Today in one sentence: Trump had a bad night; Trump demanded that ABC News be shut down because the moderators fact-checked him and were “correcting everything” he said; Harris called for a second presidential debate, while Trump said he is "less inclined" to participate in another one before the election; Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris; inflation slowed to 2.5% in August; and Speaker Mike Johnson delayed a vote on his six-month stopgap funding plan to avert a government shutdown after more than a dozen of his Republican colleagues vowed to tank the measure.

1/ Trump had a bad night after Kamala Harris called him “weak,” mocked him, and repeatedly laughed at him during their first – and possibly only – debate. Even before the debate began, Harris walked across the stage to shake Trump’s hand – a self-described germaphobe. “Kamala Harris,” she said, introducing herself as the two met for the first time. “Let’s have a good debate.” Trump replied: “Nice to see you. Have fun.” From there, Trump visibly struggled and repeatedly careened between angry rants and bizarre claims. In the opening minutes, Harris outlined the shape of things to come, saying: “You’re going to hear from the same old tired playbook, a bunch of lies, grievances and name-calling,” and that Trump “has no plan for you, because he is more interested in defending himself than he is in looking out for you.” The point was made clear when Trump was asked about his repeated criticism of the Affordable Care Act and whether he had an alternative plan. “I have concepts of a plan,” Trump replied, offering no additional information. On abortion, Trump claimed that it “took courage” to overturn Roe v. Wade, suggested he’s “a leader on fertilization,” falsely claimed that Democrats support abortions “after birth” and are “executing” babies, and that Harris “wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison.” Harris responded by saying Trump’s rhetoric is “insulting to the women of America” and that “Trump certainly should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.” At one point Harris referenced people at Trump’s rallies experiencing “exhaustion and boredom,” which provoked Trump to shoot back: “People don’t leave my rallies. The biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics.” And then – and then! – Trump veered into a rant about a debunked conspiracy theory that immigrants in Ohio are eating pets. “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats, they’re eating the pets of the people that live there and this is what’s happening,” Trump said, while Harris laughed. Moderator David Muir interjected, saying the city manager told ABC that there have been “no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.” Nevertheless, he persisted: “I’ve seen people on television. The people on television say, ‘My dog was taken and used for food.’” Harris laughed and said: “Talk about extreme.” Later – in his debate with Harris – Trump started talking about Biden, saying: “Where is our president? We don’t even know if he’s the president […] Is he our president? We have a president that doesn’t know he’s alive.” Harris replied: “It is important to remind the former president: You’re not running against Joe Biden; you are running against me.” Harris also used Trump’s continued false allegations about the 2020 election to illustrate how he doesn’t have the temperament to be president, saying: “Donald Trump was fired by 81 million people, so let’s be clear about that, and clearly he is having a very difficult time processing that.” Harris added that world leaders were “laughing at Donald Trump” and saw him as a “disgrace,” while she offered “a new generation of leadership for our country. One who believes in what is possible and one who brings a sense of optimism about what we can do instead of always disparaging the American people.” (New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post / Politico / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / CNN / ABC News / Axios / NPR / Wall Street Journal / NBC News / Washington Post)

  • READ: Harris-Trump presidential debate transcript. (ABC News)
  • The most notable — and quotable — exchanges from the Harris-Trump debate. (Associated Press)
  • The stock price of Trump Media plunged to its lowest level since the company began publicly trading on the Nasdaq following the debate. (CNBC / Bloomberg)
  • 💡 Kamala Harris Broke Donald Trump. “In their first face-to-face meeting, the Democratic nominee humiliated the former president.” (The Atlantic)
  • 💡 Donald Trump Had a Really, Really Bad Debate. “Kamala Harris, veteran prosecutor, proved beyond a reasonable doubt on Tuesday night that her opponent will always take the bait.” (New Yorker)
  • 💡 How Kamala Scrambled Trump’s Brain. “The plan worked even better than she seemed to imagine.” (New York Magazine)
  • 💡 How Kamala Harris goaded (and goaded and goaded) Trump into a debate trainwreck. “Harris found Trump’s biggest weakness: His ego.” (Vox)
  • 💡 With Her Rope-a-Dope Strategy, Kamala Harris Baited Trump Into Scaring Swing Voters. “Last night’s debate will help give Democrats an edge. But strengthening the base remains crucial.” (The Nation)
  • 💡 Kamala Harris Just Destroyed Donald Trump in the Debate. “The vice president didn’t have to be particularly clever to bait an impetuous brute like Trump. But it worked like a charm.” (The New Republic)

