Donald Trump has come under attack from all sides in a fiery debate between the top Republican presidential candidates in the 2016 presidential election.
The frontrunner, a billionaire businessman with no political experience, refused to apologise over comments about the wife of Jeb Bush.
And the biggest applause went to Carly Fiorina, when she responded to a recent jibe by Trump over her looks.
There are 15 Republicans hoping to be the party’s White House nominee.
Bush and Trump traded blows on a few issues, notably when the former Florida governor demanded the tycoon apologise to his wife for saying he was weak on immigration because she is Mexican. Trump refused, reports the BBC.
But the loudest audience response of the night came when Ms Fiorina was asked about an interview in which Trump was quoted as saying “Look at that face!” and said she could not be president.
She replied, to thunderous applause: “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Trump said.”
Other highlights in the debate:
*Scott Walker said Trump, a hotel tycoon, cannot bankrupt the country like he did to certain businesses – strongly denied by Trump
*Bush said the UK’s former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, should have her face on the $10 bill
*Carly Fiorina said women’s health organisation Planned Parenthood should be denied all state funding, even if it triggers a government shutdown
*the only woman in the field also attacked the record of the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton
*Chris Christie said Ms Clinton should be prosecuted for compromising national security by using a private email server
*Bush and Marco Rubio defended speaking Spanish on the campaign trail, after Trump said people in the US should assimilate and speak English
*Rand Paul said he would not send US troops back to Iraq to fight Islamic State militants
*he also said Trump’s “playground” insults made him unsuitable to be president
*Ben Carson, who is second in the polls behind Trump, had a quiet night but said he is the only candidate who does not support amnesty for illegal immigrants
An undercard debate for the four other Republican candidates happened on the same stage earlier.
In a combative atmosphere, the four were split over the case of Ms Davis, who defied a Supreme Court ruling and refused to issue marriage licences to gay couples.
The Democratic Party will hold its first debate in Nevada in October, also hosted by CNN.
By next summer, each party will have a presidential nominee who will do battle in the race for the White House. Votes will finally be cast in November 2016.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!