The Headlines - Harris Puts Trump on Defensive in Debate, and Hurricane Francine

Episode Date: September 11, 2024

Plus, the truth about recycling coffee pods.   Tune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to T...imes news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: theheadlines@nytimes.com. On Today’s Episode:Harris Dominates as Trump Gets Defensive: 6 Takeaways From the Debate, by Shane Goldmacher and Katie RogersTaylor Swift Endorses Kamala Harris, by Nicholas Nehamas, Theodore Schleifer and Nick CorasanitiTransgender Lawmaker Wins Democratic Primary for Delaware’s Only House Seat, by Amy HarmonHurricane Francine Bears Down on Louisiana, by Emily CochraneThose Keurig Coffee Pods? They’re Not So Recyclable, the S.E.C. Says, by Hiroko Tabuchi

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Starting point is 00:00:00 From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Wednesday, September 11th. Here's what we're covering. The high-stakes showdown here in Philadelphia between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Their first face-to-face meeting in this presidential election. Their first face-to-face meeting ever.
Starting point is 00:00:25 Kamala Harris and Donald Trump took the stage last night for what could be the only debate of this presidential race. And Harris put Trump on the defensive. I have talked with military leaders, some of whom worked with you, and they say you're a disgrace. Harris went after Trump over his foreign policy, his tax plan, his criminal convictions, his handling of COVID, and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. And now in over 20 states, there are Trump abortion bans. In response, Trump found himself re-litigating his own record more than picking apart Harris's, which his advisers had hoped he could do.
Starting point is 00:01:02 The debate went on for more than an hour and a half as Trump tried to paint Harris as dangerously liberal and a flip-flopper. Everything that she believed three years ago and four years ago is out the window. She's going to my philosophy now. In fact, I was going to send her a MAGA hat. But he repeatedly veered off on tangents, at one point bringing up an inflammatory debunked claim that immigrants in Ohio are eating people's pets.
Starting point is 00:01:26 The two candidates were really a study in contrasts. Harris often stood smiling and looked directly at Trump while he glowered into the camera and shouted back. I ask, what about all the people that are pouring into our country and killing people that she allowed to pour in? She was the Bordasar. Remember that. She was the Bordasar. She doesn't want to be called the Bordasar because she's embarrassed. In one notable moment, Harris brought up a topic that Trump often talks about, the crowds at his rallies. You will see during the course of his rallies, he talks about fictional characters like Hannibal
Starting point is 00:01:58 Lecter. He will talk about windmills cause cancer. And what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom. And what you will also notice is that people start leaving his rallies early out of exhaustion and boredom. And I will tell you, the one thing you will not hear him talk about is you. You will not hear him talk about your needs, your dreams. On Harris's part, her crowd comment was bait, and Trump took it, responding not to refute that he doesn't care about people's needs, but to defend the size of his rallies. She can't talk about that. People don't leave my rallies.
Starting point is 00:02:30 We have the biggest rallies, the most incredible rallies in the history of politics. That's because people want to take their country back. Harris went into the debate really trying to get under Trump's skin and provoke his anger and his impulsivity in front of a microphone, and she succeeded repeatedly. Times politics reporter Michael Bender was covering the debate. From Trump's point of view, this was his opportunity to paint her into a corner on the economy, on issues like prices, blaming her for any and every unpopular policy in the current administration.
Starting point is 00:03:09 But he really failed to execute that at numerous points. And instead, Trump was on his heels for much of the night. Trump did many of the things that his campaign advisors specifically wanted to avoid, like yelling into the microphone and clinging to falsehoods over the 2020 elections. And in the end, that's probably a net win for Harris. Minutes after the candidates stepped off the stage, Harris locked in just about the biggest endorsement you can get these days, Taylor Swift.
Starting point is 00:03:47 In an Instagram post to her more than 280 million followers, Swift wrote, like many of you I watched the debate tonight, I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris. She signed it, quote, a childless cat lady, a clap back to Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, who said years ago on Fox News that Democrats were childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives. The line has come back with a vengeance as a Democratic meme. Swift also called out the social media posts Trump shared last month that used artificial intelligence to suggest Swift had endorsed him. She said that amped up her fears about AI and misinformation, making her feel like she needed to be clear about who she's supporting.
Starting point is 00:04:24 Swift, who backed Biden in 2020, has a significant reach. The last time she posted on Instagram encouraging people to register to vote, Vote.org saw a big jump in signups. This morning, Harris and Trump will both be in New York City for a ceremony marking the anniversary of September 11th. Politics will take a backseat momentarily as the candidates and President Biden all gather at the World Trade Center site to becoming the first openly transgender member of Congress. McBride, a Democrat who's currently a state legislator, easily won Tuesday's primary in the Deep Blue state and is expected to win again in November.
Starting point is 00:05:21 Her victory comes as trans rights have become a political flashpoint in the country. McBride said she hopes that if elected to Congress, her presence there could change the rhetoric on Capitol Hill around LGBTQ issues. But she also said in a phone interview with The Times that she thinks voters care more about what she's done in office on issues like family leave and Medicaid than about gender identity. The only way that I can guarantee that while I may be a first, I'm not the last, is to be the best member of Congress that I can be, to have the identity that I'm most known for
Starting point is 00:05:57 being my identity as a Delawarean, not anything else. I think things are going to be relatively calm through the early morning hours. It's this afternoon that conditions really start to go downhill. Hurricane Francine is churning through the Gulf of Mexico this morning and expected to make landfall later today along the Louisiana coast. The storm strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane last night, with wind speeds of about 90 miles per hour. Forecasters say Francine will come ashore this afternoon or evening west of New Orleans. Some areas could get nearly a foot of rain, and storm surge combined with a high tide could lead to floodwaters of 10 feet or more. As the storm approaches, local officials have been clearing storm drains and distributing sandbags,
Starting point is 00:06:53 and residents have been rushing to stock up on water, ice, and groceries. At one store in Youngsville, Louisiana, novelty cakes have been selling fast, decorated with phrases like, I will not eat all my hurricane snacks. And finally, almost half of Americans say they use coffee machines with those little capsules, you know, the ones you pop in there with a satisfying ka-chunk. And for years, Keurig, the maker of the popular K-cup coffee pods, has claimed that those pods can be effectively recycled. But yesterday, the federal government basically said, no, not really. The Securities and Exchange Commission fined the company $1.5 million for inaccurate claims about how easy it is to recycle the capsules. The plastic they're made from can be processed by some, but not all, recycling
Starting point is 00:07:43 facilities. And the SEC said Keurig had failed to disclose that two of the country's largest recycling companies said they don't accept the pods. Keurig agreed to pay the fine and has neither admitted or denied the SEC's findings. The penalty is part of a broader effort by regulators and lawmakers to crack down on bogus recycling claims. Currently, there's a fight to mandate that products with those little recycle arrows on them actually need to be easily recyclable. In most places, companies can put that symbol on anything, even if it's nearly guaranteed to end up in the trash. Those are the headlines.
Starting point is 00:08:30 Today on The Daily, more analysis on last night's debate with Times politics reporter Jonathan Swan. You can listen on the Times audio app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracey Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow. I'm Tracey Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.

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