If you took a vacation from election coverage this summer, you’re not alone. Catch up on Clinton’s emails, the Trump Organization’s potentially illegal activity, medical records and more with NBN’s top-notch debate cheat sheet – and show off your knowledge at the 1st Presidential Debate Watch Party Monday night at Norris!
Terrorism
Following the bombings in Chelsea and New Jersey, terrorism and the United States military are likely to be brought up in Monday’s debate. While Clinton has tried to portray herself as the responsible choice on national security, due to her experience at the State Department, military voters prefer Trump, according to the Wall Street Journal. However, Trump may have damaged his relationship with veterans and military families this summer when he criticized the Khans, Gold Star parents who spoke about their son’s military service during the Democratic National Convention.
Staff scandals
When Trump and Clinton didn’t dominate headlines themselves, their campaign staffs quickly stepped into the spotlight. Trump fired longtime campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was charged with battery earlier this year after an altercation with a reporter. Lewandowski was later hired as an on-air commentator for CNN. His replacement, Paul Manafort, who has somewhat shady connections to Ukrainian oligarchs, resigned after the Republican National Convention, where Melania Trump was accused of plagiarizing a Michelle Obama speech. Huma Abedin, vice chairwoman of the Clinton Campaign, was also in the news after her now-estranged husband, Anthony Weiner, was caught in yet another sexting scandal.
Health and fitness
While you were opting out of the University’s health insurance plan this summer, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were facing questions about their own fitness to serve. Despite having released a thorough medical background, Clinton’s health has been a major topic of discussion the past few weeks. What started with a coughing fit at a campaign rally soon escalated into a viral video of Clinton nearly collapsing when leaving a 9/11 memorial service; it was later revealed she had been diagnosed with pneumonia. Trump still has not released extensive medical records, although he did release a one-page summary during an appearance on Dr. Oz. In case you are unfamiliar with Dr. Oz, his television program has been criticized for providing iffy medical advice not supported by actual facts.
Charitable foundations
Who knew charity could be so controversial? As election day gets closer, more and more reporting has narrowed in on the candidates’ respective charities: The Trump Organization and The Clinton Foundation. Bill and Chelsea Clinton have said they will step down from The Clinton Foundation board if Hillary wins the election, amid accusations the foundation was a conflict of interest for Clinton when she served as Secretary of State. There’s been a lot of drama at the Trump camp as well. The businessman will likely be asked to respond to reports that he used donations to The Trump Foundation for his personal legal bills; if true, Trump may have violated the law.
Emails
Emails will probably come up because emails always come up – except this time, they’re not just Hillary’s. In case you missed it, WikiLeaks released thousands of emails hacked from Democratic National Committee officials this summer which raised questions about the DNC’s treatment of Bernie Sanders during the primary. As tensions flared leading up to the Democratic National Convention, DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned in response to the leak. Meanwhile, FBI Director James Comey recommended no charges against Clinton for using a private email server during her time as Secretary of State, which incensed both Republicans and disgruntled Sanders supporters.
Jeb! Bush at the Emmys
Honestly, this probably won’t come up but here’s the video, frNBNds. (Skip to 3:43 for the former candidate's moment in the sun).