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Tag: Debate

  • Robert F. Kennedy Jr. files complaint over rules for CNN’s presidential debate next month

    Robert F. Kennedy Jr. files complaint over rules for CNN’s presidential debate next month

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    Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed an election complaint Wednesday alleging CNN is colluding with Democratic President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump to exclude him from a debate the network is hosting next month.Kennedy alleges the requirements to participate in the June 27 debate were designed to ensure only Biden and Trump would qualify and Kennedy claims he is being held to a higher standard. “CNN is making prohibited corporate contributions to both campaigns and the Biden committee and the Trump committee have accepted these prohibited corporate contributions,” a lawyer for Kennedy, Lorenzo Holloway, wrote in a letter to the Federal Election Commission. CNN said the complaint was without merit.Biden and Trump agreed this month to the CNN debate and a second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC, bypassing the nonpartisan commission that has organized debates for nearly four decades. The first debate will come before Biden and Trump have been formally nominated by their parties this summer.Kennedy has looked to the debates as a singular opportunity to stand alongside Biden and Trump, lending legitimacy to his longshot bid and convince people inclined to support him that he has a shot at winning. Both the Biden and Trump campaigns fear he could play spoiler. Kennedy still has time to meet the requirements, though the window is narrowing. CNN has said candidates will be invited if they have secured a place on the ballot in states totaling at least 270 votes in the Electoral College, the minimum needed to win the presidency, and have reached 15% in four reliable polls by June 20.Kennedy’s campaign says he has submitted signatures or other paperwork to appear on the ballot in nine states — California, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah — with a combined 171 electoral votes, though not all have affirmed his name will be listed. California, the largest prize on the electoral map with 54 votes, will not certify any candidates until Aug. 29. “The law in virtually every state provides that the nominee of a state-recognized political party will be allowed ballot access without petitioning,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. “As the presumptive nominees of their parties both Biden and Trump will satisfy this requirement. As an independent candidate, under applicable laws RFK Jr. does not. The mere application for ballot access does not guarantee that he will appear on the ballot in any state.”Kennedy also hasn’t met the polling criteria, the statement said. Biden and Trump have easily cleared the polling threshold but won’t be certified for the ballot until their parties formally nominate them. Both have secured enough delegates to lock in their nominations.

    PHOENIX —

    Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed an election complaint Wednesday alleging CNN is colluding with Democratic President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump to exclude him from a debate the network is hosting next month.

    Kennedy alleges the requirements to participate in the June 27 debate were designed to ensure only Biden and Trump would qualify and Kennedy claims he is being held to a higher standard.

    “CNN is making prohibited corporate contributions to both campaigns and the Biden committee and the Trump committee have accepted these prohibited corporate contributions,” a lawyer for Kennedy, Lorenzo Holloway, wrote in a letter to the Federal Election Commission.

    CNN said the complaint was without merit.

    Biden and Trump agreed this month to the CNN debate and a second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC, bypassing the nonpartisan commission that has organized debates for nearly four decades. The first debate will come before Biden and Trump have been formally nominated by their parties this summer.

    Kennedy has looked to the debates as a singular opportunity to stand alongside Biden and Trump, lending legitimacy to his longshot bid and convince people inclined to support him that he has a shot at winning. Both the Biden and Trump campaigns fear he could play spoiler.

    Kennedy still has time to meet the requirements, though the window is narrowing.

    CNN has said candidates will be invited if they have secured a place on the ballot in states totaling at least 270 votes in the Electoral College, the minimum needed to win the presidency, and have reached 15% in four reliable polls by June 20.

    Kennedy’s campaign says he has submitted signatures or other paperwork to appear on the ballot in nine states — California, Delaware, Hawaii, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah — with a combined 171 electoral votes, though not all have affirmed his name will be listed. California, the largest prize on the electoral map with 54 votes, will not certify any candidates until Aug. 29.

    “The law in virtually every state provides that the nominee of a state-recognized political party will be allowed ballot access without petitioning,” a CNN spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday. “As the presumptive nominees of their parties both Biden and Trump will satisfy this requirement. As an independent candidate, under applicable laws RFK Jr. does not. The mere application for ballot access does not guarantee that he will appear on the ballot in any state.”

    Kennedy also hasn’t met the polling criteria, the statement said.

    Biden and Trump have easily cleared the polling threshold but won’t be certified for the ballot until their parties formally nominate them. Both have secured enough delegates to lock in their nominations.

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  • The top 4 candidates for Sacramento mayor will debate tonight. Watch here

    The top 4 candidates for Sacramento mayor will debate tonight. Watch here

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    KCRA 3 is hosting a debate Thursday night ahead of the March 5 primary election between the top four candidates running for Sacramento mayor.March 5 will be an important day for the candidates because if one of them wins half of the votes plus one extra vote, they can win the race outright. If that does not happen, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election.The debate will air on our channel at 7:30 p.m. You can also watch it in the video player above.Come back to this page after the debate for a recap of how it went. Below is what we know about each candidate from our previous interviews with them.Who are the Sacramento mayoral candidates?Dr. Flojaune CoferShe was the first person to announce her candidacy in April 2023.In addition to her work in the medical field, Cofer serves as the senior director of policy for the nonprofit Public Health Advocates, and she was also the chair of the Measure U Community Advisory Committee.Cofer told KCRA 3 that as mayor, her public service experience and her emphasis on community collaboration will help propel Sacramento to new heights.Find more here.Steve HansenIn 2012, Hansen made history as the city’s first openly gay city council member. If elected, he would be Sacramento’s first openly gay mayor.Hansen served on the city council until 2020 following a re-election loss to council member Katie Valenzuela. In the mayoral race, Hansen said the number one issue will be safety.He said that closely tied to safety is the issue of homelessness. Hansen also called for a regional plan to fund affordable housing.Find more here.Dr. Richard PanHe is a pediatrician, a former UC Davis educator and a prominent proponent of vaccinations. Pan began his time in state government in 2010.He served as an assembly member and, more recently, as a senator before reaching the 12-year term limit.As mayor, he said his priorities would include homelessness, economic development and public safety.Find more here.Kevin McCartyOn the same day Steinberg announced he would not run again, Democratic California Assemblymember Kevin McCarty launched his bid.McCarty has been representing Sacramento in the State Assembly since 2014. He has since been the Chairman of the Assembly’s Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance. Prior to his time in the Legislature, McCarty served on the Sacramento City Council.McCarty’s announcement also comes months after he was re-elected to serve in the Assembly with 65% of the vote. He is still eligible to serve one more term.Find more here.

