An occasional roundup of news from the campaign trail and beyond.
Nielsen says 15.8 million watched Democratic debate
They aren't quite Trump numbers, but the 15.8 million people who watched the Democratic presidential debate on CNN was still the biggest TV audience ever for a Democratic debate. The Nielsen company said Tuesday's debate audience exceeded the 10.7 million people who watched Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama debate on ABC in April 2008. Buoyed by the television-friendly candidacy of Donald Trump, the two Republican presidential debates were record-setters. The first debate, on Fox News Channel in August, was seen by 24 million viewers and the second, on CNN last month, had 23.1 million viewers. CNN also showed the Democratic debate online, with usage peaking at 980,000 concurrent streams. The point in the debate where Bernie Sanders said he'd had enough of talk about Clinton's emails was the most-watched moment for DVR users who rewound to see it over, according to the digital video recorder maker TiVo. — David Bauder, Associated Press
Fourth GOP debate set for Nov. 10 in Milwaukee
Republicans have settled on a time and place for their fourth presidential debate. Contenders will gather in Milwaukee on Nov. 10 for an event being hosted by Fox Business News and The Wall Street Journal. The topics will include the economy, taxes and other domestic issues, as well as foreign policy. The network said on Monday that it had not yet decided on moderators or qualifying criteria for the debate. The Fox Business debate will come less than two weeks after CNN holds a Republican debate in Colorado. CNN raised the bar for qualifying to make the main stage at that debate, a move that could potentially winnow the bloated field of candidates. — Alan Rappeport, New York Times
University of Houston lands February GOP debate
The University of Houston will host a Republican primary debate — slated to be the last one before Super Tuesday — in February. NBC News and Telemundo picked UH to host the event on Feb. 26, the school announced Tuesday. The stations in May announced that Houston would be the location for the debate but had not yet picked the venue. The debate — the first in Houston since 1988 - will put a spotlight on Houston and will push the rising research university even further onto the national stage, UH Chancellor Renu Khator said. "I think it's a great opportunity for us to put UH on the national map once again and I think it's a very good thing for Houston," Khator said. "We ought to be doing these kinds of things. It brings national visibility; it takes us in another direction and it puts us on the national map in a different way." The debate is scheduled as the final GOP debate before the crucial Super Tuesday primary contests in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia on March 1. All candidates who qualify are expected to participate in the debate, which will be presented in partnership with National Review magazine. Texas is the top prize on Super Tuesday with 155 delegates, so the debate stands to help shape the election, political scientists said Tuesday. — Benjamin Wermund, New York Times
GOP hopeful Kasich to detail balanced-budget plan
Republican presidential candidate John Kasich vows to balance the federal budget within eight years as part of a domestic agenda he will unveil Thursday. The Ohio governor's budget framework prescribes tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy, a major boost in military spending and the end of the federal government's role in administering education and transportation funding. It's an agenda for the first 100 days that is not as aggressive of some of his rivals for the GOP nomination, but one he predicts will prompt criticism from opponents in both parties. "People are going to go nuts yelling about those programs. … I don't care," Kasich told The Associated Press aboard his campaign bus Wednesday. "The country is really ready for dramatic change, and we're going to deliver it to them." The policy rollout, to be detailed in a morning speech at a New Hampshire community college, comes as Kasich fights to stand out in the packed Republican presidential field. In an election season celebrating political outsiders, the 63-year-old Republican has a resume that includes 18 years in Congress and two terms as governor in one of the nation's key swing states. Yet his blunt style resonates with some voters, particularly in New Hampshire, the unofficial staging ground for his campaign. "It's all going to be a tough sell, but he knows the budget better than anyone," said former Texas Rep. Dick Armey, who served as House Republican leader while Kasich led the House budget committee two decades ago. Armey was among several Republicans briefed on the proposal. — Steve Peoples, Associated Press
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