5 takeaways from the Harris-Trump debate
LAT's NOAH BIERMAN: "Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump exchanged harsh insults for more than 90 minutes in Philadelphia on Tuesday, meeting for the first time ever during a debate at the National Constitution Center.
The forum came at a crucial time — 56 days before the Nov. 5 election that polls show is virtually tied. Voters in some counties in Pennsylvania, the most delegate-rich swing state, will begin casting ballots next week under early voting rules, with other states to follow in the days after. The campaigns have not agreed to any other debates so far, though that could change."
Harris and Trump debate lots of issues — but not California
CALMatters's LYNN LA: "In the first — and perhaps only — presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump Tuesday night in Philadelphia, the duo tussled over abortion rights, health care, border security, international relations and more for 90 minutes.
They managed to not mention California even once."
Trump, Harris brawl over inflation, immigration, abortion at presidential debate
Sacramento Bee's DAVID LIGHTMAN: "Donald Trump and Kamala Harris dueled over the economy, immigration, abortion and issues Tuesday as they engaged in a sometimes ugly, at times wild debate that will likely be crucial in determining which presidential candidate will win the White House.
Tuesday’s brawl is the only scheduled debate of the campaign, and the first time voters were able to see Harris in a lengthy, unscripted format against a determined foe."
Analysis, key moments from the Trump-Harris presidential debate
WaPo's STAFF: "The lively debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump on Tuesday evening touched on the economy, immigration, abortion, democracy and climate change. The nominees clashed over and over, with the vice president baiting the former president into an animated response on the criminal charges he faces. In a decided change from June’s debate between President Joe Biden and Trump, ABC News moderators pushed back against the former president’s falsehoods — including his baseless claims that Democrats favor abortion after birth, and the debunked assertion that Haitian immigrants are eating pets in an Ohio town. Minutes after the debate ended, pop star Taylor Swift announced that she would vote for Harris in an Instagram post that referenced AI-generated images that had circulated falsely claiming the singer had endorsed Trump."
On a night of fierce exchanges, Harris sets the tone
LAT's JAMES RAINEY: "Vice President Kamala Harris repeatedly put former President Trump on the defensive during their debate Tuesday, depicting the Republican nominee for president as a divisive and distracted leader who would take the country backward.
Harris, who set the tone for much of the discussion, depicted herself as the leader of a “new generation,” optimistic about the future, while Trump described a country in decline, threatened by crime, illegal immigration and inflation at home and unraveling events overseas."
Donald Trump lashes out often in ferocious presidential debate
The Chronicle's SHIRA STEIN: "“They’re eating the dogs! The people that came in. They’re eating the cats! They’re eating — they’re eating the pets.”
“She wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens who are in prison.”"
On Kamala Harris’ San Francisco home turf, old friends root for her on presidential debate night
LAT's MACKENZIE MAYS, HANNAH WILEY, ANABEL SOSA: "On the 32nd floor of a luxury condo skyscraper with panoramic views of San Francisco Bay, Heidi Sieck popped a bottle of champagne Tuesday evening, played “Freedom” by Beyoncé and waited for her fellow “Kamala OGs” to arrive to watch the presidential debate.
“I’m so stressed out,” said Sieck, an abortion rights activist and longtime San Francisco political operative who met Kamala Harris in 2003 at a house party where the first-time candidate stood on a milk crate in her high heels and pearls and urged partygoers to vote for her for district attorney."
Trump was Trump in his debate with Kamala Harris — which is why he came across so poorly (COLUMN)
LAT's MARK Z. B ARABAK: "It was ugly. It was inane. It was tone-deaf and uncouth.
And that’s just briefly summarizing Donald Trump’s performance in Tuesday night’s debate."
Harris and Trump shake hands at New York 9/11 remembrance ceremony on 23rd anniversary of attacks
CNN's MICHAEL WILLIAMS, KEVIN LIPTAK: "President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance are commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the September 11 attacks, appearing to put political hostilities on the back burner for a moment as the nation remembers the tragedy.
All four leaders are in New York on Wednesday for a commemoration event at Ground Zero in Manhattan. Trump and Harris, just hours past their first in-person meeting at the presidential debate Tuesday night, shook hands ahead of solemn commemorative ceremonies after Harris turned toward Trump and both extended a hand. Vance and Harris did not appear to interact."
US commemorates 9/11 attacks with victims in focus and politics in view
AP's JENNIFER PELTZ, KAREN MATTHEWS: "The U.S. remembered the lives taken and those reshaped by 9/11, marking an anniversary laced with presidential campaign politics as President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris stood together Wednesday at ground zero.
Sept. 11 — the date when hijacked plane attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001 — falls in the thick of the presidential election season every four years, and it comes at an especially pointed moment this time. The anniversary ceremony at the World Trade Center brought Harris and Trump, the Democratic and Republican nominees, face-to-face just hours after their first-ever debate Tuesday night."