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

    KCRA 3 is hosting a debate Thursday night ahead of the March 5 primary election between the top four candidates running for Sacramento mayor.

    March 5 will be an important day for the candidates because if one of them wins half of the votes plus one extra vote, they can win the race outright. If that does not happen, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election.

    The debate will air on our channel at 7:30 p.m. You can also watch it in the video player above.

    Come back to this page after the debate for a recap of how it went. Below is what we know about each candidate from our previous interviews with them.

    Who are the Sacramento mayoral candidates?

    Dr. Flojaune Cofer

    She was the first person to announce her candidacy in April 2023.

    In addition to her work in the medical field, Cofer serves as the senior director of policy for the nonprofit Public Health Advocates, and she was also the chair of the Measure U Community Advisory Committee.

    Cofer told KCRA 3 that as mayor, her public service experience and her emphasis on community collaboration will help propel Sacramento to new heights.

    Find more here.

    Steve Hansen

    In 2012, Hansen made history as the city’s first openly gay city council member. If elected, he would be Sacramento’s first openly gay mayor.

    Hansen served on the city council until 2020 following a re-election loss to council member Katie Valenzuela. In the mayoral race, Hansen said the number one issue will be safety.

    He said that closely tied to safety is the issue of homelessness. Hansen also called for a regional plan to fund affordable housing.

    Find more here.

    Dr. Richard Pan

    He is a pediatrician, a former UC Davis educator and a prominent proponent of vaccinations. Pan began his time in state government in 2010.

    He served as an assembly member and, more recently, as a senator before reaching the 12-year term limit.

    As mayor, he said his priorities would include homelessness, economic development and public safety.

    Find more here.

    Kevin McCarty

    On the same day Steinberg announced he would not run again, Democratic California Assemblymember Kevin McCarty launched his bid.

    McCarty has been representing Sacramento in the State Assembly since 2014. He has since been the Chairman of the Assembly’s Budget Subcommittee on Education Finance. Prior to his time in the Legislature, McCarty served on the Sacramento City Council.

    McCarty’s announcement also comes months after he was re-elected to serve in the Assembly with 65% of the vote. He is still eligible to serve one more term.

    Find more here.

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  • Adam Schiff And Steve Garvey Clash Over Donald Trump In Latest U.S. Senate Debate; Moderators Seek Specifics On Crime, Housing And The Border

    Adam Schiff And Steve Garvey Clash Over Donald Trump In Latest U.S. Senate Debate; Moderators Seek Specifics On Crime, Housing And The Border

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    The four leading candidates for California‘s open U.S. Senate seat met again this evening, this time in a one-hour San Francisco debate that produced fewer clashes than their first gathering in January.

    Still, with less than a month before the state’s open primary, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) focused a number of his attacks on Steve Garvey, the sole Republican on the stage, particularly over the “issue” of Donald Trump.

    “Let me just say this also to Mr. Garvey: The greatest threat that we have to our democracy is Donald Trump,” Schiff said.

    Garvey voted for Trump in the last two presidential elections but said that, when it comes to supporting him this year, he “will make that decision when the time comes.” In response to Schiff, Garvey said that the “gravest threat to democracy is deconstruction of the Constitution. Packing the court. Doing away with the filibuster. These are things that deconstruct democracy.”

    Their exchange continued. Schiff replied, “Then Donald Trump packed the Supreme Court, which is why millions of Americans lost their right of reproductive freedom, why the Supreme Court is striking down air quality and water quality regulations.” As he started to talk about striking down voting rights, Garvey interjected.

    “You are fixated on one person and one person only,” Garvey said.

    Schiff, who has long been one of Trump’s leading foes, has been atop the polls in the race, leaving it to Garvey and Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) to secure the other spot on the ballot in the general election. Further behind is Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA).

    Porter has called Schiff “cynical” for spotlighting Garvey in his ads, on the premise that the former Dodger star would, as a Republican, be much easier to beat than she would be. In other words, by highlighting Garvey’s past backing of Trump, Schiff is also giving the Republican candidate the attention he needs to consolidate support among the state’s rightward voters.

    During the debate, Porter took another swipe at Schiff’s ads. In response to a question of upper age limits for elected officials, Porter said, “As Mr. Schiff well knows, it is true that we have gerrymandering and elections that are deeply blue districts in which there really aren’t competitive elections. In fact, he’s hoping that the Senate race turns into one with the ads that he is running right now,” she said.

    Assisted by a loud bell ring, moderators Frank Buckley of KTLA and Nikki Laurenzo of Inside California Politics kept candidates to their time limits and tried to pin them down on specific questions. When the candidates tried to answer in their talking points, they followed up with questions again.

    Sometimes it worked, sometimes it did not.

    Schiff was asked whether President Joe Biden was “wrong” to say last week that Israel’s retaliatory actions had been “over the top” in its response to the Hamas terrorist attack. After initially answering by expressing support for Israel’s right to defend itself and for the way that the president has handled the Israel-Hamas war, Schiff was asked again about Biden’s comment. He said, “I don’t know that I express it the way the president has. But I think he is right to try to bring about this negotiated deal, where we’ll have an extended pause, so we can get the hostages out and more aid in.”

    Meanwhile, Garvey spoke in generalities when pressed on what specific regulations he would eliminate as a way to try to solve the state’s housing crisis. Asked again, he said, “We see the cost of housing continue to rise for one simple reason. Let’s take young adults. Young adults cannot afford to have the single most important equity in their lives … So I go back constantly to the idea of opening the gates, cutting down inflation.”

