapper a “fake tapper,” according to The Hill, and then mocked the pronunciation of Bash’s first name.

Tapper and Bash, for their part, are known for regularly fact-checking Trump’s statements from their respective CNN anchor chairs, as well as commenting on his character. In 2020, Bash criticized Trump’s treatment of female reporters, while Tapper called Trump’s administration a “nightmare” following Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.

They have also questioned President Biden’s judgment, including on foreign policy issues. In 2021, Tapper criticized the president for dismissing an investigation that highlighted U.S. failures in withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, while Bash questioned Biden’s failure to hold Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable for his alleged role in the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

🗓 Are further debates planned?

Yes. The second presidential debate is scheduled for September 10 and will be moderated by ABC News, with the network’s David Muir and Linsey Davis serving as moderators.

It is still unclear whether there will be viewers for the second debate, but ABC confirmed that it will take place during prime time.

Trump has said he wants to hold more than two debates, but as of June 23, no date had been set for a third debate.

Cover thumbnail: Morry Gash, Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images.