I am honored to have this role [of the moderator], but this evening belongs to the candidates and, just as important, to the American people.

You never know what doors are going to open up and why they are going to open up. You've got to be ready to walk through them.

The share of Americans who say race relations are bad in this country is the highest it's been in decades, much of it amplified by shootings of African-Americans by police, as we've seen recently in Charlotte and Tulsa. Race has been a big issue in 2016 campaign.

I am honored to have this role [of the moderator], but this evening belongs to the candidates and, just as important, to the American people.

The biggest thing I worry about is the unsubstantiated story. You have to tell the people what you know -- and acknowledge what you don't know.

I remember when I interviewed at MSNBC, one of the first things they said to me was, 'In your tapes, you had a mustache, right?' I said, 'Yeah, I recently took it off.' I said, 'If you hire me, you get to decide if you want it or not.' They said, 'No, no, we're fine with it now.'

Candidates [Hillary Clinton and Donald trump], we look forward to hearing you articulate your policies and your positions, as well as your visions and your values.