    Other moments:

    At the last debate, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) clashed with Garvey and she called him out for chiding his Democratic rivals as out of touch on the issue of homelessness, when she herself had once been unsheltered. At tonight’s debate, Garvey told her, “I’m so sorry that you went through that.”

    For her part, Lee was asked what legislation she has seen into law that specifically addressed the homelessness crisis. She cited the expansion of a homelessness agency task force and other proposed legislation, including proposals to address the difficulty in obtaining renter security deposits.

    Lee also was asked about her call for a $50 per hour minimum wage and how it would impact small businesses. Noting that she owned and ran a business, she said, “I know what worker productivity means — that means that you have to make sure your employees are taken care of and have a living wage.”

    Garvey, who has called for an audit of money being spent to solve the homelessness crisis, was asked whether those who are unhoused should be allowed to live in RVs and tents while they wait for a permanent solution. “I don’t think so. I think it’s inhumane. There are two or three fires a week in downtown Los Angeles,” he said. “There are two or three deaths each week. Let’s get back to humanity. They need to be taken off the streets. They need to be cared for.”

    On the border, Garvey was the most critical of Biden, saying that he “opened the floodgates and created a crisis in the United States. He should be the one to step up and close the border.”

    Even though he has taken a hard line on the border issue, Garvey was non-committal when asked whether he would accept Trump’s endorsement, albeit he didn’t criticize the former president. “These are personal choices. I answer to God, my wife, family and to the people of California. And I hope you would respect that I have personal choices,” he said.

    Schiff said that “there’s no question that we have a crime problem in California, particularly with these smash and grab robberies,” while pointing out that when Garvey “was playing baseball,” he was working as a prosecutor in the U.S. attorneys office.

    Porter was asked about why, after five years in Congress, she waiting until last week to introduce a 10-point plan to solve the crisis. She noted her work as a consumer advocate, but was then pressed again for an answer. “I have worked on housing issues since the day I was elected and have talked a lot about this, about the challenges that my own family faces,” she said.

    At a number of points, Porter attacked “Washington insiders” who ensured that billionaires got tax breaks. “The problem is that the workers who are creating the value who are hard at work are not receiving enough to live on while Washington insiders continue to give huge tax breaks to the wealthy.”

    Schiff took a few swipes at Porter’s attacks on career politicians. He said, “You can’t walk down the halls of Congress without tripping over five people that are going to say they are going to shake up Washington. They don’t end up getting anything actually accomplished.”

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    Ted Johnson

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  • ratty keyed shocking

    ratty keyed shocking

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    ratty keyed shocking. I saw a post about a follow tubby getting ripped in two years. There was a debate in the comments on if he was using roids or not. This is

    ratty keyed shocking. I saw a post about a follow tubby getting ripped in two years. There was a debate in the comments on if he was using roids or not. This is

    I saw a post about a follow tubby getting ripped in two years. There was a debate in the comments on if he was using roids or not. This is me losing 43kg and 4 pant sizes in 6 months just following what I heard from a free audio book I got called bigger leaner stronger. 100% natural going to the gym 3 days a week. Not looking for thumbs just trying to help show natty vs not.

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  • Sandra Day O’Connor Institute Online High School Club Announces Scholarship

    Sandra Day O’Connor Institute Online High School Club Announces Scholarship

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    Press Release
    •

    Jan 31, 2024

    O’Connor Institute Ambassadors Promotes Civic Education and Debate With $5,000 Scholarship


    PHOENIX, January 31, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy extracurricular online club, the O’Connor Institute Ambassadors Civics & Debate Club, has announced that applications are open for its $5,000 scholarship for a graduating high school senior. The national online program encourages high school students from around the country to engage with other like-minded students interested in enhancing their civics knowledge and civil discourse skills. 

    The John Jay Fetzer Memorial Scholarship Fund benefits an O’Connor Institute Ambassador high school senior who demonstrates exceptional academic achievement, leadership, civil debate skills and civics knowledge. Established in memory of a late O’Connor Institute colleague, the Fetzer scholarship is bestowed to an exemplary member of the O’Connor Institute Ambassadors Civics & Debate Club who personifies the core values of the Institute, such as civility and inclusivity. 

    O’Connor Institute Ambassadors enable students to demonstrate to colleges their commitment to self-improvement, extracurricular learning, civic-mindedness and civil discourse. Graduating high school seniors will earn an O’Connor Institute Ambassadors high-school graduation cord.

    For more information about the O’Connor Institute Ambassadors program and John Jay Fetzer Memorial scholarship, visit www.OConnorInstitute.org/ambassadors.

    About Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy

    Founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor following her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court, the nonpartisan nonprofit Institute continues her distinguished legacy and lifetime work to advance American Democracy through multigenerational civics education, civil discourse and civic engagement. www.OConnorInstitute.org

    Source: Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy

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  • Social Media Weighs In After Shannon Sharpe Compares Beyoncé To Taylor Swift (Video)

    Social Media Weighs In After Shannon Sharpe Compares Beyoncé To Taylor Swift (Video)

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    Shannon Sharpe has got the internet fired up after comparing Beyoncé to Taylor Swift.

    RELATED: Shannon Sharpe Addresses Criticism Over How He Conducted Katt Williams Interview

    Shannon Sharpes Shares His Perspective

    On Monday, January 29, a video clip from Sharpe’s latest ‘Nightcap’ podcast episode with Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson was released via YouTube. The 19-minute clip opened with Sharpe explaining that many football fans will be rooting for the San Francisco 49ers at the upcoming Super Bowl LVIII.

    Sharpe explained that he believes this because he feels many fans are “tired” of seeing Taylor Swift. To note, the 49ers will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the upcoming game. Swift has been publicly dating Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce since 2023, per The Shade Room.

    Additionally, Sharpe shared that Taylor Swift’s presence at NFL games brings in a “different demographic” and “different set of eyeballs.” This makes her a multi-million dollar asset to the league.

