Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Lawyer Roberta Kaplan, who defeated Donald Trump in court, is leaving her firm; Michelle Obama is reportedly upset with the Biden family; and childcare and abortion got insufficient attention from Biden and Trump in the first presidential debate. Enjoy your weekend!
- Debate debacle. Last night’s debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump undoubtedly disappointed anyone looking for serious answers to policy questions. The face-off was marked by weak and meandering answers from Biden and bluster and falsehoods from Trump. Childish insults flew in both directions. Substance was most notable for its absence.
One person looking for serious answers was Reshma Saujani, founder and CEO of nonprofit Moms First, who says her organization delivered a petition with 15,000 signatures to CNN demanding that the network ask the candidates about the United States’ childcare crisis.
“Childcare for two children costs more than rent in every U.S. state. 50% of Americans live in childcare deserts. And 59% of parents with young kids have been forced to reduce their work hours or quit their jobs due to the exorbitant expenses of child care,” the petition said.
The question about lowering childcare costs did get asked, but it was hardly answered. The two men spent most of their allotted time arguing about who was “the worst president.” Trump ignored the topic, instead criticizing Biden’s handling of the U.S.’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and immigration. Biden addressed the matter briefly: “We should significantly increase the childcare tax credit. We should significantly increase the availability of women and men…to go back to work, and we should encourage businesses to have childcare facilities.”
In a statement, Saujani said Moms First is “disappointed that our presidential candidates failed to acknowledge the seriousness of our childcare crisis and its impact on American mothers,” and she warned Biden and Trump to not “underestimate the power of moms.”
The candidates spent a bit more time addressing abortion. Trump said he would not block abortion medication, took credit for returning abortion rights to the states, and falsely claimed that some Democrats support aborting babies “after birth.” Biden, whose only advantage over Trump in some polls is his handling of abortion, vowed to restore Roe and said it was “ridiculous” that politicians were determining women’s health care. At one point, though, he inexplicably pivoted to immigration. (Biden’s performance was so disastrous that Vice President Kamala Harris made TV appearances afterward to try to clean up his mess. Renewed calls to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket will put the VP front and center, too.)
Viewers tuned into the debate seeking more clarity from two candidates they deeply dislike. American women, in particular, are trying to decide between two men who could determine their future access to reproductive care, birth control, and fertility treatments. Parents are mulling how to care for their kids. What viewers got was an embarrassing display in which neither candidate endeared himself to voters or laid out a clear vision for his presidency. In a world in chaos, the debate was just more noise.
Claire Zillman
claire.zillman@fortune.com
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