How many people watched the presidential debate? Ratings are in for ABC's Trump-Harris showdown
CBSN
Washington — More than 67 million viewers tuned in to the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris this week, far surpassing the viewership of the matchup between President Biden and Trump earlier this year.
The ABC News debate had an estimated audience of 67.1 million, and aired across 17 stations, according to Nielsen, a media analytics company. The 90-minute debate was held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in a high-stakes showdown that may shape the remainder of the campaign with Election Day fast approaching, as the candidates clashed over immigration, abortion, the economy, foreign policy and more.
More than 2 million federal employees face a looming deadline: By midnight on Thursday, they must decide whether to accept a "deferred resignation" offer from the Trump administration. If workers accept, according to a White House plan, they would continue getting paid through September but would be excused from reporting for duty. But if they opt to keep their jobs, they could get fired.
More employees of the Environmental Protection Agency were informed Wednesday that their jobs appear in doubt. Senior leadership at the EPA held an all-staff meeting to tell individuals that President Trump's executive order, "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing," which was responsible for the closure of the agency's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion office, will likely lead to the shuttering of the Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights as well.
In her first hours as attorney general, Pam Bondi issued a broad slate of directives that included a Justice Department review of the prosecutions of President Trump, a reorientation of department work to focus on harsher punishments, actions punishing so-called "sanctuary" cities and an end to diversity initiatives at the department.