    As the conversation continued, Sharpe asked Johnson to share another celebrity who could match Swift’s value. Johnson replied with, “Beyoncé.”

    However, Sharpe disagreed.

    “Beyoncé — Not like this,” he said. “These eyes — Ocho, these eight — 15-year-old eyeballs —Ocho! I love Beyoncé [but] Beyoncé ain’t moving the needle like this chick, Ocho! No!… She’s the closest thing to moving the needle like Michael Jackson that we’ve seen, this is it!” Sharpe explained.

    Watch his explanation below.

    Social Media Weighs In With Mixed Reactions

    Social media users quickly entered The Shade Room’s comment section to weigh in on Sharpe’s stance. Some users agreed with Sharpe.

    Instagram user @chriswilliamsii wrote.

    “I love Beyonce ever since I was a kid, but Taylor and Beyonce had a tour at the same time and Taylor outsold Beyoncè outsold Beyonce even though Beyoncè’s tour was sold out everywhere. The truth of the matter is a white America Woman is America’s preference even if she isn’t the most talented!”

    While Instagram user @queen_drinab added.

    “We hate it 😫but he isn’t wrong”

    Instagram user @skyboujee wrote.

    “Taylor made them over 300 million in a short time. Ngl I wouldn’t even test out any other needles”

    Meanwhile, others wanted Sharpe to put some respect on Beyoncé’s name.

    Instagram user @chenemonique wrote.

    “Comparing Taylor swift to Beyonce should be a crime because whattttt”

    While Instagram user @arben_j11 added.

    “I promise u if Beyoncé was boo’d up with a player and came to all the games I promise u the camera would be all over it, if not more”

    Instagram user @yourfavewho wrote.

    “Beyonce mind her business and still get disrespected 😂”

    Stephen A. Smith Previously Caught Heat For Comparing Beyoncé To Another Celeb

    As The Shade Room previously reported, fellow broadcaster Stephen A. Smith went viral last January after comparing Beyoncé to Rihanna. At the time, Rihanna was set to headline the Super Bowl LVII halftime show.

    When asked if he was excited about the singer’s performance, Smith showed love to Beyoncé while downplaying Rih.

    “I don’t want to say that I’m not excited — she’s fantastic. That’s not where I’m going with this. Ladies and gentlemen, she’s a lot of things. She’s spectacular, actually — And congratulations on new momma-hood… There’s one thing she’s not! She ain’t Beyoncé,” he said at the time.

    A few days later, Smith apologized to Rihanna publicly.

    RELATED: WATCH: Stephen A. Smith Apologizes To Rihanna For Comments About Her Upcoming Super Bowl Halftime Performance



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    Jadriena Solomon

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  • In Iowa Debate, Haley and DeSantis Showed Why They’re Competing for Second Place

    In Iowa Debate, Haley and DeSantis Showed Why They’re Competing for Second Place

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    It was a more substantive debate—at least by the standard of the GOP donnybrooks we’ve seen so far this primary cycle. With only two candidates on stage, and neither of them being Vivek Ramaswamy, the actual issues—the economy, immigration, foreign policy, climate change—got some real airtime. Was the discussion of those issues mostly horrifying? Yes. Did Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis take big, clumsy uppercuts at each other? Absolutely. “You can’t trust what he says,” Haley said of DeSantis at one point. “That’s just cheap garbage,” DeSantis shot back after another barb. But if you squint a little—and ignore the fact that the dominant frontrunner was once again counterprogramming the affair—you might mistake what happened in Des Moines Wednesday night for a normal primary debate.

    It wasn’t, obviously. The CNN debate at Drake University—the last before Monday’s Iowa caucus—was just another a reflection of the GOP’s dangerous, deranged rightward shift over the last decade-plus. And, with Donald Trump once again skipping out in favor of a Fox News town hall just two miles down the road, at the Iowa Events Center, it once again felt like a battle for whatever scraps of the electorate the demagogic former president won’t get.

    And what a battle it was.

    DeSantis cast Haley as a puppet for donors and corporate overlords—“warmed-over corporatism,” he labeled her campaign. Haley, meanwhile, cast the Florida governor as a phony—dishonest and merely “copying” Trump. “Don’t turn this into a drinking game,” she said of his lies in her opening statement, “because you will be overserved by the end of the night.” (Of course, if one were to do a shot every time Haley plugged “DeSantisLies.com” in response to one of his digs, they’d need their stomach pumped.) He promised to authoritatively “beat the left.” She pitched herself as the most electable, least chaotic Republican. But for all the jabs they landed on one another over the course of the evening, they mostly just sparred with Trump, lamenting his absence and insisting it was time for him to pass the baton to one of them.

    The trouble is: Most Republican voters don’t seem to want him to—at least according to the polls. But the hope for Haley and DeSantis is to come out of Iowa, and other early contests, with a strong enough showing to establish themself as the One True Alternative to Trump.

    The two distinguished themselves from one another on certain issues—particularly Ukraine, which contrasted DeSantis’s isolationism with Haley’s more traditional international approach. “You can take the ambassador out of the United Nations, but you can’t take the United Nations out of the ambassador,” DeSantis quipped. They also clashed on abortion—or at least the way their party discusses it. “These fellas don’t know how to talk about abortion,” Haley said.

    But on a host of other issues, Haley and DeSantis—who appear unable to contain their distaste for one another—launched petty attacks while remaining in lockstep on various contemporary GOP preoccupations: condemning “wokeness,” fearmongering about immigrants, denying COVID and climate change, and nodding at deep state conspiracy theories. “There’s gonna be a new sheriff in town,” DeSantis said, using a question about taxes as a springboard to talk about the so-called “weaponization” of government. “There’s a reckoning coming,” later added, pivoting from a question about his versus Trump’s view of the constitution to a rant about COVID.

    Haley, to her credit, was more firm in expressing disapproval of Trump’s actions following his 2020 election loss, saying he’d have to “answer” for his conduct. But she didn’t come close to the full-throated rebuke of Trump that Chris Christie offered up his campaign, which he suspended Wednesday, just hours before his now-former rivals took the stage. “I would rather lose by telling the truth than lie in order to win,” Christie said, warning about the dangers of Trump and lambasting his opponents for their timid approach to the former president. “This is a fight for the soul of our party and the soul of our country.”

