First Thing: Harris and Trump make final preparations as Philadelphia debate looms

Polls neck and neck as the presidential candidates prepare to clash in Tuesday’s ABC debate. Plus, inside the global organ trade

Good morning.

At 9pm EST tonight, on a debate stage in Philadelphia, weeks of rigorous preparation and breathless analysis will be road-tested with reality, as Kamala Harris and Donald Trump go head-to-head in their first presidential debate.

What do the polls say? One recent national New York Times/Siena College poll found that Trump was up one percentage point over Harris – a difference within the survey’s three-percentage point margin of error.

What are the debate’s rules? Tuesday’s event, hosted by ABC, will take place under the same rules that governed the Trump-Biden debate, with candidates’ microphones being muted when it is their opponent’s turn to speak.

What do we know about the Israeli strikes? The Gaza civil emergency service said at least 20 tents caught fire, and missiles caused craters 30ft deep. The Israel Defense Forces said it “struck significant Hamas terrorists, who were operating within a command and control centre embedded inside the humanitarian area in Khan Younis”.

What is the humanitarian cost of the war? Since the 7 October attack, when Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostage, the Israeli assault on Gaza has killed more than 40,000 people, decimated infrastructure and housing, displaced at least 90% of the population, and brought widespread malnutrition and famine to the coastal strip. Continue reading...