Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump are facing off in their first televised debate of the US presidential campaign this afternoon.
The debate - at Philadelphia's National Constitution Center, which will not have a live audience - is due to start at 1pm NZT (9pm local time).
For Harris, the square-off in Philadelphia is an opportunity to lay out her priorities and show her mettle against a rival who has belittled her intelligence and subjected her to racist and sexist attacks. Trump will get a chance to try and blunt some of Harris' momentum in a race that has tightened considerably since she became the Democratic nominee in July.
Most opinion polls show Harris to be slightly ahead nationally and in the majority of battleground states, but Trump remains well within striking distance to win the 5 November election.
Debates can be enormously consequential, and this could be their only one.
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- Reuters