    He had even more candid words about his fellow challengers before he took the stage. In comments caught on a hot mic, the former New Jersey governor-turned-Trump critic described DeSantis as “petrified” and Haley as “not up to this.”

    “She’s going to get smoked,” he said, “and you and I both know it.”

    And while CNN’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash steered the Wednesday debate toward more substance than their previous matchups, neither Haley nor DeSantis really seemed to prove Christie’s assessment wrong.

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    Eric Lutz

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  • Trump Torches Megyn Kelly As 'Biggest Loser' After She Claims He's Not As 'Mentally Sharp' As He Was

    Trump Torches Megyn Kelly As 'Biggest Loser' After She Claims He's Not As 'Mentally Sharp' As He Was

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    Opinion

    Source: Megyn Kelly Show YouTube

    The former President Donald Trump is firing back at the former Fox News host Megyn Kelly after she claimed that he has lost “multiple steps,” and that he is not as “mentally sharp” as he was back in 2016.

    Kelly Attacks Trump

    “There’s no question Trump has lost a step or multiple steps,” Kelly told Glenn Beck on Friday. “He is confusing Joe Biden for [Barack] Obama … I know he’s now saying he intentionally did that — go back and look at the clips, it wasn’t intentional. The reference about how somebody is going to get us into World War II, confusing countries, confusing cities where he is, and it’s happening more and more.”

    “This is what happens when you’re 77-years-old. Trump seems inhuman, but he’s not inhuman. He’s a human. He’s a man,” Kelly continued. “DeSantis’ line about ‘Father Time spares no one,’ was a good one. So, look, if it’s between Trump and Biden, I don’t think there’s any question who’s more fit and more capable. But are we really going to pretend that Donald Trump is just as vibrant and mentally sharp as he was in ’16?”

    Related: Megyn Kelly Rips Gen Z ‘Morons’ Who Praised Bin Laden – ‘We Have So Lost The Youth In This Country’

    Trump Fires Back

    Trump fired back at Kelly on social media, saying, “What the hell happened to her? She has lost whatever she once had, which wasn’t very much.”

    “Some things never change!” he continued, according to The New York Post.

    While Trump has confused Biden and Obama man times as of late, he has claimed that this is actually intentional on his part.

    “Whenever I sarcastically insert the name Obama for Biden as an indication that others may actually be having a very big influence in running our Country, Ron DeSanctimonious and his failing campaign apparatus, together with the Democrat’s Radical Left ‘Disinformation Machine,’ go wild saying that ‘Trump doesn’t know the name of our President, (CROOKED!) Joe Biden. He must be cognitively impaired,” Trump said on social media last month.

    Related: Megyn Kelly And Candace Owens Go At It In Epic Battle Over College Students Protesting Israel

    Trump And Kelly’s History

    There has long been no love lost between Trump and Kelly. After Trump sat down with Kelly for an interview earlier this year, he blasted her as “nasty” during a speech in Iowa in September.

    “I sat down for an hour, and then I did a Megyn Kelly one,” Trump said at the time, according to The Hill. He was seemingly referring to his previous interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

    “I, she was, you know, boy, she became nastier all of a sudden,” Trump continued of Kelly. “She was pretty nasty, didn’t you think, anyone that watched it.”

    Trump and Kelly infamously clashed after she moderated a Republican presidential debate back in 2015. At the time,  Trump said of Kelly that “you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”

    As for Kelly, she’s claimed that she no longer has an issue with Trump.

    “You know, all that nonsense between us is under the bridge, and he could not have been more magnanimous,” she recently said.

    What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments section.

    Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.
    The Political Insider ranks #3 on Feedspot’s “100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.”

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    James Conrad

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  • Joy Behar, 81, Bizarrely Compares GOP Debate To Her 'G-Spot'

    Joy Behar, 81, Bizarrely Compares GOP Debate To Her 'G-Spot'

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    Celebrity

    Source: Screenshot The View YouTube

    Things got weird on the ABC talk show “The View” once again on Thursday morning when co-host Joy Behar bizarrely compared the Republican presidential debate that took place the night before to her “G-spot.”

    ‘It’s Like My G-Spot!’

    Behar, 81, said this while her co-hosts talked about how hard it was to actually watch this debate, as it aired on News Nation.

    “I would love to know the stats as to how many people watched that,” co-host Sunny Hostin said, with Sara Haines adding that she couldn’t even find where to watch it. “Exactly,”

    “It’s like my G-spot!” Behar exclaimed, much to the shock of her audience.  

    In this same segment, Behar slammed Trump for not attending the debate.

    “I say the next time they want to do this, they should do it in a jail cell,” Behar continued. “And then he’ll show up.”

    Check out this full segment in the video below.

    Trump Not Participating In Debates

    Trump has made it clear that he sees no upside in himself participating in the Republican presidential debates during this go-round.

    “They’re not watchable,” Trump said last month, according to The Messenger. “You know, the last debate was the lowest-rated debate in the history of politics, so therefore do you think we did the right thing by not participating?”

    “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had,” Trump wrote on social media back in August. “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”

    Trump’s 2020 campaign press secretary Hogan Gidley told News Nation before the debate that if the former did attend, he would “suck all the oxygen out of the room.”

    “It’s fascinating to watch in politics,” Gidley said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and I’ve never seen somebody with a stranglehold on a movement or on the base like Donald Trump has.” 

    Related: Joy Behar Mocks Trump Over ‘Not Eating’ Claim – Volunteers To Send Him Lasagna

    Behar’s Trump Derangement Syndrome

    Behar has long had one of the worst cases of Trump derangement syndrome of anyone in the media, and that’s saying a lot. Earlier this month, Behar bizarrely dared Trump to try and get “revenge” on her if he is reelected in 2024.

