First GOP Presidential Debate: What to Expect

CLEVELAND – The first GOP presidential debate is underway in Cleveland. There will be two debates Thursday night, a total of 17 candidates and a whole lot of pushing and shoving.

The opening act features the six candidates who polled the lowest.

CBN News is covering the event live. Click here to follow The Brody File live tweeting the event. Click here to follow Abigail Robertson live tweeting the event.

Then it's on to the main event: the top 10 candidates, with business mogul Donald Trump literally in the middle of the stage since he's the current frontrunner. Watch for him to throw a few verbal grenades and for others to respond in kind.

Some candidates arrived in Cleveland early. Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina is doing national radio interviews and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is holding townhall meetings to rev up his supporters.

"When I'm president of the United States, we will reduce taxes on businesses big and small so they can compete and jobs will stay in America," Rubio told an audience at one of the meetings.

Meanwhile, as candidates get ready for 2016, so is the GOP. The Republican National Committee is holding its summer meeting at the Renaissance Hotel where they will begin to shape the party's platform for next year's election.

One issue on the agenda is Planned Parenthood and those gruesome, undercover videos revealing how its doctors discussed selling fetal tissue.

Ellen Barosse, RNC national committee woman for Delaware, said she wants to stop government funding of state universities that have purchased fetal tissue for testing purposes.

"The RNC is very responsive to the grassroots," she told CBN News. "We really care about the people in our home states, and what they are telling us loud and clear is that Planned Parenthood has to be defunded."

As for tonight's debate, there's no doubt candidates will be pressed on their stance regarding the funding of abortion giant -- and how hard they're willing to fight to end it.

Fox News is providing live coverage for the first GOP Presidential debate. CBN News is covering the debate and givinglive updates throughout the evening.