Thursday Briefing: Who won the Harris-Trump debate?

September 12, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering the outcome of the Harris-Trump debate and Russia’s battle for a key city in eastern Ukraine.

Plus, Raygun is now the world’s No. 1-ranked women’s breaker.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump stand at lecterns on a stage. Trump is speaking with his right hand raised.

Doug Mills/The New York Times

Who won the Harris-Trump debate?

Vice President Kamala Harris dominated much of Tuesday’s debate against Donald Trump, mostly by successfully targeting the former president’s ego.

But she missed an opportunity to expand on her own plans for the presidency, appearing most at ease when talking about Trump’s agenda. After the debate, some undecided Americans said that while she seemed more presidential than Trump, they wanted more details about her tax and economic platforms.

Analysis: The candidates offered contrasting views of the U.S., my colleague Peter Baker writes. Trump’s America is grim and full of marauding immigrants. Harris describes a weary but hopeful nation ready to move on from the Trump years.

Worldview: Neither candidate presented a specific plan to end the war in Gaza or secure a cease-fire. Trump avoided answering whether he wanted Ukraine to defeat Russia, deepening fears that he would end U.S. military support for Kyiv if he were elected.

Memorable moments: Trump repeated a debunked rumor about immigrants eating cats, and Harris reminded viewers she owns a gun.

More on the U.S. election

Americans head to the polls in less than eight weeks.

In an interview, Trump dismissed Taylor Swift’s endorsement of Harris, saying the pop star will “probably pay a price for it in the marketplace.”
Harris and Trump shook hands again at an event yesterday in New York City to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
From Opinion: Our columnists and contributors shared their thoughts about who won the debate.

Do you have questions about the election?

Send them to us, and we’ll find the answers.

Stay up to date:

A map of Ukraine with a red area indicating Russian gains since June 1.

The New York Times

How Russia’s steady advance threatens Ukraine’s East

Russia is closing in on Prokrovsk in one of its fastest advances since the early days of the war. The city is a major rail and road hub. Capturing it would not only cut off Ukraine’s main supply lines, but also put Russian troops in a strategic position to seize the rest of the Donbas region.

Ukraine had hoped that its surprise invasion of the Kursk region last month would force Moscow to divert its troops from the Donbas. But the Russian military advanced steadily forward across most of the eastern front line.

Context: Russia’s advance poses daunting challenges for Ukraine — at some points last month, Kyiv’s troops fell back more than a mile a day. In a meeting yesterday with Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, top Ukrainian officials repeated their request for permission to use Western weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. Blinken later said the Biden administration did not rule out the possibility of granting Kyiv more latitude.

Protesters with a giant Mexican flag filled a street.

On Tuesday, protesters barged into the building before being eventually dispersed by the police. Marian Carrasquero for The New York Times

Mexico’s voters could soon elect their judges

Mexico’s Senate narrowly passed a proposal yesterday that would shift the country’s judiciary to an election-based system. The plan would remove 7,000 judges from their jobs, including the chief justice of the Supreme Court, in one of the most significant judicial overhauls in any major democracy.

Outrage: The measure has run into fierce resistance from judicial workers, law experts, investors, judges, students, opposition legislators and other critics. On Tuesday, protesters barged into the building before being eventually dispersed by the police.

What’s next: The bill heads to state legislatures, where it is expected to be approved in the coming months. Voters could start electing federal, state and local judges as soon as next year. Some experts say it will take years for the impact of the legislation to be fully understood.

MORE TOP NEWS

A man walking in knee-deep water in what appears to be a flooded road.

