The News Not Noise Letter: Debate Goals and Challenges
The News Not Noise Letter: Debate Goals and Challenges
What we’re watching for on debate night. Plus: Texas wants women’s medical records, and why Trump/Vance want you to believe your pet cat is in danger.
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First, some breaking news tonight. The Detroit Free Press reports that the Michigan Supreme Court has decided that RFK Jr. will appear on the Michigan ballot in November. This is good news for the Harris campaign as he’s expected to draw more votes from Trump than Harris. In a razor-thin race, this could matter.
We are a day away from the most consequential campaign event to date in the race between VP Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump. When they appear together on the debate stage in Philadelphia, it will be the first time they’ll meet in person. Each has distinct debate goals.
For Harris the goals include: introducing herself to voters who feel they don’t know enough about her; offering enough policy detail to reassure voters she has a plan, without so many specifics Trump’s likely to attack; and showing she represents change by overtly breaking with President Biden on select issues. At the same time, she has to prosecute the case against Trump – reminding voters of his chaos, crimes, and threats — and try to provoke him to lose his cool. She has to do this while appearing unrattled by Trump, fact-checking him every so often and maintaining that careful balance required of all female candidates: act tough, stay likable. In a radio interview today Harris predicted “he’s going to lie,” and she expects him to launch personal attacks, saying, “there’s no floor for him in terms of how low he will go.”
For Trump, it’s a different challenge. Most voters have their minds made up about him. His central goals will be to stay disciplined, avoid race/gender-based or personal attacks on Harris that tend to alienate undecided and swing voters, and try to tie her to Biden’s most unpopular policies. Today Trump campaign advisor Jason Miller told reporters that Harris “owns every failure of the Harris-Biden administration” and made clear that Trump will work to paint her as “dangerously liberal.” He also teased a debate “surprise.” (Do you think it’s Taylor Swift or Beyoncé? IYKYK)
The debate is at 9pm ET/6pm PT on ABC News and streaming on Max, Disney+, and Hulu.
We’re hosting a live chat for paid subscribers Tuesday night during the debate. Find instructions for how to access the live chat at the end of this newsletter below the paywall.
Here are your headlines:
Campaign Updates:
Times/Siena Poll: A eye-opening new poll from the New York Times/Siena College, offers clues to the campaigns’ challenges and objectives debate night. Among the findings:
28% of likely voters said they feel like they need to know more about Harris (including key target demos: 41% of Black voters, 43% of Latino voters, and 53% of voters aged 18-29). By contrast, 90% of voters say they “pretty much already know” everything they need to about Trump.
61% of voters say Trump represents change, only 40% say Harris does.
Foreign Policy Battle: Today the House GOP released a report pinning the blame for the 2021 withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan on both President Biden and VP Harris. The report says Harris worked “in lockstep with President Biden behind the scenes.” The Harris campaign was ready, releasing an open letter from retired generals blaming Trump for negotiating a withdrawal deal with the Taliban that lacked an exit plan. And tomorrow, the Harris campaign will air an ad on Fox featuring former Trump officials insisting he’s not fit to serve. The ad will air in Trump’s hometown of West Palm Beach, Florida as well as Philadelphia, where the debate is being held. Is someone trying to poke the bear?
Trump’s Mental Acuity: At an event Friday Trump gave a rambling and incoherent response to a question about childcare. He’s falsely claimed that kids are getting gender-affirming surgery while at school. Last week, he theorized that wind energy and bacon are behind the inflation crisis. He warned that his plan to deport undocumented immigrants will be a “bloody story.” That’s to say nothing of his fondness for mentioning Hannibal Lecter and sharks at rallies. In contrast, in a recent social media post he clearly articulated a will to jail “Political Operatives” and “Election Officials.” Do you think this is Trump just being Trump or is he having issues with mental acuity?
Shutdown Countdown: Congress is back and facing a September 30 deadline to avoid a government shutdown. Far-right House Republicans are proposing strict new voting laws which will not pass the Democrat-controlled Senate. So who, if anyone, blinks first? This close to the election, it’s hard to know which party a shutdown would hurt more.
Extreme Weather & Wildfires: Louisiana is bracing for a hurricane projected to make landfall Wednesday and – get this – parts of Texas are “out of water” due to an ongoing water crisis. In Los Angeles, the iconic Hollywood Bowl canceled concerts due to heat-related power outages, and wildfires have driven tens of thousands of residents from their homes in California, Nevada, and Oregon.
Tyreek Hill Updates: Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill was detained by police and handcuffed on the ground in a traffic stop Sunday just hours before his team’s first game of the season. Hill’s agent denounced the incident as “heartbreaking, upsetting and uncalled for.” One of the officers involved was placed on administrative leave during an investigation. Now the local police union responded, calling Hill “uncooperative.” No word yet on what exactly went down. Footage from the scene shows an officer kneeling on Hill’s back to cuff him.
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CMAs Snub Beyoncé: Today the Country Music Awards released its list of nominees – and Beyoncé’s chart-topping crossover album Cowboy Carter wasn’t on the list.
Kate Completes Chemo: Catherine, Princess of Wales released a video today announcing she completed chemotherapy and will soon resume a “light program” of public duties. You can watch her full message here.
Vance on Eating Kitty: Team Trump is back on the cat-theme, and this time with a weird conspiracy theory. In an email, the Trump campaign amplified a false claim that Haitian migrants are abducting and eating people’s pet cats and ducks from the park. Today on X, JD Vance wrote, “people have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn't be in this country. Where is our border czar?” He suggested Haitians are to blame. Ted Cruz, Elon Musk, and even the House Judiciary Committee GOP have also accelerated the claim. The Springfield Ohio Police say there are “no credible reports” of cats or ducks “being harmed, injured or abused” by immigrants. A note: if you’re trying to sound normal, maybe don’t lead with “Haitians are eating Ohio’s cats.”
Criminalizing Reproductive Care
Texas’s Attorney General wants the right to access your medical records – if you’re a woman of child-bearing age in Texas. This is the latest in a series of efforts by anti-reproductive rights state officials to fundamentally alter the rules for medical care and medical privacy when it comes to pregnant women.