Nearly three-quarters of American voters say they will watch tonight’s debate, according to the latest poll from NPR, PBS News and Marist.

The debate between Trump and Biden in early June drew 51.3 million viewers, well below the record 73.1 million viewers who watched the first debate between the two in September 2020. According to Statista, it was the third most-watched debate of all time.

–Ece Yildirim

Police in Springfield, Ohio, disputed Vance’s claim in an X-post that people in the city’s pets had been “kidnapped and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”

“There are no credible reports or specific allegations that pets have been injured or mistreated by immigrants,” Springfield police said in a statement. Police also denied that immigrants had occupied homes in the city, left trash or disrupted traffic.

Vance’s team responded with its own statement, saying the Ohio senator had received “a large number of calls and emails” about an influx of Haitian immigrants into the city.

The campaign does not mention stolen and eaten pets.

– Josephine Rozzelle

Just like the Trump-Biden presidential debate in June, the candidates’ microphones will be muted tonight when they are not speaking, according to rules released by ABC News.

The debate will last 90 minutes, with two commercial breaks. During this time, Trump and Harris will not be able to speak to their staff. There will be no live audience.

Nominees will have two minutes to answer each question, two minutes to respond, and one additional minute for follow-up questions, clarifications or reactions.

Trump won the coin toss and has the final say. Harris has chosen to stand on the right side of viewers’ screens tonight. Neither will deliver an opening statement.

– Josephine Rozzelle

Jessica Leeds has previously testified that Trump sexually assaulted her on an airplane in the late 1970s. She describes him as a “sexual predator” who does not understand the “psychological damage” this causes to women.

“We cannot let this person back into the White House,” 82-year-old Leeds said at a press conference outside Trump Tower in Manhattan on Monday afternoon.

Leeds made the comments days after Trump lashed out at her for her testimony at his trial last year, which involved a sexual assault and defamation lawsuit brought by writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of raping her in a New York department store in the 1990s.

Trump called Leeds’ accusation that he groped her during a flight a “completely made-up story” and said she “would not have been the chosen one.”

On Monday, Leeds said: “He attacked me 50 years ago and he still attacks me today.”

When asked if she would sue Trump for his comments about her while denying her allegations, Leeds said: “We are considering a number of options based on his recent comments, but no decision has been made at this time.”

Carroll has sued Trump twice and has been awarded over $88 million in damages for defamation and sexual abuse.

– Dan Mangan

Harris’ ally and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo says the debate could develop into a fight over Trump’s planned tariff policy.

“If I were a businessman and I heard about a 20 percent tariff on all imports and I saw how (Trump) is so unpredictable and unpredictable – I would find that scary,” Raimondo said on CNBC’s show Squawk Box.

“Every businessman has a right to predictability,” she added. Trump has proposed tariffs of 10 to 20 percent on imports from US trading partners.

Harris’ team has said she will impose “targeted and strategic tariffs to support American workers, strengthen our economy, and hold our adversaries accountable.”

– Brian Schwartz

The debate is hosted by ABC News in collaboration with local partner WPVI-TV/6ABC.

Live coverage begins at 9 p.m. ET on ABC, and the network will stream the debate live on ABC News Live, Disney+ and Hulu. It will also be available on the ABC app and website abc.com.

Other major networks will broadcast the debate simultaneously, including NBC, CNN, CBS and Fox News.

— Ece Yildirim