    “Donald Trump is running for president for two reasons: to stay out of jail, and to get revenge on his enemies,” said co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin, who previously worked in the Trump administration. “And when he speaks we should listen and, frankly, it’s scary.”

    “Try it! Go ahead!” Behar exclaimed in response, looking at the camera as she addressed Trump directly. “Try it! We have this show every day! Okay, Donald?”

    Check out this full clip in the video below.

    Full Story: Joy Behar Dares Trump To Try And Get ‘Revenge’ On Her If He Wins In 2024 – ‘Go Ahead!’

    Back in June, Behar demanded that Trump be “locked up already.”

    “He’s a grifter. He’s a grifter,” she said of Trump, according to Daily Mail. “Lock him up already. Lock him up.”

    “Nixon was caught on tape and that was the end of his career as president,” she continued. “This guy is caught on tape talking about grabbing women’s genitalia – he didn’t learn from that or from Nixon and now he’s continuing to tape himself. That is really the definition of stupidity.”

    Check out that clip in the video below.

    Behar comparing the Republican presidential debate to her “G-spot” is nothing short of nutty. It remains to be seen how much longer ABC executives will think that it is worth keeping her around.

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    James Conrad

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  • Vivek Ramaswamy Slams Nikki Haley: I'm the Only 'Non-Neocon' In The Race

    Vivek Ramaswamy Slams Nikki Haley: I'm the Only 'Non-Neocon' In The Race

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    Opinion

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    2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy came out swinging against fellow candidate Nikki Haley in Wednesday’s GOP debate..

    Ramaswamy said he was the only candidate on stage who was not as “neocon,” meaning a hawkish Republican who holds the foreign policy vision of George W. Bush or Dick Cheney.

    RELATED: Ramaswamy Torches Chris Christie: ‘Enjoy a Nice Meal And Get The Hell Out Of This Race’

    ‘Haley = Corrupt’

    “A real distinction, I think, is that I’m the only candidate who is a non-neocon,” Ramaswamy said in Milwaukee. “I believe in asserting American interests, but only where it advances the U.S. interest. I’m very different from other candidates who would sooner send troops to defend invasion across somebody else’s border than the invasion on our own southern border in this country.”

    The term “neocons” arose in the 1960s to describe hawkish, “peace through strength” conservatives who favor military intervention and preventative action. The label peaked with President George W. Bush and his advisers, who pushed the War on Terror in the early Aughts.

    “I worry that many in the neocon establishment are quietly marching us into World War III, serious armed conflict with other nuclear powers, including the combination of the Russia-China alliance,” Ramaswamy continued. “I am the only candidate in the race who has pointed out the alliance and the threat it poses, and the clear plan to pull them apart from each other.”

    “This is a woman who would send your kids to die so she can buy a bigger house,” he later added, speaking of his belief that Haley is interested in involving the U.S. in new wars.

    At one point, Ramswamy held up his notepad revealing that his notes only said “Haley = Corrupt” in giant letters.

    RELATED: Nikki Haley Ridiculed For Claim Watching TikTok Videos Makes You ‘17% More Antisemitic’ Every 30 Minutes

    Trump Still the Frontrunner

    Haley responded, “There’s nothing to what he’s saying,” drawing audience applause.

    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie also took part in the debate.

    The debate was shown on NewsNation whose own poll showed last week that while Donald Trump was by far the frontrunner, DeSantis was second with 11 percent and Haley registered 10 percent.

     Trump’s 2020 campaign press secretary Hogan Gidley told News Nation before the debate that if the former did attend, he would “suck all the oxygen out of the room.”

    “It’s fascinating to watch in politics,” Gidley said. “I’ve been doing this for 25 years, and I’ve never seen somebody with a stranglehold on a movement or on the base like Donald Trump has.” 

    Trump has made it clear that he sees no upside in taking part in one of the Republican presidential debates.

    “The public knows who I am & what a successful Presidency I had,” Trump wrote on social media back in August. “I WILL THEREFORE NOT BE DOING THE DEBATES!”

    RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel has still expressed her support for Trump, should he secure the nomination.

    “If the voters choose him [Trump], [he] is going to be our nominee and the party will be behind our nominee,” McDaniel said.

    What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments section.

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    John Hanson

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  • Republican candidates clash in heated presidential primary debate in Alabama

    Republican candidates clash in heated presidential primary debate in Alabama

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    Republican candidates clash in heated presidential primary debate in Alabama – CBS News


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    With just 40 days until the Iowa caucuses, former President Donald Trump’s four chief rivals, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie and Vivek Ramaswamy, took the stage in the fourth primary debate in Alabama. CBS News’ Robert Costa reports from the University of Alabama.

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  • Fourth Republican presidential primary debate highlights

    Fourth Republican presidential primary debate highlights

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    Fourth Republican presidential primary debate highlights – CBS News


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    Four Republican presidential candidates faced off at the fourth GOP debate Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett anchors a special edition of “America Decides.”

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  • The Nikki Haley Debate

    The Nikki Haley Debate

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    Produced by ElevenLabs and NOA, News Over Audio, using AI narration.

    Anyone watching the fourth Republican primary debate tonight would be forgiven for thinking that Nikki Haley was the favorite to win the GOP presidential nomination next year.

    Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy sure were acting like it. Neither man had finished answering his first question before he began attacking the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador. “She caves any time the left comes after her, anytime the media comes after her,” warned DeSantis, the Florida governor. Ramaswamy went much further. He called Haley “corrupt” and “a fascist” for suggesting that social-media companies ban people from posting anonymously on their platforms.

    The broadsides continued throughout the two-hour debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama: DeSantis and Ramaswamy used every opportunity to go after Haley, even when they were prodded to criticize the Republican who is actually dominating the primary race, Donald Trump.

    “I’m loving all the attention, fellas,” Haley said at one point. What she’d love even more is about 30 additional points in the polls. As well as Haley has been doing lately, she is capturing just about 10 percent of Republican voters nationwide, according to the polling average. Time is running out for her—or any other GOP candidate—to catch Trump. He skipped this meeting of the Republican also-rans, just as he did the three previous debates. This debate narrowed to four Trump alternatives, but the evening devolved into a familiar dynamic: Most of the challengers largely declined to criticize—or even discuss—Trump.

