The Cut - Panic! At the Presidential Debate

The first televised debate of 2024 between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was so disastrous and painful to watch that toward the end of it, both “horrible” and “Bernie” were trending on X. For Biden, who needed to beat back growing concerns about his age and mental acuity, the first half-hour was especially rough. He came off as weak, rambling, and undeniably old; his voice was unusually raspy — he told reporters afterward that he had a “sore throat” — and he struggled and stuttered through basic sentences. In one stunning moment that will probably haunt him until Election Day, Biden appeared to lose his train of thought and then inexplicably said, “We finally beat Medicare.” Clearly, he wasn’t on whatever cocktail of amphetamines and Mountain Dew the Trump team had claimed for weeks that he’d be taking, although some viewers wished he were.

Don’t worry, none of these links will be about last night’s disastrous debate. In fact, let’s start with something good: $58M in funding has been restored to New York City libraries! Also, livestock are a major source of methane emissions, and for the first time ever, a country (Denmark) will tax farmers for the greenhouse gases their animals emit. The devil wears Balenciaga to Paris Couture Week. Speaking of Paris, don’t underestimate her. And sorry, but this is happening. Happy Pride!

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