“Mr. Vice President, I’m speaking. I’m speaking,” Harris asserted when Pence tries to interrupt her. Although the night is decidedly less chaotic and cacophonic than the first presidential debate – during which Trump consistently interrupted and talked over his opponent – there are some tense dynamics tonight. “The American people have had to sacrifice far too much because of the incompetence of this administration,” Harris shot at the vice president, who attempted to defend the administration’s record on coronavirus. Pence claims Biden plagiarized the Trump administration’s Covid-19 response. The vice president also touted travel restrictions that epidemiologists have said were implemented too late – after the virus was already circulating within the US – to be especially effective. Harris was asked about the Biden administration’s plan for the pandemic – but she spent the majority of her two minutes attacking the Trump administration’s response. With the president currently recovering from a coronavirus infection – Pence will have to explain how he, as head of the task force, was unable to foresee or help prevent even an outbreak within the White House. In these extraordinary times, the Guardian’s editorial independence has never been more important. Because no one sets our agenda, or edits our editor, we can keep delivering quality, trustworthy, fact-checked journalism each and every day. Free from commercial or political bias, we can report fearlessly on world events and challenge those in power. Your support protects the Guardian’s independence. We believe every one of us deserves equal access to accurate news and calm explanation. No matter how unpredictable the future feels, we will remain with you, delivering high quality news so we can all make critical decisions about our lives, health and security – based on fact, not fiction. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you. First volley: Harris attacks Pence over coronavirus response “The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country,” Harris said, citing the 210,000 Americans who have died of Covid-19. Harris has been expected to hit Pence on the administration’s pandemic response – he is, after all, the head of the White House coronavirus task force. The University of Utah, which is hosting the debate tonight, has put out bingo cards, for those who want to play along at home. “Dr Anthony Fauci”, “systemic racism”, and “masks” are among the terms on there. Elsewhere, people are surely developing their own, less wholesome drinking games ... Vice presidential candidates take the stage The candidates have taken their positions – 12 feet apart from each other to minimize the risk of coronavirus transmission. Susan Page, who is moderating today’s debate, has asked the audience to remain quiet, and refrain from applauding any time other than the beginning and end of the event. Page is the Washington Bureau Chief for USA Today. She’s the first print journalist to moderate a televised presidential or vice presidential debate since 1976. How Harris and Pence have prepped Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor who ran against Harris and Biden for president before Biden emerged as the candidate, has taken on the role of Pence in a series of mock debates. Buttigieg, like Pence, is from Indiana, although the two are eons apart politically and personally. Harris, a former prosecutor, won rave reviews for her performance in an early Democratic debate, when she criticized Biden for his record on race. Axios reported that Harris had similarly planned to go on the attack on Wednesday, tying Pence to Trump and rebuking the pair over their coronavirus response, healthcare and beyond. The California senator had apparently “planned a handful of anti-Trump zingers”, but given the president’s ill-health, she will tone it down. Pam Bondi, a former Florida attorney general, has been helping Pence with his debate prep, filling in for Harris. Some of Pence’s preparation has involved developing ways to attack Harris “without opening himself up to criticism that he is acting in a disrespectful or sexist way”, according to NBC News. Pence has invited Ann Dorn, the widow of retired police captain David Dorn, to the debate Ann Dorn spoke during the Republican National Convention about her late husband, who died amid protests against police brutality in St Louis. She said he died while trying to protect a friend’s shop from looters, and during the RNC told voters to support Trump because he understands that “violence and destruction are not legitimate forms of protest ... They do not safeguard Black lives. They only destroy them.” But the late Dorn’s daughters said they objected to their father’s death being politicized. David Dorn and his wife disagreed on politics, and “what I want people to know is that my father would not have wanted his name, his image, his likeness to be used and politicized to continue to support the efforts of Trump and his administration, especially his law-and-order agenda”, daughter Lisa Dorn told CNN. What’s the format? The debate will be divided into nine 10-minute segments – and last a total of 90 minutes. After a chaotic first presidential debate, during which Donald Trump repeatedly interrupted Joe Biden and moderator Chris Wallace, we’re expecting a more civil performance by the vice presidential candidates tonight. Pence and Harris set to debate for first – and only - time Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of tonight’s vice presidential debate. Mike Pence and Kamala Harris are scheduled to take the debate stage at 9pm ET in Salt Lake City, for their first and only face-off of this election cycle. The coronavirus pandemic, which has already affected the staging and format of the debate, will undoubtedly be a major topic of discussion tonight. The two campaigns have already argued over whether the candidates should be separated by plexiglass barriers after Pence was exposed to the virus amid an outbreak at the White House. (The dinky barriers that were, eventually, put up are not useful, disease experts say, as the virus could be transmitted through the air). As the president continues to recover from a Covid-19 infection, Pence – the head of the White House coronavirus task force – will have to answer for why the administration has failed to prevent an outbreak within the White House, even as the national coronavirus death toll ticks past 210,000. Meanwhile, Harris will have an easier job. As a senator and former prosecutor, Harris has established herself as a sharp questioner – and she’ll have to attack the administration’s failures without coming off as attacking the sick president. Susan Page, the Washington bureau chief for USA Today, will moderate the debate.