Walz-Vance debate: Candidates tangle in wide-ranging debate

Asked about climate change's role in extreme weather amidst the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Vance said Trump supports clean air and water, but expressed skepticism carbon emissions play a role in such weather events.

Vance's comments come one day after Trump bluntly denied any connection between climate change and the devastating storm.

Walz, meanwhile, emphatically said during his response: "Climate change is real."

Americans are fairly split about what's happening in the Middle East and America's role in it. In a YouGov/The Economist poll from Sept. 21-24, 18 percent favored increasing military aid to Israel, 38 percent favored decreasing military aid, and 25 percent thought the U.S. should maintain the same amount. (20 percent were not sure.) They were similarly mixed on whether the Israeli government's response to Oct. 7 has been too harsh.

MORE | Iran fires at least 180 missiles into Israel as regionwide conflict grows

Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel, the latest in a series of escalating attacks in a yearslong conflict between Israel and Iran.

More than half of Americans, 51 percent, thought it was fairly or very likely the conflict would lead to a wider war. The recent escalation of conflict in the region likely furthers those worries.

Tonight's debate didn't start with opening statements, instead launching right into a question about conflict in the Middle East. At least one of the candidates thought that was pretty awkward, as Vance tried to answer the question by introducing himself first. That's important for Vance, as America doesn't really like him: He has a net favorability rating of -11 percentage points, according to 538's average.

Both candidates were pressed in the first question on whether they'd support a preemptive Israeli strike on Iran if it was determined that Tehran had secured a nuclear weapon.

Walz started off shaky, at one point confusing Israel and Iran but declaring that Harris would provide "steady leadership" while noting that at the first presidential debate, "80-year-old Donald Trump" was "talking about crowd sizes."

Vance began by rattling off his biography before saying that "Donald Trump actually delivered stability in the world" by creating "deterrence" and "peace through strength."

Walz responded that Trump's "fickle leadership" helped Iran get near a weapon by backing out of a U.S.-led nuclear deal and that "we need the steady leadership that Kamala Harris is providing."