Axios

The Harris campaign on Wednesday is launching its first ad following the presidential debate, highlighting what it calls "two very different visions" for the country and Vice President Harris' plan to create a "new way forward."

Why it matters: It's the latest effort by the Harris campaign to contrast her campaign centered around an optimistic and forward-looking vision for the nation with what it sees as former President Trump's backward-looking one.

Roughly 67 million people watched former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris' first presidential debate, per Nielsen — a significant uptick from the 51 million that watched the debate between the GOP nominee and President Joe Biden in June.

Why it matters: Packed with viral moments, the event marked the first time Americans could see Harris go head-to-head with Trump and debate as a presidential candidate.

An increasing number of top House Republicans are openly second-guessing House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) attempt to appease his right flank in his efforts to avert a government shutdown.

Why it matters: Establishment and swing-district Republicans, typically Johnson's most loyal soldiers, are panicking that they just burned one of the three remaining weeks before government funding runs dry with nothing to show for it.

Gov. Tim Walz took a brief break from the campaign trail Wednesday to make a rare public appearance in Minnesota, dropping in at a St. Paul event commemorating September 11.

The big picture: Criss-crossing the country for rallies and fundraisers has left little time for official events back home since the sitting governor joined the national Democratic ticket last month.

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.

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.

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.

The price of bitcoin began falling during the U.S. presidential debate Tuesday night, losing almost 4% by the time it hit a low Wednesday morning.

Why it matters: Bitcoin has been seen as a proxy bet on the election, with traders assuming a win for Former President Donald Trump would boost the price of the oldest cryptocurrency.

Proponents of a popular Social Security bill that has fallen through the legislative cracks for years are mounting a last ditch effort to bypass GOP leadership and force a vote on the measure.

Why it matters: Nearly a dozen Republicans have signed on despite House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) frequently opposing such workarounds, called discharge petitions.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ditched a planned vote Wednesday on his six-month stopgap funding bill that included a crackdown on non-citizen voting.

Why it matters: It's the latest setback for Johnson, who was facing opposition from fellow Republicans as well nearly all Democrats and raises pressure on GOP leaders to find an alternative path for avoiding a shutdown in less than three weeks.

One major takeaway stands out from Tuesday's debate between former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris: the GOP nominee isn't walking away from conspiracy theories.

Why it matters: Despite repeated calls from Republican allies to stick to policy, Trump has kept sharing unfounded narratives known to amplify baseless conspiracies.

President Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Trump briefly put politics aside Wednesday when they attended the same 9/11 remembrance ceremony in New York City.

The big picture: Their appearance together comes mere hours after Harris and Trump's presidential debate, in which the two traded sharp — and often personal — barbs.

Rep. Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.) said Tuesday that the police officers involved in Sunday's traffic stop with Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill lacked "temperament" and that she's "pissed" after watching the bodycam footage.

The big picture: The Miami-Dade Police Department is facing criticism for detaining the standout wide receiver shortly before the Dolphins' season opener. Some have called on the department to fire the officers involved.

The prediction market for the U.S. presidential election sprang to life Tuesday night during the debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

What happened: Before the debate began, bettors on the blockchain-based prediction market, Polymarket, solidly favored Trump — but Harris' performance moved the odds to a tie by the end of the face-off.

Former President Trump told "Fox and Friends" Wednesday morning that he is "less inclined" to participate in another debate against Vice President Kamala Harris before the election.

Why it matters: The first Trump-Harris debate on Tuesday night saw the former president resort to angry, rambling and conspiracy-filled answers in a performance that even some of his allies said fell short.

A few things stood out from last night's first Kamala Harris-Donald Trump contest ...

🎯 Harris aimed for the center. She embraced the U.S. oil boom in her latest pivot from her 2019 call for a fracking ban, and later shouted out record gas output.

The number of New York City Fire Department members who have died from 9/11-related illnesses in the decades since the attack now surpasses the number who died that day.

The big picture: The FDNY added the name of 32 individuals who died from health issues stemming from the rescue and recovery efforts at the World Trade Center to its memorial wall, bringing the total number who have died from Ground-Zero-related illnesses to over 360.

Abortion predictably loomed large over Tuesday's presidential debate, with Vice President Kamala Harris asserting that former President Trump would sign a national abortion ban and Trump taking a leave-it-to-the-states posture.

The big picture: Trump continued to waffle on abortion, at one point appearing to contradict GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance's recent claim that the former president would veto a national ban.

PHILADELPHIA — Kamala Harris passed the test on Tuesday — and the feeling among Democrats at the presidential debate here was unmistakable: They're now thrilled they ditched President Biden for Harris.

Why it matters: Harris' commanding performance against Donald Trump reassured nervous Democrats that they made the right call in pushing Biden to step aside after his disastrous debate against Trump in June.

Over and over at last night's presidential debate, Kamala Harris set traps surgically designed to provoke, rattle and enrage Donald Trump.

