What we learned from the Fetterman-Oz Senate debate

Fetterman faces Oz in Pennsylvania Senate debate; greenhouse gases hit record highs last year.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

The high stakes in the Fetterman-Oz Senate debate

Nate Smallwood/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Kriston Jae Bethel/AFP via Getty Images

• Tuesday, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) faced Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz in a closely watched race for Pennsylvania Senate. [Associated Press / Marc Levy and Steve Peoples]
• In the first and only debate in a race that could determine which party controls the Senate, Fetterman used live transcriptions as an accommodation for a stroke-related auditory processing disability. [CNN / Dan Merica and Gregory Krieg]
• Things got personal during the contest: Oz attacked the Democrat for having “extreme” positions while Fetterman repeatedly called Oz a liar. [New York Times / Katie Glueck and Trip Gabriel]
• Oz refused to take a position on Republicans' proposed 15-week abortion ban, but said politicians should be involved in abortion decisions. Fetterman said he supports codifying Roe v. Wade. [Politico / Holly Otterbein]
• Few policy positions were clarified, however. The biggest question following the debate is how much impact it will have on the race. [Vox / Li Zhou]

📍 If you read just one story

Vox’s Keren Landman explains why John Fetterman’s recovery from stroke could be an asset if elected. [Vox / Keren Landman]

Atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions hit record highs last year

• The three main planet-warming emissions in Earth’s atmosphere hit record levels in 2021, according to a World Meteorological Organization report released Wednesday. [NBC News / Denise Chow]
• Methane saw the biggest year-on-year increase in the 40 years of recorded levels. [NPR]
• The concentration of carbon dioxide grew more from 2020-2021 than the annual average. Experts say it’s a sign that the world is “headed in the wrong direction.” [The Hill / Rachel Frazin]
• Meanwhile, a UN report found global emissions are on pace to increase more than 10 percent over 2010 levels by 2030 unless the world takes action. [Vox / Umair Irfan]

Support our journalism

Reader contributions help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work with a one-time gift today.

Wednesday, a jury found the man who drove his SUV into a Waukesha Christmas parade in November 2021 guilty of six counts of intentional homicide and other charges. [CNN / Eric Levenson, Bill Kirkos, and Brad Parks]

• Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker faced a new allegation that he paid for an abortion, this one from a woman who says he paid for her procedure in 1993. [AP / Bill Barrow and Stefanie Dazio]
• Last week, a python estimated at 7 meters in length swallowed an Indonesian woman at a rubber plantation. [Guardian / Rebecca Ratcliffe and Reno Surya]
• Sen. Bob Menedez (D-NJ) is reportedly again under federal criminal investigation. [ABC News / Aaron Katersky and Luke Barr]

"These aren’t normal circumstances, and it’s hard to determine how voters evaluate Fetterman given his stroke.”

[Chris Borick, a nonpartisan Pennsylvania-based pollster / Vox ]

Why scaring voters works

Rising crime comes up in campaigns like clockwork, but during this year's midterm election season, it's making a particular mark on two key Senate races: Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Vox’s Nicole Narea (@nicolenarea) and Li Zhou (@liszhou) explain.

Read more from Vox

Ben Smith’s Semafor is live. He says it will take 10 years to get it right.

Everybody wants to be a LinkedInfluencer

Is the cure for inflation worse than the disease?

TikTok won’t stop serving me horror and death

Beto O’Rourke can’t win without suburban women. They don’t seem sold.

This email was sent to you. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.

View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.

Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036.
Copyright © 2022. All rights reserved.