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Good morning. It has been quite the week for news and it's only Wednesday! Today we're focusing locally, nationally, and globally: Quincy residents are angry over big City Hall pay raises, Big Lots! filed for bankruptcy, and Germany is setting up tighter border controls.
But first, we have a roundup of reaction to last night's debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump.
TODAY'S STARTING POINT
Former president Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris at the ABC News presidential debate at in Philadelphia. AP PHOTO/ALEX BRANDON
The first – and perhaps only – Harris-Trump debate of the 2024 presidential race saw the candidates tussle over immigration, the economy, abortion, Obamacare, Ukraine, Israel, the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, guns, and even whether Haitian migrants in Ohio are eating residents’ cats and dogs (more on that below, but spoiler alert: They’re not.).
First, let’s get the important stuff out of the way: Taylor Swift told her 283 million followers that she was endorsing Harris soon after the debate ended, saying Harris “fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.” And in a dig at Trump VP choice JD Vance, Swift signed her post, “Childless Cat Lady.”
But back to the debate stage. Many news organizations and commentators awarded the debate to Harris, saying that she repeatedly goaded Trump about a variety of subjects – his criminal indictments and convictions, how he handled the COVID pandemic, his admiration for dictators and autocrats, the size of the crowds at his rallies, and more. And he often responded angrily.
The New York Times said Harris put Trump on the defensive and Trump often took the bait, responding to the critiques “with a hail of misinformation and personal attacks.”
(By the way, if you want to know whether the things the candidates said were true or not, there was fact-checking done by PolitiFact, the Associated Press, and CNN, among others.)
All in all, it was a debate marked by baits, barbs, and bluster, according to the Globe’s Sam Brody, providing memorable moments and sound bites as well as some substantive policy discussions. But it also solidified “what a bitter, ugly, and hard-fought stretch it will be.”
Will there be a second debate? Harris is already asking for one. Trump? We’ll see.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Demonstrators gathered outside Quincy City Hall to protest the large raises that city councilors approved for the mayor and themselves. JOSH REYNOLDS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE
QUINCY A lot of residents are angry about the hefty raises that city councilors gave Mayor Thomas Koch (79 percent, from $150,000 to $285,000) and themselves (50 percent, from $30,000 to $45,000), and about 100 of them protested outside of Quincy City Hall this week. But the City Council wouldn't discuss repealing the raises. (The Boston Globe)
NEW YORK CITY The city will commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks with a private ceremony today at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. The Tribute of Light – two blue beams that are visible for miles – will make its annual return. The memorial events start at 8:30 a.m.; the Tribute of Light turns on at dusk. (Spectrum NY)
DIGHTON-REHOBOTH, Mass. The girls' field hockey team at the regional high school here is forfeiting its game next Tuesday because its opponent has a boy on the team. Last November, a female player was injured by a boy on Swampscott's team. It's all about Title IX and the state Equal Rights Amendment. (Boston.com)
SPRINGFIELD, OHIO Police here say they have no evidence that Haitian immigrants are killing and eating pets, as Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has claimed (and Donald Trump mentioned during last night's debate). Vance's campaign did not provide any evidence to back up his claim. (NBC News)
BERLIN The German government will set up temporary controls at all of its land borders, saying that it has to respond to an increase in irregular migration and extremist activity. Germany and 28 European countries are part of the Schengen border-free zone, but controls can be tightened if there is a serious threat to security. Germany's neighbors aren't happy. (BBC)
TVLAND It was great TV – with a few glitches – when Bill Belichick yukked it up with Peyton and Eli Manning on the brothers' "ManningCast" on ESPN2 Monday night during the 49ers' victory over the Jets. The former Patriots coach will be back. (The Boston Globe)
NEW YORK Popular discount retailer Big Lots filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. A private equity firm bought up its operations, and the stores and website will stay open for shopping. But analysts say consumers are looking for value, not just cheap prices. (CNN)
State Senate president Dominick Ruggerio fended off a Democratic challenge to the seat he has held since 1984 with 70 percent of the vote, while US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse easily won his Democratic primary with nearly 84 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, in the Republican primary for the same US Senate seat, state Representative Patricia L. Morgan received 64.5 percent of the vote. Read the results of all the races.
In New Hampshire, Republican Kelly Ayotte and Democrat Joyce Craig advanced to compete to replace Governor Chris Sununu. Looking ahead to the final, Ayotte declared to her supporters, “We won’t let them Mass up New Hampshire.”
In the contentious Second Congressional district Democratic primary, Maggie Goodlander emerged victorious over Colin Van Ostern, who pledged his support in November to “keep this district blue.”
Also in New Hampshire, Green Party presidential candidate Jill Steinwill be on the ballot Nov. 5, and Democrats smell mischief. Turns out that GOP operative Jefferson Thomas submitted enough signatures in enough cities and towns to get Stein’s name in front of voters. (The Stein campaign says it did not solicit the help.) Democrats say the GOP is deliberately boosting third-party candidates across the country to steer votes away from Democrats. I caught up with political reporter Emma Platoff to check in on how Jill Stein’s third-party run in New Hampshire could affect the race.
“There's an interesting history in New Hampshire of third-party candidates making all the difference. In the 2000 election, for example, Ralph Nader won around 22,000 votes in New Hampshire. If most of those Nader voters had voted for Al Gore, he would have won New Hampshire's four electoral votes, and we never have the recount, we never have the Supreme Court decision, and Al Gore would have been the president. But Jill Stein in 2024 is not Ralph Nader in 2000. Democrats are not as worried about her, but I think it's an interesting testament to how close this election is that you have a network of Republicans across the country who are working to boost third-party candidates on the ballot to siphon off votes.”
Why A.I. Isn't Going to Make Art This lengthy New Yorker essay by Ted Chiang puts into words what I have long felt about the threat of A.I. on art and media: Don't panic. A few years back, I became obsessed with artificial intelligence and its influence on art specifically (who wants to live in a world where humans do mundane labor and robots make art?). So I read "The Artist in the Machine" by Arthur I. Miller, a book that dives into what exactly A.I. is and how it materializes thought and creativity. This book had me questioning what I knew intrinsically but had never really examined:
What makes human creativity so special? What exactly is artificial about artificial intelligence? And what is, for lack of a better term, organic?
This essay drills down a bit on an answer: human choice. Reading through this examination on how choice separates human from machine, I couldn't help but wonder if what makes us human is our impulses that manifest in our choices. If you're interested in this topic, I highly recommend you read the Miller book first, then the New Yorker article. Otherwise, read the essay if you're an artist afraid of what the future of A.I. means for you.
POLAROID DIARIES
Where we share our adventures around New England and rate them for Starting Point readers.
Redbones has intrigued me ever since I saw its sign on the way to the Somerville Theater. When I finally walked in, I felt like I had disappeared into a color-saturated comic book with a New Orleans flare — my favorite! I suggest bringing kids here and playing "I Spy" while you wait for premium BBQ meals. Come hungry; the meals are heavy.
I was on my way to a dinner party in the North End, so I stopped by a cute wine shop called The Wine Bottega on Hanover Street. The prices were reasonable and the service was excellent. I picked up a nutty but light bottle of white wine on the shopkeeper's recommendation. It was a fan favorite at the table.
Rating: Bagged 10/10 (💰)
HEADLINES IN THE CLOUDS
Guess the headline from three choices based on the words that appear in the story.
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