Clinton vs Trump as it happened: Nominees go head to head in bitter second round

That's a wrap of tonight's debate live coverage. Thanks for joining us and be sure to come back for analysis of the debate and continued coverage of the presidential election.

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Last question: Name one positive thing about your opponent.

Clinton says she respects Trump's children. She said: "They are incredibly able and devoted, and I think that says a lot about Donald.".

Trump, meanwhile, says he respects the fact that Clinton is a fighter. However, he says he does not agree with her. "She doesn't quit. She doesn't give up. I respect that. She's a fighter."

A question from a member of the public panel asks how the nominees will meet the country's energy needs while protecting the environment and jobs.

"The Environmental Protection Agency is killing our energy industry," says Trump, who doesn't offer details and calls for clean coal.

Clinton responds: "China is illegally dumping steel in the US and Donald Trump is using that steel to build his highrise.".

She adds: "We are for the first time ever energy independent. We've got to remain energy independent; it gives us much more power and freedom."

But she also said she intends to establish a comprehensive energy policy that includes a plan to fight climate change and make the US the 21st century's first "clean energy" superpower.

Cooper notes that Trump has called discipline the most important aspect of a leader — and he asks if Trump believes that it's a sign of discipline to attack a former Miss Universe recently in a series of predawn Tweets and encouraging readers to watch a sex tape?

"Twitter happens to be a modern-day form of communication. You can like it or not like it. I'm not unproud of it," says Trump.

Question for Clinton: Does Donald Trump have the discipline to be a good leader?

Clinton: No.

Trump: I'm shocked to hear that.

Clinton is asked about her "deplorable" comments. She says she was actually commenting on Trump's campaign rather than his supporters. Trump strikes back: "She has tremendous hate in her heart."

The moderators follow up with a question on Trump's 3am Twitter tirade against former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado.

He says: "I'm not unproud of it." He also brings up Benghazi and how he would be up at 3am.

The nominees are asked about the atrocities by the Assad regime and Russia.

"The situation in Syria is catastrophic," says Clinton. "Every day that goes by, we see the results of the regime [and] the Russians bombarding places, particularly Aleppo.

"There is a determined effort by the Russian air force to really destroy Aleppo. They're interested in keeping Assad in power. We need some leverage with the Russians ... and we have to work more closely with our partners and allies on the ground.

"But I want to emphasise that what is at stake here is the ambitions of Russia.. Russia has decided that it's all in in Syria, and they've also decided who they want to become president, and it's not me."

Trump responds so wide of the question that moderator Martha Raddatz asks him again what he would do about Syria. He's asked about his running mate Mike Pence's position stated in his debate that if Russia continues airstrikes, the US should be prepared to use military force.

"We haven't spoken and I disagree," Trump responds.

Trump admits that he has taken advantage of tax income write-offs and says that others do so as well.

He says he would lower taxes for corporations, get rid of carried interest and cut taxes for the middle classes.

He notes that Clinton was unable to get rid of carried interest while she was senator of New York. Clinton shoots back that she tried but she was a senator under a Republican president.

Clinton is asked about Wikileaks information that she talked of using different speeches for the public and privately.

She said she was referring at the time to Abraham Lincoln's political strategy to convince Congress to pass the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, freeing the slaves.

Sometimes you have to use different arguments for different people, says Clinton, who segues into Russian hacking of Democratic emails to affect the election.

"We have never been in a position where an adversary has been working so hard to influence the outcome of the election," she says. "And believe me, they're not trying to get me elected."

Trump says back: "I don't know anything about Russia ... I know about Russia ... I have no loans from Russia."

Trump's sniffles have made their way back to the second debate and Twitter has noticed.

After a warning to Trump not to interrupt Hillary Clinton ("She didn't interrupt you," says Cooper), Clinton agrees with a question that Obamacare has serious problems.

She offers detailed amendments to the plan, adding she would "save what works and what's good about the plan," including safeguarding coverage for 90% of Americans.

Trump: "Obamacare is a disaster. You know it, we all know it. In '17 in implodes by itself."

He says it will never work and is far too expensive. He calls for the bill to be repealed and replaced.

You're right about Islamophobia and it's a shame.

- Donald Trump

The GOP nominee says Muslims must report radicalism. Except they routinely do. Trump goes on to say: "To solve the problem, you have to be able to say what the problem is or at least say the name. The name is there. It's radical Islamic terror."

Clinton, however, argues that the US is not fighting Islam but radicalisation.

Trump blames the Hillary Clinton campaign for starting the birther rumour that President Obama was born in Africa, although Trump is widely viewed as the prime instigator of the birther movement.

Trump claims he will appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Clinton's emails if he's elected.

