Newsletter: Essential Politics: Debate fact-checks after a night that did not disappoint

He called her Secretary Clinton. She called him Donald. That might be all you need to know about the debate.

For anyone expecting fireworks and entertainment, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s first meeting on the general election stage did not disappoint.

I’m Christina Bellantoni, here with a post-debate edition of Essential Politics.

The debate might have made history for its references to Sean Hannity, Miss Universe and the opening of a new hotel.

It also threw Trump off his game, pushing him outside his comfort zone of adoring crowds at rallies. Or, as Cathleen Decker puts it, he learned that the rhetoric that draws rapturous applause at rallies doesn’t play as well in the outside world. And he flinched.

The Republican nominee spent a majority of the evening on the defensive. His comebacks were filled with either personal references or facts many Americans might find obscure. (Does the name Debbie Wasserman Schultz resonate with the millions of people who don’t closely follow politics?)

Clinton made clear she prepared, and even bragged about it.

If an undecided voter watched the debate in a room by him- or herself, perhaps some opinions could be formed in a vacuum. But it’s fair to say most people consumed the 90-minute clash and then watched some sort of punditry, highlight reels or focus groups meant to shape how the debate will be interpreted for the next stretch of the campaign. Because, for the all the policy that was discussed, there’s no question that Trump’s sniffles generated a lot of attention.

(Not to knock highlight reels — we have those too, and don’t miss our video clips from the evening.)

At no point did Clinton appear flustered. Trump repeated himself multiple times and was caught denying doing things he clearly had done.

It will be a few days before we can gauge the full effect — or, possibly, lack of an effect — the debate may have on the electorate. But we know Clinton felt pretty good about it, taking a victory lap last night in New York.

And Democrats who had been fretting about close polls were celebrating Monday night, feeling as if Clinton had allayed their fears with a strong performance.

Here are a few things you might have missed:

We did fact-checking in real-time, from the ICE “endorsement� to Trump’s taxes.

Decker, David Lauter and Doyle McManus played judges and scored multiple rounds, ultimately handing the victory to the Democratic nominee.

The Times hosted a debate watch party in downtown Los Angeles. 1,450 people were there.

We’ve got a transcript of the key exchanges.

Melanie Mason rounded out the buzziest moments of the night.

Matt Pearce hung out with millennials.

Among the takeaways: Clinton wants to make the election a referendum on Trump.

We also captured international reaction.

As the candidates head back out on the campaign trail, we’ll be there. Stay up on what’s happening via Trail Guide and follow @latimespolitics. Check our daily USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times tracking poll at the top of the politics page.

CALIFORNIA DISPATCHES

Capping a year of major gun control legislation in California, Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday signed a raft of bills, including one addressing a series of thefts of firearms from law enforcement vehicles that have been used in killings.

The governor also signed a bill that will add $1 to the purchase of every lead-acid car battery in California starting next spring, with the proceeds going to cleanups like the one now going on in the community surrounding the former Exide battery recycling plant in Vernon.

But Brown vetoed a handful of bills on Monday, including an effort to boost the death benefits paid to bus drivers and maintenance workers at public schools.

Most prominent, perhaps, was his veto of a measure that would have banned smoking and the use of electronic cigarettes on state university and community college campuses. Brown said the measure was not necessary.

For the latest in California politics, keep an eye on our Essential Politics news feed.

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

-- California’s new statewide voter database was officially approved on Monday, the first step toward allowing voters to register on election day.

-- California took bold steps on Sunday in the battle against human trafficking after Brown signed more than half a dozen bills to decriminalize prostitution and aid victims swept into the trade of forced sex and labor.

-- The state campaign watchdog agency will investigate allegations that a Washington, D.C., group failed to properly disclose how it is funding a campaign against Proposition 64, which would legalize recreational use of marijuana in California.

-- Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday received a flood of critical remarks from gun owners and others when he opened up a live Q&A session on Facebook in which he invited questions on his gun control measure, Proposition 63, and the effort to legalize recreational use of marijuana, Proposition 64.

-- Preeminent Trump needler Mark Cuban was indeed in the audience for the debate.

-- Third-party candidate Jill Stein was escorted off Hofstra University campus, where the debate was held, for not having proper credentials

-- Who will win the November election? Give our Electoral College map a spin.

LOGISTICS

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