An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: Who won the Vance-Walz debate; hundreds missing after Helene; Fat Bear Week; and more

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Good morning. It's Wednesday, Oct. 2, and you probably have a lot of questions after last night's debate. If so, ask our reporters whatever you want to know here. And that's where we'll start.

JD Vance and Tim Walz had a surprisingly civil vice-presidential debate.

What happened? They paid each other respect while attacking each other's running mates. Walz seemed nervous, and Vance softened his tone. Find the debate's memorable lines here.
What else? Vance refused to say Donald Trump lost in 2020, and Walz said he "misspoke" about his time in Hong Kong — find a fact check here. Who won? We asked swing-state voters.

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Trump downplayed troop injuries in a 2020 Iranian attack.

What he said: That the traumatic brain injuries suffered by U.S. soldiers in a missile strike by Iran were just headaches. He also mixed up words in an off-topic speech yesterday.
Other campaign news: CBS said Trump backed out of a "60 Minutes" interview.
On the Democratic side: Kamala Harris is shifting to the center. And an animal welfare group endorsed her following this election cycle's bizarre animal cruelty stories.

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Iran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israel yesterday.

What happened? The major attack came with little warning. Videos showed missiles hitting Tel Aviv and an air base. One man was reported killed in the occupied West Bank.
Why? Iran said it was in retaliation for the recent killings of Iran-backed leaders. Israel and the U.S. said Iran would face consequences.

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Helene is one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit the U.S. this century.

The latest: The death toll across the South climbed yesterday to at least 137. Hundreds of people are still reported missing, and many towns don't have enough drinking water.
What else to know: The beloved town of Chimney Rock, N.C., is virtually gone. And Helene showed that mountain communities, like Asheville, N.C., face growing flood danger.

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Sean "Diddy" Combs is facing 120 additional sexual assault lawsuits.

The details: Lawyers for dozens of new accusers allege some assaults took place at the music mogul's infamous parties, and involved alleged victims ranging in age from 9 to 38.
Zooming out: Combs was arrested on sex trafficking charges last month. That led to more accusers coming forward, their lawyer said. The lawsuits will be filed in the next month.

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The groundbreaking actor John Amos died at 84.

Amos with co-star Esther Rolle in an episode of the CBS sitcom "Good Times." The show premiered in 1974 and aired for six seasons. (CBS/Getty Images)

How we'll remember him: As the stoic patriarch in the sitcom "Good Times," the adult Kunta Kinte in the miniseries "Roots," and many other roles from the 1970s and beyond.
What else to know: The former football player risked his career to protest demeaning portrayals of Black characters. He died at home in Los Angeles in August.

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It's Fat Bear Week.

(Illustration by Katty Huertas/The Washington Post; iStock)

What's that? The annual bulk-building competition among 12 beefy brown bears in Alaska, as they prepare for winter hibernation. This year's contest got off to a pretty dark start.
Meet the bears: "Chunk," "Grazer" and "Gully" are three of this year's 12 — find out more about them here. You can watch live cams and vote for your favorites through Tuesday.