From Las Vegas, Nevada -
After Donald Trump brought in three women who had accused Bill Clinton of sexual assault to the second debate, no one here is quite sure what to expect from the Trump campaign, with all sorts of hints in the air that Trump will again seek to highlight accusations against the former President.
Here's what to look for tonight.
1. What else can happen this year?. There has been all sorts of talk about who Trump might spring on this debate and try to bring into the debate hall. Already today has featured a former TV reporter in Arkansas accusing Bill Clinton of sexual assault. And a guy who claims he's the illegitimate child of the former President is in Vegas as well, announcing his own paternity lawsuit. At the last debate, Trump surprised everyone with his late moves, as he directly brought up Bill Clinton's actions. And he has many wondering what's up again before this debate.
2. Trump zeroes in on Clinton scandals. While there has been a lot of attention on the scandal side of this race for the White Housen a series of tweets this afternoon, Donald Trump was on Twitter hitting Hillary Clinton over Wikileaks, her emails, her time as Secretary of State and more. Trump also has been highlighting his calls for lobbying reform and term limits on members of Congress - look for him to try to mention that, and argue that he's an agent for change.
3. One more chance for Trump to change the race. Often in the debates, we talk about the need for a "magic moment" to change the trajectory of the campaign. After two debates, neither Trump nor Clinton have had one of those, but Trump's standing the polls has definitely weakened since the first debate. Trump has defiantly proclaimed himself the winner of each debate, but the polls have not agreed. With less than three weeks left, one would think Hillary Clinton will be playing it safe, hoping that nothing hits her like an out of the blue meteor. As for the Clinton Campaign, they jabbed Trump in the hours leading up to the debate:
4. It would be nice to find out some other stuff. We are in Las Vegas, so it would be good to know important stuff, like whether the candidates would hit on 12 with a dealer showing a three, or when they would double down on an 11. Do they only like the slots? Which buffet is their favorite on the Strip? Do they go to the ATM if they lose too much money gambling? You know, questions that everyday Americans face. When they're in Vegas. Here are some of the prop bets being offered by offshore betting operations:
5. The moderator is Chris Wallace of Fox News. In the GOP primaries, Chris Wallace ran afoul of Donald Trump at one debate, when Wallace fact-checked Trump on some of his budget ideas. Wallace - the son of legendary newsman Mike Wallace of CBS - has always been viewed skeptically by some on the conservative side of the football, and you don't have to go far to find people who were not pleased with his questions in the primary round. Wallace says for tonight, he won't be aggressively fact-checking the candidates, which some think could play to the advantage of Trump.
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