2/ Trump demanded that ABC News be shut down because the moderators fact-checked him and were “correcting everything” he said. Trump claimed that ABC “lost a lot of credibility,” “took a big hit,” and “should be embarrassed” because David Muir and Linsey Davis fact-checked several of his answers. He added: “I mean, to be honest, they’re a news organization. They have to be licensed to do it. They ought to take away their license for the way they did that.” CNN fact-checker Daniel Dale, meanwhile, reported that Trump lied at least 33 times during the 90-minute debate with Harris, who made one false claim. (New York Times / Daily Beast / Axios)

  • “They’re Eating the Cats”: Trump Repeats False Claim About Immigrants. “Local officials have found no evidence, credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed by Haitian residents.” (New York Times)
  • JD Vance Is Not Backing Down From False Claim About Immigrants Eating Pets. “Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck told ABC News there are ’no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.’” (HuffPost)
  • No Evidence Haitian Immigrants Are Eating Ducks, Geese or Pets in Springfield, Ohio. (Snopes)
  • White House condemns Republican comments on Haitian immigrants: ‘Based on an element of racism’. “National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Tuesday that Republicans’ comments about Haitian immigrants stealing and eating pets were ’dangerous.’” (Politico)

3/ Harris called for a second presidential debate, while Trump said he is “less inclined” to participate in another one before the election. “Vice President Harris is ready for a second debate,” her campaign said on social media. “Is Donald Trump?” During a post-debate interview on Fox News, Trump said that he’d “have to think about it,” and suggested that Harris wanted a second debate “because she lost,” but added: “Maybe if it was on a fair network.” Meanwhile, Fox News offered to host a debated moderated by Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier on Oct. 9, Oct. 15, or Oct. 16. (Axios / Politico / New York Times)

4/ Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris, calling the Democratic nominee a “steady-handed, gifted leader,” who “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.” She added: “I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.” Swift signed her Instagram post to her more than 280 million followers: “Childless Cat Lady” — a reference to JD Vance’s past remarks that Harris, Pete Buttigieg, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and other Democrats are “childless cat ladies” who “want to make the rest of the country miserable.” Trump responded to the pop superstar’s endorsement, saying he’s not a fan and that “she’ll probably pay a price.” Elon Musk, meanwhile, offered to impregnate Swift, tweeting: “Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.” (NBC News / New York Times / Washington Post / CNN / NPR)

5/ Inflation slowed to 2.5% in August – a three-year low – and the fifth straight month that the annual measure has eased. The report paves the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates for the first time since early 2020. (Associated Press / Axios / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / CNBC / Wall Street Journal)

6/ Speaker Mike Johnson delayed a vote on his six-month stopgap funding plan to avert a government shutdown after more than a dozen of his Republican colleagues vowed to tank the measure. Johnson said he delayed the vote until next week so he can “build consensus” within his party. The stopgap bill would fund the government through March 28, but it’s paired with a bill backed by Trump that would require proof of citizenship to vote. Democrats favor a three-month extension instead, and view the voting provision as a poison pill, since noncitizen voting is already illegal. Congress needs to pass a stopgap spending bill before Oct. 1 to avoid a federal shutdown. (Politico / The Hill / Associated Press / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 🗳️ Sept. 16: First state starts early voting.
    📺 Sept. 25: [Proposed] NBC presidential debate.
    💰 Sept. 30: Government funding deadline.
    📺 Oct. 1: CBS vice presidential debate.
    📆 Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote in some states.
    ⛔️ Oct. 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day – No WTFJHT.
    🗳️ Nov. 5: Election Day.
    ⚖️ Nov. 26: Trump is sentenced.
  • ✅ Get election ready: Register to vote, update your address, or request an absentee ballot at Vote.org, TurboVote.org, RocktheVote.org, or VoteFromAbroad.org.

  • 📈 Election Polling Tracker

  • Harris +2.0 points (New York Times)
    Harris +2.7 points (538)
    Harris +2.2 points (Nate Silver)
    Harris +2.7 points (The Economist)
    Harris +1.1 points (RealClearPolitics)
    Harris +3.2 points (Election Betting Odds)

  • 🔮 Election Forecast Tracker

  • Harris wins 55 times out of 100. Trump wins 44 times out of 100. (538)
    Trump wins 61 times out of 100. Harris wins 48 times out of 100. (Nate Silver)
    Harris wins 50 times out of 100. Trump wins 50 times out of 100. (The Economist)
Five years ago today: Day 965: Boneheads.
Six years ago today: Day 600: Reckless escalation.