| The first presidential debate happens tonight; the world reaches 1 million Covid-19 deaths. Tonight's Sentences was written by Benjamin Rosenberg. | | | | | | | What to watch for at the first presidential debate | | | | | Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images | | - The Covid-19 pandemic has made this an unusual campaign season, but the presidential debates are taking place as scheduled. With just five weeks until Election Day, President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will face off for the first time Tuesday night in Cleveland, Ohio. [Vox / Cameron Peters]
- The debate will be moderated by Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace, who — despite working for a conservative-leaning network — has been a frequent target of criticism from Trump. Wallace also moderated a debate between Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016. [Vox / Aaron Rupar]
- Wallace has selected six topics for the debate: the candidates' records, the Supreme Court, the Covid-19 crisis, the economy, race and violence in cities, and the integrity of the election. The debate will begin at 9 pm ET and will run for 90 minutes. [Cleveland.com / Seth A. Richardson]
- The fifth topic, race and violence in cities, drew some objection — it appears to focus more on urban unrest than the struggle for racial justice. Bend the Arc, a liberal Jewish group, said the language "reinforces anti-Black fear mongering." [Washington Post / Paul Farhi and Elahe Izadi]
- Trump has repeatedly raised questions about the last topic: election integrity. Last week, he refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if he loses, something no previous president has refused to do. [Vox / Aaron Rupar]
- The Supreme Court will also be a hot issue for both candidates. On Saturday Trump officially nominated Amy Coney Barrett to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat, and she will likely be confirmed in short order, but the candidates are sure to be asked about changes to the makeup of the Court. [CNN / Maegan Vazquez and Kevin Liptak]
- Wallace may also address the big news of the weekend — the New York Times uncovered several years of Trump's tax returns, revealing that the president paid no federal income tax in 10 of the 15 years before he was elected, and just $750 each in 2016 and 2017. [NYT / Russ Buettner, Susanne Craig, and Mike McIntire]
- This will be the first of three debates between Biden and Trump. The two will meet again in Miami on October 15 and in Nashville on October 22. The vice presidential nominees, Vice President Mike Pence and Sen. Kamala Harris, will debate in Salt Lake City on October 7. [Vox / Catherine Kim, Hannah Brown, and Cameron Peters]
| | | The global Covid-19 death toll surpasses 1 million | | - Ten months after the first outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China, more than 1 million people worldwide have died from Covid-19, the disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. And that's just confirmed deaths — the actual toll is likely significantly higher. [NYT / Richard Pérez-Peña]
- Some countries, including South Korea, Germany, and New Zealand, have been successful in avoiding major outbreaks, but the United States, Brazil, India, and Mexico have struggled mightily. The US leads the world in both total Covid-19 cases and deaths. [NPR / Nurith Aizenman]
- Using per capita figures, Peru, Belgium, Bolivia, and Spain have been hit the hardest. After a slight decline in the summer, the virus is beginning to resurge in both Europe and the US as the weather gets cooler. [Axios / Dave Lawler]
- Several potential vaccines are expected to reach final-stage trials before the end of 2020, but Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US, expects mask-wearing and social distancing to continue even after a successful vaccine is approved. [CBS News / Zoe Christen Jones]
- And health experts fear the death toll may reach 2 million before a vaccine is ready. Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the World Health Organization's chief science officer, said "pre-Covid life" may not return until 2022. [CNN / Laura Smith-Spark]
| | | | | | | Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron will release the recording of grand jury proceedings from the Breonna Taylor case after a juror disputed his explanation for why no charges were filed against the officers who took Taylor's life. | | | [Vox / Fabiola Cineas] -
Yet another fire is raging on the West Coast. The Glass Fire, which is currently devastating Napa and Sonoma counties in Northern California, has forced entire communities to evacuate and closed businesses throughout wine country. [San Francisco Chronicle / Justin Phillips] -
Armenia's defense ministry reported that a Turkish warcraft had shot down one of its fighter jets, killing the pilot. A spokesperson for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denied the report. [Greek City Times / Paul Antonopoulos] -
Togo now has a female prime minister for the first time. Victoire Tomegah Dogbe, 60, now leads the French-speaking West African nation, replacing the resigning Komi Selom Klassou. [CNN / Orji Sunday] -
The NFL has seen its first Covid-19 outbreak of the season. The Tennessee Titans had eight positive tests between players and staff members, forcing them to close their facilities through at least Saturday. [AP / Teresa M. Walker] | | | | | "My job is to be as invisible as possible. I'm trying to get them to engage, to focus on the key issues, to give people at home a sense of, 'Why I want to vote for one versus the other.'" | | | | | | | | | | |
The right to vote is at the foundation of America's democracy. But not every vote is created equal. How does the system work, and can it be fixed? [Netflix / Vox] | | | | | | | | | |  | This email was sent to milburnkennedy@hotmail.com. Manage your email preferences, or unsubscribe to stop receiving all emails from Vox. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036.
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