    Read: The 2024 U.S. presidential race: a cheat sheet

    Chris Christie was the exception, as usual. The former New Jersey governor lit into Trump and mocked his rivals for being too “timid” to do the same. “I’m in this race because the truth needs to be spoken: He is unfit,” Christie said. Acting the part of pundit as much as candidate, Christie noted ruefully how little Haley, DeSantis, and Ramaswamy wanted to talk about Trump and how fearful they seemed to be of angering him. DeSantis tiptoed toward criticism of Trump when he warned Republicans not “to nominate somebody who is almost 80 years old.” “Father Time is undefeated,” DeSantis said. But when he danced around the question of whether Trump was mentally fit to serve again as president, Christie bashed him. “This is the problem with my three colleagues: You are afraid to offend.”

    Ramaswamy was next to speak. Instead of contradicting Christie and confronting Trump, he held up a handwritten sign that read, NIKKI=CORRUPT.

    The reluctance of Trump’s rivals (aside from Christie) to attack the former president has frustrated Republicans who are rooting against his renomination. But on some level it makes sense. Haley, DeSantis, and Ramaswamy aren’t actually running against Trump—at least not yet. The best way to think of these Trump-less debates is as a primary within a primary. The four Republicans on stage tonight were battling merely for the right to face off against Trump. In sports terms, these preliminary matchups are like the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, except that Trump has already earned a bye to the conference championship. (The general election would be the Super Bowl.)

    The all-important question is whether one of these four can break away from the others in time to wage a fair fight against Trump. The window for doing so is closing fast, but it is not shut completely. Although Trump is capturing nearly 60 percent of Republican primary voters in the national polling average, he remains below 50 percent in Iowa and New Hampshire, the early states where his challengers are campaigning most aggressively. A majority of Republicans in both Iowa and New Hampshire are backing someone other than Trump at the moment, suggesting at least the possibility that Haley or DeSantis could consolidate the anti-Trump vote and overtake him in one or both states. Trump’s lead has been consistent—and it has actually grown since the debates started without him—but historically, primary races are most volatile in the final few weeks before voters begin casting ballots.

    Read: The Republican primary is slipping away

    The debate stage has shrunk by half since the first GOP primary forum in August, when eight candidates met the Republican National Committee’s criteria for participation. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina ended his bid after appearing in last month’s debate in Miami, as did North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, who did not qualify.

    Yet four candidates might be as small as it gets. No more RNC-sanctioned debates are scheduled before the Iowa caucuses on January 15 or the New Hampshire primary eight days later. If Trump wins both states against a divided field—as polls suggest he will—his nomination would probably seem unstoppable.

    The most likely path to preventing Trump’s nomination is the same as it was when the primary began: for anti-Trump Republicans to agree on a single candidate to go up against him one-on-one. Nikki Haley is making her move. But if tonight’s debate revealed anything, it’s that her Republican competitors aren’t ready to let her have that chance.

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    Russell Berman

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  • 12/4: America Decides

    12/4: America Decides

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    12/4: America Decides – CBS News


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    U.S. Navy intervenes after Red Sea ship attack; How Fmr. Rep Cheney sees future of GOP leadership

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  • Newsom-DeSantis debate draws 4.75 million viewers on Fox News

    Newsom-DeSantis debate draws 4.75 million viewers on Fox News

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    The Thursday debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Fox News — the talk of the political world this past week — delivered a decent bump in the channel’s ratings.

    Billed as the “The Great Red State vs. Blue State Debate,” the event moderated by Fox News host Sean Hannity averaged 4.75 million viewers, according to Nielsen data.

    The number was more than double the November average for “Hannity,” which was 2.3 million viewers, as the debate pulled in people who do not typically watch his nightly diatribes against liberals and the Biden administration. The figure also accounted for 73% of the viewers watching cable news in the 9 p.m time slot.

    The event faced stiff competition, up against a close, high-scoring “Thursday Night Football” contest between the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks streaming on Amazon, and the finale of “The Golden Bachelor” on ABC, the most-watched TV program of the night.

    The highly anticipated match-up staged in a suburb outside Atlanta was unusual for TV news, with DeSantis, a contender for the 2024 Republican nomination for president, facing off against a sitting governor who has repeatedly stated he is not running for national office.

    Newsom, a leading surrogate for the Democratic party, was also entering an arena where the moderator, Hannity, was clearly aligned politically with DeSantis.

    Despite the efforts of Hannity to keep order — he pleaded on and off the air with both participants to not talk over each other — the 90-minute event became chaotic at times, making it difficult for viewers to understand either of them.

    The questions offered up by the conservative host were mostly built around unfavorable comparisons of California to Florida on issues such as crime, handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, homelessness and gasoline prices, and put Newsom on the defense for much of the evening.

    But Newsom entered the showdown with nothing to lose, as he is insistent he will not be Democratic candidate for president in 2024, despite chatter in right-wing circles. He largely used his time to defend the performance of President Biden’s administration while getting exposure in front of a national audience that may not have been familiar with him.

    When Hannity served up a question stating emphatically that Biden was in cognitive decline, Newsom shot back that he will “take Joe Biden at 100 versus Ron DeSantis any day of the week at any age.”

    DeSantis needed the event to ignite his flagging presidential campaign, as he badly trails former President Trump in polls and has fallen behind former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley in some primary states.

    DeSantis used props in his presentation, including a very brown map that depicted the volume of human fecal matter on the streets of San Francisco, where Newsom was once mayor.

    Fox News used clips of the debate on its Friday opinion programs, touting it as a win for DeSantis, who up to now has failed to catch fire with the network’s audience.

    “This was a victory of conservatism over liberalism,” said Kaleigh McEnany, the former Trump White House press secretary who is now a co-host of the Fox News daytime show “Outnumbered.”

    But McEnany said Newsom, whom she described as “sharp,” cannot be written off as a political competitor.

