LIVE: GOP debate live blog, social media reaction

It's debate night in Sin City. Republican presidential candidates are in Las Vegas for their last debate of the year, just seven weeks before the 2016 nominating race gets underway at the Iowa caucuses.

Get the latest debate coverage right here. KSAT also has a local panel of politicos in house and we will be live periscoping their debate during commercial breaks. 

Thanks to everyone who joined our live blog!

Closing statements:

Donald Trump: Said America does not win anymore. Says healthcare system is a disaster and nothing works (trade, not defeating ISIS). Said America will win a lot under his presidency.

Ted Cruz: Judgment, strength, clarity and trust. Cutting taxes and unleashing small businesses, and building the military, to beat radical terrorists.

Ben Carson: Thanks God everyday he was born in this country. Wants to preserve American exceptionalism. He said he is not willing to give up freedom for political correctness.

Marco Rubio: What’s at stake is not which party will be in charge. It’s a place where anyone can achieve anything. People feel unsafe in the face of terrorism. Restore American principles to remain strongest nation on earth.

Jeb Bush: Ask yourself, which candidate will make the country safer and freer. I deliver real results. For America to be safe and sound, he asked for support.

Carly Fiorina: To take country back, begin by beating Hillary Clinton. Need to unify Republican party and be better than the government; need to be better than their politics. Need to unify party and have a conservative in the White House.

Chris Christie: Terrorism is not theoretical - it’s real. I’ve spent my life protecting our country against another one of those attacks to protect America from wars being brought to our doorsteps.

John Kasich: Tip on winning Ohio: reform, growth, security, opportunity. People of Ohio people of America. Message has to be big, bold, positive, and connect with their heads and hearts. If we do it, we will beat Hillary Clinton. 

Rand Paul: Not stronger going further into debt. I’m the only fiscal conservative on this stage.

Back from the break and the candidates are discussing China and North Korea. Check out what our panel of local politicos had to say about the debate.

The candidates are sparing over immigration policy now.

The candidates are discussing a no-fly zone over Syria. Paul goes after Christie, saying we don't want leader who will start WWIII.

WATCH: Our panel's discussion on tonight's GOP Debate.

Paul: Asks if Donald Trump is a real candidate. Closing the internet is violating the First Amendment, or you’d have to violate the Geneva Convention by killing family members of terrorists. He asked: Are you going to change the Constitution to vote for Trump?

Trump defended his position that closing the internet is closing where the terrorists are. He was booed.

Could Carson wage war as commander-in-chief?

Carson: You should see the eyes in children who you tell you have to open them up to remove a cancer. “They don’t love me, but later they realize what’s going on.” He said you have to look at the big picture.

Ruthless isn’t a word he’d use, but tough and resolute are, in order to protect the people of this country.

A large debate has happened around the topic of killing innocent people when targeting ISIS. A college student asked, via social media, how the candidates can violate international law by killing civilians.

Cruz: Do you target a Syrian city where hundreds of thousands of innocent people live? He said you use overwhelming power to completely destroy ISIS. “Carpet bomb” them, mop up what’s left. Does not agree with “photo op” foreign policy of the Obama administration. Political correctness of Obama administration is killing people. Use power to destroy where ISIS is, not where the city is (and innocent civilians).

Trump: Supports closing down parts of the internet where people who want to kill Americans operate.

Kasich: Does not support closing the internet.

Fiorina: Private sector wasn’t asked to help build Obama’s (Obamacare) website. She thinks they should help crack terrorist group’s codes.

Rubio: Why does he think Cruz’s vote to limit collection of phone records was wrong? Valuable tool is no longer available that is needed to go after the bad guys. He said America needs the tools necessary because if another attack happens, the public will ask why the intelligence community did not stop it. The crowd applauded.

Cruz: Surveillance and privacy. Seeing tools work in San Bernardino and have phones that they need to track the radicals.

Kasich: How do you find a radicalized person? Need troops on the ground similar to the first Gulf War. Said ISIS needs to be destroyed.

Christie: 650,000 children didn’t go to school because of a threat in California. Is this the new normal? It’s the new normal under Obama and Hillary Clinton. He took on Clinton because he said her stance on keeping people safe is the same as Obama’s. 

Fiorina: Do you want the party to stand for keeping people out? She said she wants solutions. Need to do two things at home: technology has moved on. iPhone invented in 2007, iPad in 2011. Snapchat and the rest have only been around a few years. Terrorists have moved with it. Private sector will help, but they must be engaged and asked. “I know them.” 

Ted Cruz: Said Obama has a doublespeak on terrorism. When asked ‘why do you disagree with Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims entering the U.S., he did not respond to Trump.

Cruz took the question to criticize President Obama on his policies dealing with terrorism.

Bush: If we’re going to ban all Muslims, how are we going to get them to join in the fight against terrorism. Need to engage with them. “Donald is great at the one-liners, but he’s a chaos candidate.”

Trump: Jeb doesn’t believe I’m unhinged. He said that because he’s failed in his campaign.

America faces the greatest terror threat. It’s the theme of this debate. 

Trump: We’re not talking about isolation. We’re talking about security. Our country is out of control. I will build a wall, it will be a great wall.

Bush called Trump ‘unhinged’ for wanting to ban non-American Muslims.

Opening statements: 

Donald Trump: Criticized the Iran deal, talked about how he began his campaign. Said he’s at the center of the stage because “people like what I say, people respect what I say.”

Ben Carson: Asked for a moment of silence in remembrance of the San Bernardino victims.

America is the patient in critical condition, he said, and won’t be cured by political correctness. He wants Congress to declare war on ISIS.

Ted Cruz: Like Rubio, talked about being at war and fighting the terrorists, keeping America safe. Mentioned ISIS by name, saying Obama is afraid to mention the group’s name. “We will keep America safe.”

Marco Rubio: Started his opening statement with a trip down memory lane, talking about his grandfather.

Jeb Bush: Believe power needs to be taken away from Washington, D.C. He also mentioned safety in the closing words of his opening statement.

Carly Fiorina: She said she’s angry and said it’s time to take the country back. Beating breast cancer and having been a secretary (being the underdog being told no) she said she always refused to say no. “Join me, and we wiil get it done.”

Chris Christie: Safety was the main topic Christie addressed during his opening speech, asking what President Obama has done (he included Hillary in the comment) to make America safe.

John Kasich: Finding jobs, destroying ISIS were main key points. But he said none will get accomplished if Republicans remain divided.

Rand Paul: mentioned terrorism or terrorist seven times in his opening statement.

The debate is underway! Wolf Blitzer, the night’s moderator, introduced the candidates like a sports arena announcer calling out the starting lineup of a basketball team. The daughter of former Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) even sang the “Star-Spangled Banner.” 

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7:40 p.m. update: Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus addressed the audience before the start of the last GOP debate of the year, telling them that no matter who they support, any of the candidates on the stage would be better than Hillary Clinton.

UPDATE: The early debate has come to an end. Nine more GOP candidates, including the front runners, will take the stage at 7:30 p.m.

Click here for a full preview of what to watch at tonight's debate.