Live-blogging the debate

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Hofstra University Long Island.

9:04 PM — First question from a young man named Jeremy Epstein who asks about jobs availability out of college.

Romney in his first reply promises jobs creation, few details. Obama walks through plans for college loans, community college retraining for unemployed.

9:13 — Second question is on whether it is the role of government to help set gas prices. Obama doesn’t immediately answer, but segues into energy independence, which he mentioned in his first answer as well.

Romney faults Obama for ovr regulation, says criminal action taken against a company for an action which killed "20-25 birds."

9:48 After much back and forth on taxes and equity for women, Susan Katz asks (paraphrase): I’m not happy with Obama years, but even more worried about Bush years. Among Romney’s answers (which focus mostly on the deficit) he makes his first foreign policy venture: he would be tougher on China.

9:55 Obama includes Osama bin Laden kill as among his accomplishments (asked by Michael Jones, who voted for Obama in 2008, what is better.)

10:08 Finally, first purely foreign policy question — Benghazi. Obama says he will find out who is responsible, both for the screwup and the attack.

Romney slams Obama on foreign policy, leads into this: "Consider the distance between us and israel when the president said he would put daylight btween us and Israel."

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