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Who is Margaret Brennan? What you should know about the VP debate moderator

Who is Margaret Brennan? What you should know about the VP debate moderator

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Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate and running mate, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, will face off Tuesday in a highly anticipated debate on CBS News scheduled at 9 p.m. ET start.

Vance and Walz will compete for the first and perhaps only time at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York City. The 90-minute debate, similar to the presidential debate, will have two four-minute commercial breaks and no live audience.

“See you October 1st, JD,” Walz wrote Aug. 14 on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Vance accepted the October 1 debate the following day, while also proposing a September 18 debate on CNN. Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris' campaign, told CBS News later in the day that Walz would only attend the Oct. 1 debate.

Moderating duties will be shared by CBS anchors Norah O'Donnell and Margaret Brennan.

VP debate: Will Vance and Walz draw a crowd like the record-breaking Biden-Palin debate?

Here's what you need to know about host and CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan.

Who is Margaret Brennan? Current job, view

Margaret Brennan, 44, is the host of “Face the Nation” on CBS News and the network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent. She is also a correspondent for “60 Minutes.”

Brennan joined CBS News in 2012 and has hosted “Face the Nation” since February 2018. During her time at CBS News, she held several positions, including as State Department and White House correspondent, “while contributing to all CBS News broadcast platforms,” ​​according to her bio on the network's website.

Throughout her career, the award-winning journalist has interviewed world leaders, including Presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Speakers of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy and Nancy Pelosi.

She has also reported extensively from Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Education of Margaret Brennan

Brennan graduated from the University of Virginia in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in foreign policy and Middle Eastern studies with a minor in Arabic. She also studied Arabic at Yarmouk University as a Fulbright-Hays Scholar in Irbid, Jordan, according to her biography on CBS News.

Brennan began her career as a producer on CNBC's “Wall Street Week with Louis Rukeyser” and spent a decade covering global financial markets for CNBC, NBC and later Bloomberg Television.

Has Margaret Brennan ever moderated a debate?

While Brennan has been at the forefront of political reporting, this is the first time she has moderated a general election vice presidential debate.

On September 15, Brennan interviewed Vance on “Face the Nation,” where they discussed topics such as tax cuts and the immigrant community in Ohio.

Is Margaret Brennan married?

Brennan is married to Yado Yakub and the couple has two sons. According to People, the two met in 1998 at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and began dating in 2013 before getting married in April 2015 in Washington, DC

Brennan and her show “Face the Nation” have won several awards, including the Emmys, the Walter Cronkite Award and the Wilbur Award, among others.

Contributors: Gabe Hauari, Sudiksha Kochi, David Jackson, Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY

Saman Shafiq is a featured news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.

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