Final Republican Debate of the Year Set for Tuesday

Each of the four previous GOP debates has been divided into two events: an “undercard” debate for low-polling candidates, and a main event for the higher-polling candidates. Candidates are expected to discuss foreign policy and their proposed responses to global terrorism.

Donald Trump will stand center-stage for the debate.

NPR’s lead political editor Domenico Montanaro joins Here & Now’s Eric Westervelt to see what to expect. CNN will also offer a live stream of the debate on CNN.com’s homepage and across mobile platforms from 5 p.m.to 11 p.m. ET.

Who can participate: For the 8:30 p.m. primetime debate, CNN used early-state polls to determine who is on the main stage. Marco Rubio, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, businesswoman Carly Fiorina, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and Sen.

Murals look down on the set for the Republican presidential debate Tuesday evening in the Venetian Theatre at the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. Ted Cruz, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, Sen.

The primetime debate will start at 9 p.m. The national anthem will be sung by Ayla Brown, the daughter of former Massachusetts Sen.

Republican U.S. presidential candidates (L-R) former Governor George Pataki, former Governor Mike Huckabee, former Senator Rick Santorum, and Sen. “Rand Paul in the prime-time debate”, a CNN spokeswoman said. But the candidates are typically given a glass of water along with a blank notepad and a pen, and that should remain true Tuesday night.

Answer time: In the past, candidates have complained about the short time allowed for answering questions, and many have ignored moderators who tried to stick to the rules.