“Then, for more than 90-minutes on Tuesday night, Harris put Trump on the defensive, taunting him about the size of his crowds and pressing him over his shifting positions on abortion. It clearly rattled the former president, who took the bait again and again. With the race on a knife’s edge, and Trump’s support relatively stable despite his 34 felony convictions, an assassination attempt and the replacement of his Democratic opponent, Harris could hardly afford a shaky performance, much less a defeat. In the end, she delivered what fellow Californian, the governor Gavin Newsom, described as a “masterclass”.”

“If Harris was still relatively unknown to many Americans before the debate, she isn’t anymore. There’s a good chance that sceptical voters will like what they saw. … Already on the first topic, the country’s economic situation, Harris showed that she was better prepared than Trump. … On economics and domestic policy, Trump in particular performed poorly, simply repeating his anti-immigration mantra as the solution to all the problems. … With her strong performance in this debate, Harris has undoubtedly boosted her chances of winning the presidency.”

Mexico’s Senate has approved a controversial judicial reform that will see judges elected by popular vote. Supporters argue the change will hold judges more accountable to the public, but critics warn it could erode the system of checks and balances, giving more power to the ruling Morena party.

Vice President Kamala Harris faced off with former president Donald Trump during a 90-minute fiery TV debate in Philadelphia. 

Missouri’s highest court ruled on Tuesday that a proposed amendment to restore abortion rights in the state will appear on the November ballot.

Wednesday’s front pages feature a few leads with several papers focusing on the early release of prisoners in England and Wales. Many of those papers are traditionally right-leaning and see the early release as a ‘day of shame’ for the country and most feature images of men celebrating their release. 

The Commons vote on cutting winter fuel payments is picked up by many other publications. The traditional left-leaning newspapers suggest the public move on from the fuel payments and instead focus on supporting the government in its plans to fix public services. 

A few international stories make the broadsheet front pages as US President Joe Biden is reportedly weighing up whether Ukraine can use American long-range missiles in Russia.