TOP OF THE AGENDA

Harris goads Trump into flustered performance

Trump and Harris debated policy but personal attacks also dominated the 90 minute event. Credit: EPA

In Philadelphia on Tuesday night, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris faced each other off for the first (and possibly last) time. During a tense hour and a half, the US vice-president put her Republican rival on the defensive. "The pattern for much of this debate was Harris goading her Republican rival into making extended defences of his past conduct and comments," Anthony Zurcher writes from Philadelphia. That pattern was set early in the night, when the Democratic candidate suggested that Americans attend Trump rallies to witness people "leaving [them] early out of exhaustion and boredom". The former president spent most of his answer - to a question on immigration - defending his rally sizes. Right after the debate ended, a snap CNN poll of voters watching said that Harris performed better. Although it is a momentary snapshot in a knife-edge election, reactions from both camps hint at their post-debate mood. While Republicans complained about what they say was favouritism from the moderators who fact-checked assertions made by Trump, the Harris campaign immediately called for a new presidential debate before November.

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• What voters say: Undecided voters tell the BBC they were impressed by Harris - but will the debate determine their votes?

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• Watch: Our video team has compiled the debate's key moments, from abortion policy to the economy.

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• Ringing endorsement: Taylor Swift broke her silence on politics right after the debate to announce she would vote for Kamala Harris.

WORLD HEADLINES

• War in Ukraine: President Joe Biden has hinted at Washington lifting restrictions on Ukraine using US long-range missiles against Russia.

• Occupied West Bank: The Israeli military says a US-Turkish woman shot dead at a protest last week was "highly likely hit indirectly and unintentionally" by its soldiers.

• Judicial reform: Mexico's Senate has approved a controversial law under which judges will be elected by popular vote, despite continuous protests.

• Hopping to the top: Rachael Gunn remains the number one female breakdancer in the world, despite a controversial Olympic performance for Team Australia that divided the internet and left her with a score of zero.

• Harry Potter and the Gen Alpha Casting: HBO is looking for young actors in the UK and Ireland to star in a new Harry Potter series run by a team who recently worked on Succession.

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