starts right now. hi, ari. hi, all night. i ll be with you all night. see you soon. see you soon. thanks. welcome to debate night in america. this special edition of the beat will take you through everything you need to know as we ramp up. this live shot outside the debate hall for joe biden and donald trump. this is the earliest general election debate in american history. that s not all:alex wagner is there and will be joining us in a moment. the biden campaign pushed to jumpstart interest in the race by making this debate earlier. we could tell you tonight a huge 73% of voters say they are planning to watch tonight. and you can, too. nicolle mentioned this debate airs right here on msnbc in about three hours with rachel maddow leading the special coverage in under an hour. i can also tell you this is the first debate between a president and a former president. kind of an interesting factoid there. also the first time these two have been near each other at all since
Consoling. just being in the moment as a normal, caring, human being would, as anybody would. or barring that, simply pretending to be that, a normal, caring human being. the president, after all, spent years playing a character on tv. he played a successful business executive. as he d quickly point out, got good ratings for a while. he could have looked at this as a performance on the biggest stage yet and as obscene as that sounds, that act of pretending, the simulation of human kindness and caring might have at least brought solace to a few people. but even pretending to care was too much. perhaps because it wouldn t have meant not boasting about his reception earlier in dayton, ohio or making up stories about his host to justify the grievance he was venting which he did about the mayor of dayton, ohio. i took him in at their request. we made the tour. they couldn t believe it. she said to people, he said it to people.
Paso told our jim acosta that the general assessment was that, quote, there was a, quote, absence of empathy by the president, unquote. on the president s part. this official told jim acosta that jim spoke with mentioned that the clip you just saw and said it left the impression that the president was not as focused on consoling patients as might be expected, which is strange because generally that is all that s expected of a president visiting a hospital in a city where 22 people had just been murdered. nothing more. just that. just empathy, listening, consoling. just being in the moment as a normal, caring, human being would, as anybody would. or barring that, simply pretending to be that, a normal, caring human being. the president, after all, spent years playing a character on tv. he played a successful business executive. as he d quickly point out, got good ratings for a while. he could have looked at this as a performance on the biggest stage yet and as obscene as that sounds, th
Became lunchboxes, bubblegum cards and all that. reporter: a racy magazine shoot in 72 broadened his appeal. but he struggled with alcoholism and in february, revealed a dementia diagnosis and retired from touring. when dr. phil asked how he wanted to be remembered? bringing light into people s lives. giving everything in my heart and soul, because i know i m a loving, caring human being. reporter: he died, his rep told us, surrounded by those he loved. david cassidy was 67. nick watt, abc news, los angeles. and there s still much more ahead on world news tonight this wednesday. the manhunt under way after a deadly robbery inside a popular restaurant. armed suspects tied up employees. the frantic calls to 911 just made public. plus, your money tonight. black friday around the corner. the insider tips to beat the crowds. and how you can save hundreds of dollars on the new iphone. and america strong tonight.
hello the songs, sensational collaborations, his daughter nicole and a country singer. my visit with a music icon. plus, arguably one of the worst decisions of all time, this is piers morgan tonight. good evening, trayvon martin shot at close rank. but was it self-defense? also, lionel richie, the pop icon joins me. he s back in the spotlight with a hit country album. hello is it me you re looking for but, first, a big story, trayvon martin and the night that he was killed. joining me are trayvon martin s parents and the family attorney, benjamin crumb. thank you so much for joining me. i send you my deepest condolences on the loss of your son. i can only imagine with the whole world scrutinizing everything that happened, the pain for you must just worsen and for that i just send my sincere sympathies. thank you. i know that you ve seen this video in the last few minutes. it shows george zimmerman at the police station. what is your reaction to this vide