MORNING NEWSBREAK | Vice President Kamala Harris baited and sparred with former President Donald Trump in a fiery Tuesday debate that might become best remembered as the night Trump talked about immigrants eating dogs and cats in Ohio.
“After weeks of intense scrutiny on her own policy pivots over the years, the vice president deftly shifted the focus of the campaign to a referendum on Trump’s presidency,” Politico reported early today. She beat him at his own game, the outlet concluded, with attacks that reframed Trump’s record.
Harris frequently put Trump on the defensive by mentioning the former president’s record, setting traps on everything from his handling of coronavirus and abortion to tariffs, immigration, China, national security and America’s standing in the world.
Noted the Associated Press: “Harris controlled the conversation at times, baiting Trump with jabs at his economic policy, his refusal to concede his 2020 election loss and even his performance at his rallies.” Harris also added that Trump was fired by 81 million voters — the number that voted for President Joe Biden in 2020.
Most notably during the debate, Trump pushed the baseless claim about Haitian immigrants in Ohio eating dogs and other pets when asked about immigration.
“They’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” Trump said. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.”
ABC News anchor David Muir, a co-moderator of the debate, quickly fact-checked Trump’s claims, saying the city manager in Springfield, Ohio, told the network there had been no credible reports of pets being harmed, injured or abused by people in the city’s immigrant community.
Minutes after the debate ended, Taylor Swift officially endorsed Harris on Instagram and signed her post as “Childless Cat Lady” in reference to Trump’s running mate J.D. Vance’s three-year-old comment about women without children not having an equal stake in the country’s future.
Harris’s campaign manager announced the Democratic nominee was ready for another debate with Trump, while Trump tried to shift the unfavorable post-debate narrative that saw Fox News hosts declare Harris the winner.
In other news headlines today:
CP FOOD: Bintü Atelier, King BBQ on Bon Appetit’s list of best new restaurants. Bon Appetit magazine this week released its 20 Best New Restaurants of 2024 list and two Charleston spots are included: downtown’s Bintü Atelier and North Charleston’s King BBQ.
No-wake zone law now in effect in Charleston. The new “no-wake zone” law makes it illegal to drive a car or boat faster than 5 mph or in a manner that sends damaging wakes into adjacent properties on a street inundated with 6 or more inches of water.
Pedestrian bridge removed from Main Road improvement project. Despite appearing on some of the more recent drawings, a pedestrian bridge next to the Limehouse Bridge is no longer a part of the plans for Segment A of Main Road’s improvements.
Harriet Tubman traveling exhibit heads to IAAM. The nine-foot-tall bronze display of Tubman depicts her leading a young girl to freedom and will be on display in the breezeway of the International African American Museum.
Charleston Co. takes first step to implement state-mandated book ban. The law, which went into effect Aug. 1, prohibits schools from offering books or materials that are not “age and developmentally appropriate,” completely banning material for any age group if it includes visual depictions or descriptions of “sexual conduct.”
S.C. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Charleston. Dozens of attendees, including current and former attorneys, members of the public and students, gathered in Capers Hall Auditorium at The Citadel on Tuesday to hear lawyers argue cases in front of the five justices as part of the court’s ongoing effort to educate and familiarize South Carolinians with the state’s judicial system.
S.C. Aquarium admits smallest patient to turtle hospital. The South Carolina Aquarium admitted its smallest patient into its Sea Turtle Care Center after it was found floating on marine debris.
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