The debate was the political earthquake. Taylor Swift was the aftershock

Good morning. It’s Wednesday Sept. 11. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

• Dangerous fires are threatening communities in Southern California.
• The big debate comes to a Swiftie conclusion.
• And here’s today’s e-newspaper.

The political earthquake and the aftershock

They say the political news cycles are shorter than they used to be.

But Sept. 10, 2024, clearly set a new record.

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were just leaving the stage after their presidential debate, the cable pundits were delivering their opening sounds bites, KABC-TV Channel 7 was cuing up “Jeopardy!” and many debate viewers were grateful to open up Netflix. Then it happened.

The breaking news landed not on the debate stage but on Instagram, and it came from someone many consider the biggest celebrity in the world.

“Like many of you, I watched the debate tonight,” Taylor Swift wrote. “I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election.”

Swift has more than 280 million Instagram followers. The last debate — the one in June that instantly linked Joe Biden with “disastrous performance” — drew 51 million viewers. So no one could ignore it.

The Swift vote has created a whole cottage industry in journalism. Earlier in the day, the Guardian went up with a story headlined, “Is Taylor Swift a secret Trump supporter?” while Slate asked: “Is Taylor Swift Fraternizing With Trump Supporters? Look a Little Deeper.”

So that settles that.

Taylor Swift has endorsed Kamala Harris for president.

(Evan Agostini / Invision via AP)

Even the biggest celebrity can’t overshadow history.

We have a tendency to turn away from the healthy salad of politics and policy whenever a celebrity enters the room. (Remember all the Beyoncé rumors during the last night of the Democratic convention?)

So it was good to see that Swift’s endorsement did not immediately shift the public focus from the debate, which gave voters a lot to think about (including a dark detour into the kidnapping and eating of pets in Ohio. Fact check: False).

People who watched the debate saw two very different visions of the country and the world. Working though what we saw is our job as citizens.

Headline writers turned to adjectives like “nasty,” “fierce,” “contentious” and “fiery” to describe the debate. How about informative, or clarifying? As Noah Bierman noted, the debate offered much for voters to consider, especially when it comes to Harris, whom polls show Americans are still getting to know.

Times political guru Mark Z. Barabak declared Trump’s performance “bad” and said Harris “was forceful and pushed the former president back on his heels more than once, showing she was quite capable of holding her own against a blustering bully.”

“Will it result in a huge surge of support for Harris? Probably not,” he concluded.

And what impact will the Swift endorsement have? I’m no pundit. But I look forward to all the Swift political analysis to come.

Here is a guide to debate coverage:

• Times reporters provided live coverage.
• The abortion issue packed emotional punch.
• Race and division were in the spotlight.
• Trump hammered on immigration but got hammered back.
• And here’s a final word from Times columnists on what the debate will change and what it won’t.
• 5 takeaways from the debate.

Today’s top stories

The Airport fire in Trabuco Canyon was growing rapidly Monday evening.

(AlertCalifornia)

Three wildfires raged in Southern California on Tuesday night, one moving down into the Inland Empire from Orange County, one in San Bernardino County and the other near the mountain communities of Mount Baldy Village and Wrightwood.

• The Airport fire in Orange County, which burned thousands of acres, was sparked by heavy equipment used by workers to block a road, investigators said. You can find information about evacuation orders, road closures and shelters here.
• A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with the Line fire, which has burned tens of thousands of acres in San Bernardino County.
• And here’s a roundup of details on the fires burning actively in Southern California, including fire maps.

Southern California’s brutal heat wave may finally come to an end.

• Temperatures in L.A. are expected to dip today before settling into highs in the 70s and 80s on Thursday.
• Climate change is expected to make L.A. hotter and drier, but here’s a glimpse at what life could look like if we get it right.

California is poised to ban octopus farming

• State lawmakers have approved a bill that would make it illegal to farm octopuses in California waters or on land, as well as to import them. The bill has been sent to the governor’s office.
• A growing body of research shows the creatures are self-aware and highly intelligent, and that turning them into food production materials is cruel, inefficient and detrimental to the environment.

More big stories

• An Orange County supervisor was removed from all committee appointments amid a looming federal probe.
• The L.A. County Board of Supervisors agreed to pay $7.2 million to the family of a fire engineer who was killed by a fellow firefighter.
• Years after a freeway’s demise, L.A. renters are buying state-owned homes.
• Santa Monica could ban sleeping bags and bedrolls in public areas in a crackdown on camping.
• A beloved Whittier pizza joint burned down, and the owner suspects arson.
• Someone is leaving food on a Pasadena street that could kill dogs.

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Commentary and opinions

• Columnist Robin Abcarian looks at what Trump’s “incomprehensible word salad about child care revealed.”
• The American presidency is the most powerful job in the world. And it’s too powerful, writes David A. Super, who teaches at Georgetown Law.
• Young climate voters were tired of Biden, writes columnist Sammy Roth. They’ve embraced Harris — mostly.
• To fix climate anxiety (and also climate change), we first have to join together to make change, staff writer Rosanna Xia suggests.
• Here’s one way to help aging Angelenos combat housing insecurity and loneliness, writes Avi Kapur, with the nonprofit Affordable Living for the Aging.

Today’s great reads

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Dominic Ciambrone, aka the Shoe Surgeon, is the go-to sneaker customizer for LeBron James, Usher and other celebrities. Nike says he’s gone too far.

Other great reads

• When climate activists target artwork in museums, does everyone understand the message they hope to send?

How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.

For your downtime

Will Hochman, left, and Chukwudi Iwuji in “Cyrano de Bergerac” at Pasadena Playhouse.

(Jeff Lorch)

Going out

• 🎭 “Cyrano de Bergerac” gets a hip-hop-infused update at the Pasadena Playhouse.
• 🎵 Gustavo Dudamel is finally back at the Bowl and blissfully all over the musical map.
• 🍷 This stylish new wine bar drew several hundred people on its opening night in Silver Lake.
• 👾 Bar-arcade Button Mash and its restaurant Poltergeist will close Sept. 29.

Staying in

• 🏆 As hosts of the Emmys, Eugene and Dan Levy want to make it a “light and bright” night.
• 🎤 On the 15th anniversary of Kanye’s interruption at the VMAs, will Taylor Swift re-release “Reputation” as the ultimate rebuttal?
• 🧑‍🍳 Here’s a recipe for marinated feta with spice-roasted tomatoes and grapefruit.
• ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and arcade games.

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

Today’s photo is from Mary Molitor of San Diego: Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

Mary writes: “Besides its stunning natural scenic beauty, it’s special to me because six members of my family are buried there.”

Have a great day, from the Essential California team

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