Yagi was the strongest typhoon to hit Vietnam in decades. Nhac Nguyen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Vietnam: The death toll from Typhoon Yagi has risen to 143. Rain continued to cause landslides in small villages and flooding in Hanoi.
Middle East: Israel launched fresh raids in two West Bank cities and carried out a strike on a third city that Palestinian officials said killed five people.
Israel: President Biden said that he was outraged by the killing of an American activist by an Israeli soldier and demanded “full accountability” from Israel for her death.
India: The authorities in the state of Manipur have imposed a new curfew and shut down internet access after a surge in ethnic violence.
Iraq: Iran’s president arrived in Baghdad for talks as Iraq moves closer toward negotiations on the departure of U.S. troops from its territory.
North Korea: In defiance of sanctions, Pyongyang has continued to supply advanced short-range ballistic missiles to Russia.
France: Michel Barnier, the newly picked prime minister, has put a pointed distance between himself and the weakened president, Emmanuel Macron.
China: The family of an American woman who has been held in prison on drug charges for a decade said she was seriously ill and should be sent home.
Health: Despite being easily preventable, cholera deaths have soared worldwide.
U.S.: Black student enrollment at Harvard has declined this year, after the Supreme Court curtailed affirmative action.
Britain: The government and the Indian conglomerate Tata plan to invest 1.25 billion pounds, or about $1.6 billion, to make the country’s largest steel mill greener.

Sports

A coach walks in front of soccer players in a stadium.

Mauricio Pochettino following a Premier League match earlier this year. Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC, via Getty Images

Soccer: The Athletic took a deep dive into the deal for Mauricio Pochettino to lead the U.S. men’s national team through the 2026 World Cup.
Olympics: The Australian field hockey player Tom Craig has been suspended for 12 months after being arrested for allegedly buying cocaine during the Paris Games.
Golf: How a golfer trying to bond with his family has disrupted the sport’s equipment industry.

MORNING READ

Raygun in a green tracksuit doing a handstand on a mat labeled “Paris.”

Raygun, the world’s greatest breaker, apparently. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Even if you don’t know who Raygun is, you’ve probably seen the memes: The Australian breaker went viral during the Olympics (generally not in a good way) for her kangaroo-hopping routines.

She placed dead last in Paris, but on the latest world rankings she’s No. 1 in the sport. How? Turns out, that was because of the Olympics too, but in a roundabout sort of way.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

5G inner peace: Sadhguru is one of the most prominent spiritual figures of the internet era. But were we meant to receive mystical truths on our phones?
Who is Celebrity Number Six?: On Reddit, a woman became the target of of a yearslong digital manhunt. She had no idea anybody was looking for her.

Midlife Marriage Tuneup: These 6 questions from relationship experts can bring couples closer during middle age.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times .

ARTS AND IDEAS

In a video game screenshot a Black man in armor and an ornate headdress holds a sword above his head with two hands. Next to him, an Asian woman wearing a black cloth uniform holds shuriken.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ two playable characters: Yasuke, left, and Naoe. Ubisoft

Outcry over Assassin’s Creed Shadow

The Assassin’s Creed video game franchise by Ubisoft has recreated momentous periods in history, and fans have wanted a feudal Japan entry for nearly two decades.

Soon, they’ll have it. Assassin’s Creed Shadows drops on Nov. 15. But the reveal of Yasuke, one of the two main characters, has caused a violent backlash: Yasuke is a Black samurai.

Fans have often looked for historical inaccuracies in past games, but the outcry over Yasuke has been considerably louder. Game developers got personal attacks and death threats, and even Elon Musk commented that diversity was killing art. But Yasuke is a real historical figure, unlike the mythological aliens and godlike weapons that are also series fixtures.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Julia Gartland for The New York Times

Cook: This dijon and cognac beef stew is rich and comforting. Like most of us, it just needs a little patience.

Read: A new memoir chronicles the sex, drugs and heartbreak of Brooklyn’s underground party scene.

Watch: These true crime documentaries unearth the dark pasts of favorite clothing brands.

Travel: Kyoto’s famous for its temples and gardens, but its waterways are just as enchanting.

Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Gaya

P.S. Victoria Kim will be our new correspondent in Australia.

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