Clinton responds: "It's awfully good that someone like Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in this country."

The GOP nominee quips back: "Because you'd be in jail."

Clinton says that while she has had problems with rivals' policies in the past, this is the first time she has questioned the fitness of a candidate to serve.

"What we all saw and heard on Friday was Donald talking about women: what he thinks about women, what he does to women.

"I think it's clear to anyone who heard it that it represents exactly who he is because we've seen this throughout the campaign. We've seen him insult women. We've seen him rate women on their appearance, spend nearly a week denigrating a former Ms Universe. So, yes, this is who Donald Trump is.

"But it's not only women. He has also targeted immigrants, African Americans, Latinos, people with disabilities."

Trump is starting to sniff again.

Former Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley takes on Trump's assertion that his comments were merely "locker room talk".

The debate starts off a bit frosty as Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton decline to shake hands after they're introduced and move to their podiums.

First question: "Do you feel you're modelling appropriate behaviour for young people?"

Clinton: "It is very important for us to make clear to our children that our country really is great because we're good. We are really going to respect one another, lift each other up... celebrate our diversity.

"I have a very positive and optimistic view about what we can do. That's why the slogan of my campaign is 'stronger together.'"

Trump says he agrees with "everything she said."

But adds: "I began this campaign because I was tired of seeing such foolish things happen in this country ... My whole concept was to make America great again."

Anderson Cooper goes in for the kill, challenging Trump on the raunchy video. Cooper says boasting about grabbing a woman's genitals is "sexual assault" ... do you understand that?

"That's not what I said at all," Trump responds. "It was locker room talk." He says he was embarrassed by it.

Trump segues into the Islamic State (Isis) chopping off peoples' heads and says he will make "America safe."

We're just minutes away from the debate kicking off, with moderators Martha Raddatz and Anderson Cooper ready for the nominees to join them on stage. Both Trump and Clinton's families are in the audience, which includes non-committed voters. The candidates will get questions directly from voters, with the moderators allowing for any further discussion.

Could Donald Trump have two (or more) videos to answer for? A former producer of The Apprentice when it featured Trump said the damning tape of the Republican presidential candidate boasting about grabbing women's genitals isn't the "worst" of what's out there.

He was referring to comments made by Emmy award-winning producer Chris Nee , who tweeted that she has heard from staffers on the show that Trump used the N-word while speaking on a hot mic on the set.

But workers face a possible $5m (£4m) fine under their contract for leaking videos.

Donald Trump is ready to fight dirty to discredit rival Hillary Clinton and her husband following his own sex abuse scandals. However, recently uncovered footage from the 1990s shows Trump expressing sympathy for his now-rival and defending her husband.

CNN's KFile released a video of a 1999 interview with Wolf Blitzer, where Trump says Clinton had gone through more public controversy than any woman should have to.

"I think she's gone through terrible times," Trump said at the time. "I think she's been through more than any woman should have to bear – everything public. I mean women go through this on a private basis and can't take it, she's on the front page of every newspaper every week with what went on in Washington."

He continued: "I think she's a very, very good person. I think she's had a very tough life the last few years."

Trump has since changed his stance, calling Clinton a "total enabler" who "would go after these women and destroy their lives".

In an apparent sign of one of the issues Donald Trump intends to focus on in tonight's debate, he held an impromptu press conference just hours before the event with three women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct and one who has accused him of rape.

"These four very courageous women have asked to be here, and it was our honour to help them," Trump said.

Juanita Broaddrick, who has maintained that Bill Clinton raped her in 1978, said that "Mr Trump may have said some bad words, but Bill Clinton raped me and Hillary Clinton threatened me. I don't think there's anything worse."

The Clinton campaign called the conference a stunt.

"We're not surprised to see Donald Trump continue his destructive race to the bottom," said communications director Jennifer Palmieri.

"Hillary Clinton understands the opportunity in this town hall is to talk to voters on stage and in the audience about the issues that matter to them, and this stunt doesn't change that. If Donald Trump doesn't see that, that's his loss. As always, she's prepared to handle whatever Donald Trump throws her way."

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Welcome to IBTimes UK's live coverage of the second presidential debate. Tonight is expected to be quite the interesting night as Republican Donald Trump attempts to move past a couple of scandal-filled weeks since the first presidential debate. Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, will look to capitalise on Trump's many scandals, including the recently released hot-mic audio in which Trump gleefully describes committing sexual assault.

Fresh general election polls show Clinton regaining momentum against Trump. A Fox News poll released on Friday (7 October) has Clinton leading by 4%, while a new Economist/YouGov poll on Sunday (9 October) has her up by 5%. However, a running LA Times/USC Tracking poll still finds Trump ahead by 3%.