ABC News debate rules include muted mics, despite Harris campaign's pushback

• "The memo sent by ABC is a draft set of rules that both campaigns need to sign off on and indicate agreement. We have not done so because we think both candidates have expressed a clear desire to have hot mics," Harris campaign senior adviser wrote on X.
• The Trump campaign has accepted the ABC News rules, per a top Trump ally.

Driving the news: In addition to the muted mics, ABC News plans to have no live audience or opening statements. Candidates will also not be allowed to have props or pre-written notes on stage.

• Each candidate will have two minutes to answer questions and two minutes for rebuttals, with an additional minute for a follow-up question or response, per the network.
• The rules are effectively the same as the rules President Biden and former President Trump agreed to when Biden was still favored for Democratic presidential nominee.

Catch up quick: Both campaigns have gone back and forth this week over the rules for the candidates' Sept. 10 show down.

• The Harris campaign believes "both candidates' mics should be live throughout the full broadcast," Fallon said in a statement on Monday.
• Trump said during a campaign stop on Monday that whether the microphones were muted did not matter to him, but that "we agreed to the same rules" as the last debate.

Go deeper: Trump and Harris fight over rules for Sept. 10 debate