At least 58 million people watched last night's presidential debate, according to preliminary Nielsen figures released today.

• That's about 6.5 million more than watched the debate between former President Trump and President Biden.
• And the numbers will probably rise once Nielsen finishes a more comprehensive tally.

👀 Context: The highest-rated game in the NFL's opening week averaged 29 million viewers. The debate roughly doubled that.

🗳️ Why it matters: Americans are tuned in to this election, especially now that Harris has replaced Biden atop the Democratic ticket.

• Her well-received performance — and Trump's diversions into personal grievances and conspiracy theories — had a large audience even without accounting for coverage of the debate, or clips shared on social media. Those are likely to reach millions more people.
• The debate gave voters a rare chance to see Harris answer questions, and may end up being the only opportunity to see the two candidates face off directly.

🎤 Trump told "Fox and Friends" this morning that he is "less inclined" to participate in another debate before the election.

Men's median earnings rose twice as much as women's last year — the first time in 20 years that the gender pay gap has widened significantly.

• The median woman working full time in 2023 earned 83% of what the median man earned, Axios' Emily Peck reports.

💼 Between the lines: The wage gap doesn't mean women earn less than men for the same types of jobs — though that does happen. Instead, it is a useful indicator of broad inequality between men and women in the labor market.

• More women than men hold low-wage jobs, and women are also more likely to take time out of the labor force to care for children.

Go deeper.

Vice President Kamala Harris, President Biden, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former President Trump and Sen. JD Vance were at Ground Zero today commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Relatives and friends of the victims laid flowers, American flags and other mementos at the memorial where the World Trade Center once stood.

Miami's newest massage therapist won't judge your physique or bother you with any small talk — because it's a robot.

• 😌 The robot simulates the touch techniques of a massage therapist, imitating a human thumb, a cupped hand, an elbow and other methods, Axios Miami's Martin Vassolo reports.
• Customers wear a special full-body compression suit to enable the robot arms — which are heated to 95 degrees — to more easily glide over their bodies.
• A touchscreen can adjust the table, the pressure of the massage, even the music.

Read Martin's review ... Get Axios Miami