• And over and over, Trump stepped right into them.

Why it matters: With just eight weeks until the election, Harris delivered for Democrats on the biggest possible stage — the type of national stage that ended President Biden's political career less than three months ago.

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign called for a second presidential debate soon after she wrapped up her first one with former President Trump on Tuesday night.

The latest: Trump initially said during a live post-debate interview on Fox News that he'd "have to think about it" and that Harris wanted a second debate "because she lost," but when host Sean Hannity pushed him on it Trump said: "Maybe if it was on a fair network."

GOP lawmakers said they felt former President Trump's debate performance lacked focus, arguing he "took the bait" and missed opportunities to hit Vice President Harris on key issue areas during their first debate on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Republicans had hoped that Trump would focus on policy and steer away from personal attacks and conspiratorial rhetoric as they seek to cast Harris as too liberal to be president.

Conservatives attacked ABC News moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis for fact-checking Tuesday's debate in real-time, arguing they were one-sided against former President Trump and in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.

Why it matters: ABC's decision to fact-check the debate stood in contrast from CNN, which opted not to hold candidates to account for their falsehoods in real-time on stage in June.

Vice President Harris landed repeated blows on former President Trump during their first presidential debate, attacking his criminal convictions, rambling statements and unpopular positions on issues including abortion.

Why it matters: This was a very different debate this cycle for Trump than the one that effectively knocked President Biden out of the race, and his performance appeared unlikely to pull in many wavering moderate voters.

Former President Trump raised a baseless conspiracy theory on Haitian immigrants eating pets during the presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night.

Why it matters: A presidential nominee on the debate stage accused people, without evidence, of eating cats and dogs.

GOP nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) continued to peddle a baseless conspiracy theory about Haitian immigrants eating pets after former President Trump raised the topic during Tuesday's debate.

Why it matters: Officials in Springfield, Ohio, have said there's no evidence the claims are true. That hasn't stopped Vance from encouraging supporters to share them, or Trump from repeating them as fact.

Taylor Swift, identifying as a "childless cat lady," endorsed Vice President Harris on Tuesday, minutes after the first presidential debate between the VP and former President Trump concluded.

Why it matters: Swift is a global superstar with an enormous base of support, particularly among younger voters. She endorsed President Biden in the 2020 election, but had not yet weighed in on the 2024 race.

Former President Donald Trump claimed during Tuesday's presidential debate that his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris "hates Israel" while she fired back that he "admires dictators."

Why it matters: The candidates' exchange about foreign affairs and national security was less about policy and more about personal attacks.

Vice President Kamala Harris reminded voters that she is a gun owner during her debate with former President Trump — a fact that's likely to surprise many of her progressive followers.

The big picture: It's the latest sign that Harris is focusing on appealing to moderates and Trump-wary conservatives in the run-up to Election Day. Harris has said previously that she owns a firearm, but she doesn't talk about it often on the campaign trail and has repeatedly advocated for stronger gun controls.

Vice President Kamala Harris shot back at former President Trump for his history of racism during Tuesday night's debate.

Why it matters: Harris' comments mark her first substantive, direct response on race and racism during the 2024 campaign — throughout which her opponent has questioned her racial identity.

Democratic lawmakers and strategists were elated at what they saw as an "unhinged" former President Trump repeatedly taking Vice President Harris' bait at Tuesday night's debate.

Why it matters: "Everything this dude says right now is an attack ad line," said one Democratic strategist.

Former President Trump doubled down on taking credit for overturning Roe v. Wade during Tuesday's presidential debate, while also claiming he wouldn't sign a national abortion ban.

The big picture: Trump has flip-flopped on his abortion stance while Vice President Kamala Harris has made it a defining issue in her campaign.

Vice President Harris tied former President Trump to Project 2025 early in their contentious presidential debate, claiming he is preparing to unleash a dangerous agenda.

Why it matters: Trump has tried to distance himself from the conservative playbook in recent weeks, as Democrats repeatedly try to link him to it.

Former Biden Justice Department official Maggie Goodlander won the Democratic primary for New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district on Tuesday, according to the AP.

Why it matters: The race between Goodlander and local politician Colin Van Ostern to replace retiring Rep. Annie Kuster (D-N.H.) got heated in the final weeks.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who's long been skeptical of changing the rules that require 60 votes for legislation to pass the Senate, is willing to carve out an exception for abortion rights, he told us.

Why it matters: This is a huge win for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who now appears to have the votes to pass abortion rights legislation — if Democrats can hold the majority.

Senate Republican leaders are privately raising the alarm over the Democratic Party's fundraising advantage, and they're bracing for another cash infusion from the Harris-Walz presidential campaign into Senate races.

Why it matters: "WE WILL LOSE WINNABLE RACES DUE TO A LACK OF RESOURCES," read one slide presented by National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) to his fellow Republicans at a closed-door lunch on Tuesday.