Watch Live: NYC pauses to remember 9/11 victims 23 years after terror attacks that altered the nation
CBS News's CHRISTINA FAN, RENEE ANDERSON: "Today marks 23 years since the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks that forever changed New York City and the nation.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed when al Qaida hijackers crashed four jetliners into the twin towers, the Pentagon and a field in southwest Pennsylvania."
Defining images from the 9/11 attacks
REUTERS: "Nearly 3,000 people were killed when hijacked jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001."
Head of powerful S.F. commission slams Mayor Breed for not reappointing him
The Chronicle's ALDO TOLEDO: "The president of the powerful San Francisco Public Utilities Commission said publicly Tuesday that Mayor London Breed had decided not to reappoint him, calling her decision “a slap in the face to the labor movement.”
At the start of its meeting Tuesday, SFPUC President Tim Paulson said Breed called him Monday night to inform him she wouldn’t renominate him for another four year term. He did not say if she gave a reason. He also said another commissioner, Newsha Ajami, wouldn’t be reappointed."
California’s SEIU Local 1000 starts a new chapter after tumultuous leadership changes
Sacramento Bee's WILLIAM MELHADO: "After several years of tumultuous leadership changes, the state’s largest public-sector union is ready for a “fresh, hard restart,” said Anica Walls.
The recently elected president of the Service Employees International Union Local 1000 union, which represents nearly 100,000 state workers, told The Sacramento Bee she’s focusing on growing membership, holding the state accountable for its “bad bosses” and gearing up for a contract fight in 2026."
Rising Stars: Dana Cruz, California Judicial Council
Capitol Weekly's MOLLY JACOBY: "At 32 years old, Dana Cruz has already served in the military, passed the California Bar Exam, and worked in all three branches of California State Government.
As the child of Filipino immigrants, Cruz acknowledges that none of this would have been possible without the courage and sacrifices of his parents. Cruz’s father grew up in the Tondo district of the Philippines, known as one of the country’s most impoverished areas. Determined to improve his family’s life, Cruz’s dad joined the United States Navy. He eventually obtained U.S. citizenship, and moved his family across the Pacific."
Southern California is suddenly besieged by fire. Experts say fall will be worse
LAT's HAYLEY SMITH: "For the first time in years, Southern California has found itself once again besieged by wildfire. In recent days, multiple blazes have exploded across heat-seared hillsides, blanketing the region in ash and smoke, threatening homes and communication towers and sending thousands of residents fleeing for their lives.
But as crews struggle to contain the 28,000-acre Line fire in San Bernardino County, the 19,000-acre Airport fire in Orange County, and the 3,800-acre Bridge fire in Los Angeles County, experts warn the season is just getting started."
Fires besiege Southern California mountain communities; homes burn, 13 hurt
LAT's HANNAH FRY, GINA FERAZZI, ASHLEY AHN, SUMMER LIN: "Mountain communities were under siege Wednesday after the Bridge fire exploded, burning into the Wrightwood area and sweeping through the landmark Mountain High ski resort.
Several fires around Southern California were burning out of control. At least 13 people have been injured."
Supervisors Unanimously Support EPA Proposal to Add Exide Site to Federal Superfund Site
LA County Supervisor JANICE HAHN: "Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion by Supervisors Hilda L. Solis and Janice Hahn to express its support for a proposal by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to add the former Exide battery recycling plant and surrounding communities into the National Priorities List as a Superfund site in Spring of 2025. The former battery recycling plant contaminated soil in homes across Southeast Los Angeles, East Los Angeles, and Boyle Heights over a period of decades. Many continue to deal with lead contamination and inadequate cleanup.
Hahn, who represents the communities of Southeast Los Angeles impacted by the contamination, released the following statement:"
Endangered species rebounds in California a century after being wiped out. ‘Inspiring’
Sacramento Bee's BROOKE BAITINGER: "All on its own, an endangered species is making a fierce comeback in California, newly published state wildlife data show.
The state’s gray wolf population doubled in one fell swoop with 30 pups born across five of the seven packs this spring, bringing the total number of wolves to more than 60, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s quarterly report shows."
California college students want more online courses, but can they catch up to in-class peers?
CALMatters's BRIANA MENDEZ-PADILLA, ADAM ECHELMANN: "Despite the Los Angeles Harbor College student ID that proves otherwise, Citlali Gonzalez hasn’t felt like a college student.
Yes, she recently finished her associate degree in human services and, yes, she is transferring to Cal State Dominguez Hills this fall. Still, as someone who for the past year has been mostly taking online classes, college doesn’t feel like the social experience she’d imagined fresh out of high school five years ago."
Why the ACLU is suing UC Santa Cruz for banning students who participated in spring protests
EdSource's MICHAEL BURKE: "Civil rights groups representing two students and one professor are suing the University of California Santa Cruz, alleging that the campus unlawfully banned students and faculty from campus last spring after they participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
By filing the lawsuit, the civil rights groups, including the ACLU of Northern California, are seeking an injunction to prevent the university from banning students again, if there are additional protests in the upcoming fall term, which begins later this month."
