Daily Briefing: A Swift winner

The Democratic and Republican nominees for president laid out their visions for the country, discussing issues ranging from inflation and the economy to abortion rights and the southern border. Taylor Swift says this "childless cat lady" is voting for Kamala Harris. Today marks the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York City.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert , Daily Briefing author. Struggling to stop impulse shopping??

Who won the debate?

Kamala Harris was the biggest winner on Tuesday night as she delivered a forceful performance in her debate with Donald Trump, but it also was a good night for Democratic party leaders who helped engineer her campaign and the ABC News debate moderators.

Trump, meanwhile, found himself constantly on the defensive and struggling to rebut Harris.

• Seeking out that handshake: The debate was largely fought on ground chosen by Harris, with the vice president repeatedly baiting Trump into prickly rebuttals of her critiques on his record.
• Wait - he said who eats cats?! Trump tried to hit on his favorite themes of the economy and immigration Tuesday, but often found himself veering off message (including a false claim that migrants eat cats).
• What do voters think ? Millions of Americans who tuned in looking for information, persuasion, or confirmation. USA TODAY spoke with voters in swing states about their opinions.

Sincerely, 'Taylor Swift, childless cat lady'

Taylor Swift will cast her vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming presidential election, the pop star revealed in an Instagram post Tuesday night following the presidential debate. Many were waiting for Swift's endorsement in the 2024 election, knowing she has more than 283 million followers on Instagram and has used this platform in the past to encourage her fanbase to register and vote. The "childless cat lady" posted a photo of herself with her cat and said Harris' stance on IVF and LGBTQ+ rights encouraged her choice. Read Taylor Swift's full statement endorsing Kamala Harris and Tim Walz .

More news to know now

• Where will Hurricane Francine make landfall ?
• Anxiety is high as school resumes for some in Georgia district where fatal shooting occurred.
• There's a battle brewing to control the next U.S. Congress .
• Opening statements are set for Wednesday in the federal criminal trial for the killing of Tyre Nichols .
• A Florida lawyer sued Gov. DeSantis, saying he's abusing his power opposing an abortion amendment .

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here .

A day that shocked the world

Images of the 9/11 attacks remains indelible, even as Wednesday marks 23 years since a cloudless morning in New York became a nightmare that shook this country to the core and altered the fate of millions around the world. The horror of crowds realizing that a plane flew into the World Trade Center, lower Manhattan covered in ash like putrid snow and a plane crash that at once symbolized the heroism of a group of average people and the possibility of the violence that could have been. See photos of the day that changed America

Blinken demands overhaul of Israeli conduct in West Bank

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday demanded a shift of Israeli military conduct in the occupied West Bank as he decried the fatal shooting of an American protester against settlement expansion, which Israel said was accidental. In his strongest comments to date criticizing the security forces of Washington's closest Middle East ally, Blinken described the killing of Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, 26, as "unprovoked and unjustified." Read more

Keep scrolling

• Meth and heat: Users in America's hottest big city rarely get warnings .
• Women with PCOS are going untreated due to "weight-centric health care."
• Selena Gomez opened up about her first Spanish-speaking role .
• Dave Grohl announced he fathered a child outside his 21-year marriage .
• When summer is in full swing, Phoenix-area AC repair crews can be life savers .

It's officially 'Moon Person' time

All of your favorite musical artists, celebrities and influencers will be awarded "Moon Person" statuettes at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, which will air live from the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York on Wednesday night. Resident "Hot Girl" Megan Thee Stallion is set to host and perform at the star-studded musical event, with Eminem joining her on stage to kick off the show with an epic performance. MTV will also make donations to 9/11 Day and Tuesday’s Children in observance of the 23rd anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Read more

Photo of the day: 870 miles above your house

A SpaceX mission that will include in the first commercial spacewalk launched on Tuesday , marking a new milestone in private spaceflight. Called Polaris Dawn, the mission sent its four-person civilian crew to an orbit with an altitude of about 870 miles, the highest orbit since the Apollo moon missions.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daily Briefing: A Swift winner