JUANA SUMMERS, BYLINE: With 55 days until what is shaping up to be a very close presidential election, last night, we got the first and possibly only opportunity to hear Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debate the issues that matter most to voters. Among them - inflation and the economy, immigration and border policy, and access to abortion and reproductive care. Let's recap everything we heard with our reporters who follow these subjects closely. We've got NPR chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley, NPR immigration correspondent Jasmine Garsd and NPR health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin. Hi to all of you.
SUMMERS: With 55 days until what is shaping up to be a very close presidential election, last night, we got the first and possibly only opportunity to hear Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump debate the issues that matter most to voters. Among them - inflation and the economy, immigration and border policy, and access to abortion and reproductive care. Let's recap everything we heard with our reporters who follow these subjects closely. We've got NPR chief economics correspondent Scott Horsley, NPR immigration correspondent Jasmine Garsd and NPR health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin. Hi to all of you.
SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE: Hi.
SELENA SIMMONS-DUFFIN, BYLINE: Hi, Juana.
JASMINE GARSD, BYLINE: Hi.
SUMMERS: Scott, I want to start with you here because voters consistently make the point that the economy is a top issue in this election. So tell us, what did the candidates have to say about it last night?
SUMMERS: Scott, I want to start with you here because voters consistently make the point that the economy is a top issue in this election. So tell us, what did the candidates have to say about it last night?
HORSLEY: Both Trump and Harris nodded to the high cost of living, which, of course, is a big concern for lots of people. Harris focused on the cost of housing. Trump drilled down on groceries, saying it's hard to buy eggs and bacon and cereal.
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DONALD TRUMP: We have inflation like very few people have ever seen before, probably the worst in our nation's history. We were at 21%, but that's being generous because many things are 50-, 60-, 70- and 80% higher than they were just a few years ago.
HORSLEY: That's an exaggeration. Inflation is certainly high, but it's not the highest in history. In fact, we got some new cost of living numbers just this morning that show overall inflation has been cooling down. Prices in August were up just 2 1/2 percent from a year ago. That's the smallest annual increase since early 2021. Inflation's cooled off so much, in fact, the Federal Reserve is expected to start cutting interest rates next week. That said, prices are still high, and they're probably not going to come down. Instead, over time, rising wages will catch up to those higher prices, but we're not quite there yet.
SUMMERS: OK, I want to talk about solutions, though, Scott. Did Trump or Harris offer any kind of concrete fixes for inflation?
SUMMERS: OK, I want to talk about solutions, though, Scott. Did Trump or Harris offer any kind of concrete fixes for inflation?
HORSLEY: Not really. And, you know, fixing inflation is primarily the job of the Federal Reserve anyway. Harris has proposed some financial measures to address high housing costs, although she hasn't spelled out how she'd pay for that. Economists say Trump's proposal to tax all imports would actually lead to higher prices, not lower prices. I guess in theory, his plans for mass deportation of immigrants could put a dent in housing costs in some areas where there's a large concentration of immigrants. But, of course, it would also be a big drag on new housing construction, since homebuilders rely heavily on immigrant labor.
SUMMERS: Alright, Jasmine, over to you. You cover immigration, which, as we expected, was a big topic in last night's debate. But tell me, was there anything that you heard that was perhaps surprising?
SUMMERS: Alright, Jasmine, over to you. You cover immigration, which, as we expected, was a big topic in last night's debate. But tell me, was there anything that you heard that was perhaps surprising?
GARSD: Well, I think the moment that's going to be, like, seared in all of our memories was the false accusation about Haitian migrants eating people's pets in Springfield, Ohio.
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TRUMP: In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in - they're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country, and it's a shame.
GARSD: So I've reported out of Springfield, Ohio, which, in the last four years, has received about 20,000 migrants, mostly Haitian. And there are very real tensions over city services. But local police and city managers have said there's no evidence whatsoever of Haitian migrants eating people's pets. And I know a lot of jokes came out of this, a lot of memes. Late-night comics had some fun with it. But there's a long history of racist tropes about immigrants eating cats and dogs. And the Trump campaign has often referred to immigrants in very degrading terms and said they're poisoning the blood of the nation and are criminals and mentally ill. And this is very much in keeping with that campaign rhetoric.
SUMMERS: OK, that's the rhetoric. Let's turn now to some of the policy. What did we learn last night about the candidates' actual plans when it comes to immigration?
SUMMERS: OK, that's the rhetoric. Let's turn now to some of the policy. What did we learn last night about the candidates' actual plans when it comes to immigration?
GARSD: Donald Trump was asked how he would carry out his plan for mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, and he simply answered, deploy local law enforcement. But he gave no other details about how he would get local police to round up immigrants. Vice President Harris blamed Trump for killing a bipartisan immigration reform bill earlier this year, which - I mean, he hasn't denied that. But, you know, in the end, we didn't learn anything new about how the candidates plan on addressing immigration, and this is a complaint I hear often about these debates. They offer a lot of meme-worthy moments and a good show, but there isn't a lot of real content to hold on to.
SUMMERS: Selena, I want to turn to you now because the issue of abortion is also a key one, and former President Trump described Democrats as radical on abortion. Vice President Harris spoke about women who have been caught in situations where they weren't even able to get care for miscarriage.
SUMMERS: Selena, I want to turn to you now because the issue of abortion is also a key one, and former President Trump described Democrats as radical on abortion. Vice President Harris spoke about women who have been caught in situations where they weren't even able to get care for miscarriage.
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VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS: From a miscarriage being denied care in an emergency room because the healthcare providers are afraid they might go to jail - and she's bleeding out in a car in the parking lot. She didn't want that. Her husband didn't want that.
SUMMERS: Selena, the scenario that Vice President Harris described there is something that I understand sounded quite familiar to you, right?
SUMMERS: Selena, the scenario that Vice President Harris described there is something that I understand sounded quite familiar to you, right?
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Yeah, I think it's a reference to Jaci Statton. NPR told her story last spring. She had what's called a partial molar pregnancy, which is not viable, and she was very sick, bleeding. Her husband was worried she would die, but she could not get an abortion. Hospital staffers told her they could help her if she seemed closer to death, but she lived too far from the hospital to wait at home. Here's what she told me last year.
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JACI STATTON: They said, the best we can tell you to do is sit in the parking lot, and if anything else happens, we will be ready to help you. But we cannot touch you unless you are crashing in front of us or your blood pressure goes so high that you are fixing to have a heart attack.
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: During the debate, Harris really focused on people like Jaci Statton who've been affected by abortion bans. That has been a central part of her campaign.
SUMMERS: So Selena, on abortion, what exactly do we know about each candidate's policy position?
SUMMERS: So Selena, on abortion, what exactly do we know about each candidate's policy position?
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Well, Harris has said she wants to bring back the protections of Roe v. Wade. That allowed abortions all over the country until viability, which is roughly 20 or 24 weeks of pregnancy. Trump's position has been difficult to nail down, and it was again last night in the debate. He's trying to keep anti-abortion advocates close while avoiding a declaration that his election would mean a national abortion ban. And that's because the idea of a national ban is really unpopular with voters. Nearly two-thirds of voters support access to abortion, and Democrats think it's a winning issue for their party and are hoping it will drive turnout.
SUMMERS: That was NPR correspondents Selena Simmons-Duffin, Jasmine Garsd and Scott Horsley. Thanks to all of you.
SUMMERS: That was NPR correspondents Selena Simmons-Duffin, Jasmine Garsd and Scott Horsley. Thanks to all of you.
SIMMONS-DUFFIN: Thank you, Juana.
GARSD: Thanks.
HORSLEY: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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