Public schools: a lost opportunity for stormwater capture
Capitol Weekly's BRUCE REZNIK: "Temperatures typically hover in the 90-degree range into September in parts of LA County and many other parts of the state. Warm fall temperatures might be pleasant if you work in an air-conditioned office and can enjoy early morning walks with your dog. But if you’re a student in the Los Angeles Unified School District, chances are those hot days are harming your ability to learn.
School districts should rapidly ramp up investments in greening schoolyards. Many schoolyards are dominated by asphalt, particularly in the most impacted and underserved neighborhoods. Some LAUSD schoolyard temperatures have hit 145 degrees during heat waves in recent years, presenting significant health and safety issues."
UC Berkeley launches new Palestinian and Arab studies program
Daily Californian's EMILIA VALLE: "UC Berkeley’s division of social sciences announced the creation of a Palestinian and Arab studies program Monday.
According to a campus press release from division of social sciences spokesperson Kenny Ma, “years of collaborative planning” have made way for a $3.25 million gift to establish the May Ziadeh Chair in Palestinian and Arab Studies, giving students the opportunity to dive deeper into the “deeply interconnected and embedded streams of Palestinian and Arab history, culture, politics and society.”"
US inflation reaches a 3-year low as Federal Reserve prepares to cut interest rates
AP's CHRISTOPHER RUGABER: "The post-pandemic spike in U.S. inflation eased further last month as year-over-year price increases reached a three-year low, clearing the way for the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates and likely shaping the economic debate in the final weeks of the presidential race.
Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed that consumer prices rose 2.5% in August from a year earlier, down from 2.9% in July. It was the fifth straight annual drop and the smallest since February 2021. From July to August, prices rose just 0.2%."
Why the California housing market is so expensive in 2024
CALMatters's BEN CHRISTOPHER, MANUELA TOBIAS: "California is an expensive place to call home.
It’s such a fundamental part of California life it almost feels silly to say. Along with good weather, sunny beaches, Hollywood and the Golden Gate Bridge, the skyhigh cost of housing has become part of the state’s national identity."
S.F.’s Transamerica Pyramid is more posh than ever thanks to $1 billion reboot
The Chronicle's JOHN KING: "The much-ballyhooed “remastering” of the Transamerica Pyramid at a supposed cost of $1 billion does two things at once. It roots the skyline icon into San Francisco more thoroughly than ever before, while aiming to turn our second-tallest building into a bespoke clubhouse for the 21st century elite.
We won’t know the second mission’s fate for years — for better or worse. But the reinvention of the ground level spaces around one of America’s best-known towers, including the block’s idyllic redwood grove, is on track to be an exquisite success."
This unfinished 47-story S.F. tower was dead. Now, a deal with the city could help revive it
The Chronicle's LAUJRA WAXMANN: "Prior to the pandemic, San Francisco fiercely protected its zoning and the array of fees and requirements connected to new development, adding to the city's reputation of being an overly expensive place to build. But a lot can change in just a few pandemic-hardened years.
Lendlease, the Australian developer behind the latest large project to stall out amid the recent economic downturn, confirmed to the Chronicle on Tuesday that it has struck a deal with city officials to keep its troubled development, located at the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue, alive."
Berkeley eyes aggressive policy to sweep homeless encampments
The Chronicle's SARAH RAVANI: "Berkeley is considering taking an aggressive approach to homeless encampments by allowing city workers to remove them even if no shelter beds are available and by allowing unhoused people to be cited or arrested in limited circumstances. Despite its reputation as one of the most liberal cities in the Bay Area, officials said they’re frustrated with two particularly entrenched encampments and need a tougher hand.
Berkeley’s City Council will consider the proposal Tuesday evening, less than two months after the Supreme Court ruled in its Grants Pass decision that cities have the power to evict people from street encampments and confiscate their property. Critics say Berkeley’s proposal, if passed, would criminalize homelessness and do nothing to ease the crisis."
Alameda County deputy accused of killing Dublin couple was driven by jealousy, prosecutors say
The Chronicle's DAVID HERNANDEZ: "Jealousy drove a former Alameda County sheriff’s deputy to kill the woman he was dating and her estranged husband in an execution-style shooting in the couple’s home in Dublin in 2022, a prosecutor said Tuesday.
“It was jealousy, it was obsession, control and revenge,” Deputy District Attorney Ted McGarvey said during his opening statements in the trial of Devin Williams, 26, who pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder in the high-profile shooting deaths of Maria and Benison Tran."
San Jose cop seeking city council seat put on leave amid criminal fraud investigation
BANG*Mercury News's ROBERT SALONGA, DEVAN PATEL: "A police sergeant vying for the District 8 City Council seat is on leave from the San Jose Police Department after being criminally charged with grand theft in a case built on allegations from an ongoing mortgage fraud lawsuit against him, according to authorities and sources familiar with the investigation.
The police department confirmed Tuesday that Sgt. Tam Truong, 42, who joined SJPD in 2008, was placed on administrative leave for a “personnel matter” but declined to comment further."
