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Kamala Harris and Donald Trump faced off in a presidential debate in Philadelphia on Tuesday, with Harris landing several punches while Trump spread bizarre falsehoods about abortion and immigration.

“The world leaders are laughing at Donald Trump,” the vice president said. “I’ve spoken to military leaders, some of whom worked with you, and they say you’re a disgrace.”

A CNN snap poll found that voters thought Harris would win the debate by a margin of 63% to 37%. Even a Fox News analyst declared Harris the winner, mocking Trump for saying people were leaving his rallies early out of “boredom and exhaustion.” This clearly unnerved the former president, who kept falling for the bait.

• What were the most unforgettable moments? After Harris ended a remark with a jab at the size of Trump’s crowds, Trump began to ramble – about immigrants eating people’s pets. “In Springfield, they eat the dogs, the people who came here, they eat the cats,” Trump said. “They eat the pets of the people who live there.” ABC anchors interjected that the city manager of Springfield, Ohio, told the network there were no credible reports of specific allegations that pets belonging to individuals in the immigrant community had been harmed.

• How did the moderators do? ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis were praised for fact-checking Trump’s falsehoods and bringing the discussion back to the issues. When Trump falsely accused Harris and her running mate Tim Walz of advocating ninth-month abortions and “post-birth executions,” Davis responded, “There is not a state in this country where it is legal to kill a baby after birth.”

• Another boost for Harris: After the debate concluded, Taylor Swift supported Harris on Instagram, captioning the post “childless cat lady” to criticize Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s misogynistic comments.

More news…

Statistics of the day: Smoke from forest fires in the Amazon region covers 60 percent of Brazil

Wildfires have been raging in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest for weeks, fueled by the region’s worst drought in 40 years. More than 340,000 people are reportedly affected, and all 62 municipalities in Amazonas state have declared a state of emergency. The impact of the wildfires and drought has reached as far as Rio and São Paulo, and an expert from Brazil’s space institute Inpe said smoke from the fires has now covered an area of ​​5 million square kilometers – about 60% of the country.

Don’t miss this: The coal-fired power plant and the ghost town

The Gavin coal-fired power plant in Ohio is considered the deadliest coal-fired power plant in the United States. The Sierra Club estimates that its pollution causes 244 premature deaths annually. Two decades ago, it destroyed much more: the entire town of Cheshire, Ohio. The several hundred residents often complained about the toxic, bluish-colored haze of pollutants emitted by the power plant. The solution: The company that caused the pollution bought the entire town and forced people to leave their homes en masse.

“Instead of dealing with the cause of the pollution, they thought it would be better to buy up an entire town and raze it to the ground,” said Neil Waggoner, an Ohio-based activist with the Sierra Club. “It’s extraordinary. In many ways, it’s dystopian.”

… or this: Florida’s “draconian” new homelessness law

A Florida law criminalizing sleeping in public places that goes into effect next month will do nothing to alleviate the state’s homelessness crisis, Fort Lauderdale’s mayor warned. In particular, a clause in the law that goes into effect in January that allows legal action against any municipality that fails to curb street sleeping has Dean Trantalis fearing a “tsunami of lawsuits” could hit the city.

Climate check: The hotel project threatens the habitat of the giant tortoise in Seychelles

Environmentalists are raising alarm over plans for a luxury resort in the Seychelles, fearing the Qatar-funded hotel project could destroy the habitat of the world’s largest population of giant tortoises. Developers of the resort on Assomption, which is just 27 kilometers from the UNESCO-protected ecosystem of Aldabra Atoll, said they would use world-class sustainability practices. But wildlife biologists argue the project is being rushed through without adequate analysis of the risks to the island’s fauna, which includes whales, turtles and many bird species.

Finally: How to sleep better

One in three Americans sleeps less than the recommended seven to nine hours a night, according to the Centers for Disease Control – a deficiency that has serious health consequences. Behavioral experts spoke to the Guardian about some of the most common sleep mistakes people make, including using screens before bed and spending too much time awake in bed – but also eating too much or too little and not getting enough sleep on weekends.

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