PBS News Hour

It's an historic night that could shape the course of the presidential election that is now just 55 days away. Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump are set to face off in Philadelphia in their first, and potentially final, debate. While a majority of Americans don't believe the debate will impact their vote, nearly a third say the matchup could influence their pick.

The detention of Miami Dolphins star Tyreek Hill has sparked conversations on policing in America and the treatment of Black Americans. Body camera footage shows officers stopping Hill as he drove to his team stadium, pulling him from his car, forcing him to the ground and handcuffing him. Hill was cited for careless driving before being released. Amna Nawaz discussed more with Martenzie Johnson.

Thirteen American military service personnel were posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. The service members were killed in a suicide bombing at Kabul's airport during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. Lisa Desjardins discussed more with Kelly Barnett and Darin Hoover, the parents of Marine Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover.

A four-person crew of civilians launched Tuesday morning on a private Space-X rocket for a five-day mission to include the first commercial spacewalk in history. NASA has big plans to send people to the Moon and Mars, but a sweeping new report from the National Academies of Sciences raises questions about the agency. Science Correspondent Miles O’Brien reports.

Springfield, Ohio, is at the center of one of the most fraught issues in this election. GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance wrote that “Haitian illegal immigrants” are “draining social services and generally causing chaos.” Springfield has seen its population grow by over 20 percent in four years, driven mostly by immigration. William Brangham visited the city to understand how it is coping.

New details are emerging in the deadly shooting at a Georgia high school that took the lives of four people and injured nine others. The mother of the 14-year-old suspect reportedly contacted the school 30 minutes before the shooting began to warn of an “emergency” regarding her son and asked a counselor to find him. William Brangham discussed more with Chase McGee of Georgia Public Broadcasting.

At Stanford Social Neuroscience Laboratory, scientists have spent years studying kindness, connection and empathy. But those can all seem in short supply at a time of deep divisions. But the head of that lab offers a data-driven reason to be hopeful about each other and the future. Amna Nawaz spoke with Jamil Zaki about his latest book, "Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness."

House Republicans blamed the Biden administration for the chaotic and deadly U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, accusing the White House of ignoring Afghan, allied and military advice and conducting a subsequent coverup. The White House called the report partisan and dismissed the accusation of a coverup. Nick Schifrin reports.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter join Geoff Bennett to discuss the latest political news, including a look ahead to Tuesday night's debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, what the candidates hope to accomplish and new polls showing the race is tied.

It's the eve of the pivotal presidential debate when Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are set to face off for the first time, and possibly the only time, between now and November. With only eight weeks remaining until Election Day, new polling suggests that the race is as close as ever. Geoff Bennett reports.

Tuesday's presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will take place in the state that could prove to be the deciding factor in the race for the White House. Lisa Desjardins takes us inside one Pennsylvania county with a track record of picking the winner, a place both parties think could signal how the state, and possibly the country, could swing.

In the last three elections, voter turnout hit record highs among those born after 1997. This year, both the Harris and Trump campaigns are heavily courting this generation. A new book, “The Politics of Gen Z: How the Youngest Voters Will Shape Our Democracy,” looks at the effect they’re likely to have on American politics for years to come. John Yang speaks with author Melissa Deckman for more.