And while Democrats were euphoric after Harris’ performance, partisans often judge a debate based on their own political preferences. Even if he loses ground after the debate, Trump has long had the advantage on the top two issues in the election – the economy and immigration. With many voters still awaiting the benefits of the post-pandemic economic rebound, it’s not certain that any debate will be a decisive factor in their vote. And Trump’s dark messages on immigration and crime might be hyperbolic, but they’ve proved to be potent in the past. There’s also always the chance that shock events at home or abroad in the next two months could tip the balance.

While it’s too early to say whether Harris’ strong performance will translate into new momentum, her campaign will be optimistic that she’s improved her chances among, perhaps, 200,000 movable voters who will decide the next election in a handful of states.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton wrestles with AI’s capacity to reshape the lives of those struggling with incurable disease — including her own.

Rep. Jennifer Wexton stepped to the lectern on the House floor in late July and addressed her colleagues as she had done countless times since being elected to Congress five years ago. Except this time, for the first time, her voice was generated entirely by artificial intelligence.

The Virginia Democrat was diagnosed last year with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare, incurable and ultimately fatal brain disease. Following the diagnosis, she announced that she would not seek reelection after her current term ends this year. The disease has affected her ability to walk and made her natural speaking voice weaker and less clear. But with the help of a company called ElevenLabs, Wexton used old recordings to recreate it.

That moment on the House floor thrust assistive technologies into the national spotlight and served as a hopeful counterpoint to all of the doom often associated with AI — after all, the same technology generated a deepfake of President Joe Biden’s voice back in January. Wexton and her colleagues are now navigating the tension between AI’s harms and benefits as Congress weighs whether to regulate the technology.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris had a lot to say — but their body language said even more.

Trump and Biden did not shake hands at the beginning of their debate, and some pundits expected the candidates would again decline to shake hands tonight. But Harris wouldn’t let Trump go without greeting him with a handshake.

Trump seemed reluctant, taking his position behind his podium. But Harris marched across the stage, extended her hand and introduced herself. A handshake is more than just a greeting: It communicates politeness, civility, a basic level of respect both to the other person and, in the case of a debate, to the American people.

When Harris initiated the handshake, she embodied her message of unity over divisiveness, and demonstrated that she wasn’t afraid to take Trump on. It took him off guard. As she walked back to her side of the stage, she had a big grin on her face. She got what she wanted, and she knew it.

The vice president let Trump do the work of executing her strategy.

Vice President Kamala Harris did exactly what the political professionals said she should do.

In some cases, that was what operatives would tell any candidate to do in any election at any time: Don’t worry about the specific question you are asked, just use it as another opportunity to recite the lines we practiced.

In other cases, of course, Harris’ strategy in her first debate as a presidential nominee was custom-tailored for one specific moment and one specific opponent. She plainly used her long days of debate prep in a Pittsburgh hotel to compile a rich anthology of taunts, putdowns and derisive one-liners against former President Donald Trump. The rehearsal was enough to commit dozens of them to memory — not enough to avoid sometimes sounding a bit stagy in delivery. At times, one could almost see the candidate flipping through a stack of neatly organized 3-by-5 index cards in her mind.

Last night’s debate wasn’t even close.

Never Again Trump
Bill Kristol

On June 27, at this year’s first presidential debate, Joe Biden lost his chance for a second term. Last night, at this year’s second presidential debate, Donald Trump may well have lost his chance for a second term.

A Man You Can Bait With a Tweet
Andrew Egger

So. How did Kamala Harris win last night? Simple: She got under Trump’s skin.

Over and over, Harris deployed the same formula. She’d answer a question from the moderators on her terms, hitting her marks and making the points she wanted to make. But along the way, she’d make a quick digression: dangling some shiny object for Donald Trump to fixate on.

Can Donald Trump shake it off?

Minutes after the first (and maybe only) presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump ended, Taylor Swift dropped a bombshell: She was endorsing the Vice President.

And/but: This election is going to be extremely close — especially in swing states. Given that, I refuse to rule out the possibility that Swift either moves a few thousand votes in some swing state or even leads a bunch of younger people to register to vote (and vote for Harris) who might not have otherwise.

In super-close election, anything can be the decisive factor — including T Swift.

16 quick thoughts on tonight’s debate

There is a strong consensus that Harris won the night. Polymarket predicts there’s a 97 percent chance that Harris is judged the winner of debate in snap polls, and also has the overall race drawing to 50/50 after having shown a Trump lead at the start of the night. Bitcoin prices are down, which also implies a loss for Trump. Even the Fox News panel that I caught at the tail end of the evening seemed to concede that it was a win for Harris.

Poll question
Which will help Harris more: her debate performance or Taylor Swift endorsement?

Selection of Smerconish Daily Headlines

Taylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris, Instagram
Within minutes following the presidential debate, Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, saying she did her own research and inviting other voters to do the same.

She Wants Another Debate, He Hedges, ABC News
Harris’ campaign released an email less than an hour after the debate showing interest in scheduling a second presidential debate, though Trump responded indirectly with hesitancy about whether he would agree to get back on stage.

Conservatives Hammer Moderators, The Hill
ABC journalists and last night’s debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis are receiving backlash from Trump conservatives, with many — including Trump — saying the debate was ‘three versus one,’ as the moderators heavily fact checked Trump live and not Harris.

Voters Perceive Trump as the Moderate, MSN
Many voters see Trump as a centrist because he dropped unpopular conservative policies on Social Security, Medicare, and “forever wars,” while Harris is viewed by many as too liberal.