the net spring in august in washington dc is elaine k, mock senior fellow at the brookings institution and the also of primary politics in new york journalist brian skeltis specializes in cover in the us media. i'm is the author of several books including network of lives and also in dc, steve, him and is worst of america's chief national correspondent and has his own books coming out behind the white house cushion is an account of his time as b. o a white house bureau chief, a very warm welcome to all of you, mister stells. i'll start with you in new york. and what is the importance or relevance of a presidential debate in an error of increasing pauses on divides how many mines are they left to be made up? very few, but it is important to have debates for the following reasons. there's nothing normal about this election. it's a rematch, it's a grudge match it's donald trump, promising retribution and binding promising to embarrass trump on the world stage. there's nothing normal about the circumstances, but the debate actually is pretty normal by american standards. americans expect t