    “Watch out for him, because he’s coming if not in ‘24, in ‘28,” she said.

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    Stephen Battaglio

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  • Opinion: How did California's Gov. Newsom fare against his Florida rival, Gov. DeSantis?

    Opinion: How did California's Gov. Newsom fare against his Florida rival, Gov. DeSantis?

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    What the hell was that?

    Ostensibly, Thursday’s debate between California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is not running for president, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is, was supposed to be an exploration of the ideological differences between the two chief executives.

    Opinion Columnist

    Robin Abcarian

    After all, one is the embodiment of progressive, blue-state policies and a high-profile surrogate for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The other represents the younger, less orange face of Planet MAGA, and, as it became clear, can’t pronounce “Kamala” correctly.

    Twenty minutes in, however, I had a headache. There was so much cross-talk and interrupting — by both governors — that it was impossible to hear what they were saying.

    If a third debater had been onstage, they almost certainly would have piped up, “See folks, this is why those two should not be on this debate stage.”

    It was actually pretty funny that Sean Hannity, an unabashed supporter of former President Trump who engineered this overhyped meeting of ideological opposites, positioned himself as the grownup in the room, the guy who wanted to take the temperature down a few notches in order to get his loaded questions answered.

    “Let each other breathe,” pleaded Hannity. “I don’t want to be the hall monitor.” Don’t worry, Sean, you weren’t. He prefaced one of his loaded questions thus: “Joe Biden has experienced significant cognitive decline.”

    DeSantis performed better than I expected against the voluble Newsom, who has two decades of political experience to DeSantis’ one. In three previous Republican debates, DeSantis failed to distinguish himself, appearing almost wimpy next to the verbally muscular former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who has overtaken him in polls. (Which probably explains why he agreed to debate Newsom after refusing to for most of the past year.) He landed well-deserved blows about California’s infamous, and well-acknowledged, problems — homelessness, in particular.

    The problem with this spectacle was that too many incompatible things were simultaneously going on: The flailing DeSantis was trying to reestablish himself as a viable GOP alternative in the event that Trump’s felony indictments make him, finally, unpalatable to Republican voters.

    Newsom was trying to raise his national political profile, defend the Biden-Harris record and argue that California is a better place to live than Florida. (Which, of course, it is.)

    Did Newsom have anything to lose? Not really.

    Yes, we all know that California is expensive, and that for the first time in forever, more people are leaving than coming in. Yes, we had lockdowns during the pandemic. This was the gist of DeSantis’ argument that he’s the better governor.

    And yet, as Newsom pointed out, more Floridians have recently moved to California than Californians to Florida.

    “There is one thing that we have in common,” said Newsom. “Neither of us will be the nominee for our party in 2024.”

    Oh snap.

    @robinkabcarian

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    Robin Abcarian

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  • Newsom releases attack ad on DeSantis and Florida’s abortion ban

    Newsom releases attack ad on DeSantis and Florida’s abortion ban

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom released an ad Sunday attacking Florida’s six-week abortion ban as he and Gov. Ron DeSantis get set for a televised debate at the end of the month.

    The ad, called “Wanted,” lays the abortion restriction on DeSantis, who in April signed into law the “Heartbeat Protection Act” prohibiting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. DeSantis is also a Republican candidate for president.

    The ad was set to run in Florida and Washington, D.C., television markets on NFL Sunday Night Football, as well as on Sean Hannity’s Fox News show on days leading up to the governors’ debate on Nov. 30. Hannity will moderate the 90-minute debate in Georgia, which will be broadcast on Fox News.

    In the ad, which looks like a wanted poster, Newsom intones: “By order of Gov. Ron DeSantis, any woman who has an abortion after six weeks and any doctor who gives her care will be guilty of a felony. Abortion after six weeks will be punishable by up to five years in prison. Even though many women don’t even know they’re pregnant at six weeks. That’s not freedom. That’s Ron DeSantis’ Florida.”

    The debate will come in the midst of a contentious Republican presidential contest, offering an odd sideshow in an already unusual political season dominated by former President Trump’s campaign to return to the White House while fighting criminal charges in Florida, New York, Washington, D.C., and Georgia.

    Newsom posted his ad on X, formerly known as Twitter, where DeSantis has posted a video criticizing California and promoting Florida.

    “Decline is a choice and success is attainable,” DeSantis said in a tweet accompanying the video. “As President, I will lead America’s revival. I look forward to the opportunity to debate Gavin Newsom over our very different visions for the future of our country.”

    DeSantis will also appear at the next Republican presidential primary debate on Dec. 6.

    Times staff writer Taryn Luna contributed to this report.

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    Roger Vincent

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  • Joe Manchin not running for reelection

    Joe Manchin not running for reelection

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    Joe Manchin not running for reelection – CBS News


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    Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia announced Thursday that he will not run for reelection. The 76-year-old centrist was facing a tough reelection fight against Republican West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice. Robert Costa reports.

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  • Biggest winners and losers from third Republican primary debate

    Biggest winners and losers from third Republican primary debate

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    Republican 2024 presidential contenders faced high stakes in the third primary debate, but some candidates fared better than others Wednesday night in Miami, Florida.

    Candidates sparred over issues from federal spending, Ukraine and China in the showdown, which arrived roughly two months before the first votes of the election will be cast in the Iowa caucuses. Five candidates—former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley; Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; ex-New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; South Carolina Senator Tim Scott; and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy—verbally wrangled on the stage.

    The GOP race front-runner, however, was again a no-show. Former President Donald Trump, who continues to hold a substantial lead over his Republican rivals, skipped the debate, as he did the first two. He has pointed to his poll numbers as the reason for his snubbing of the debates. Trump’s absence left the other five qualifying candidates aiming to prove they deserve the GOP nomination.

    Here’s an overview of who won and who lost on the big stage.

    Republican presidential candidates on Wednesday attend the party’s third primary debate at the Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida. Candidates sparred over issues from China to federal spending.
    MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

    Winner: Israel

    Israel emerged as a major victor during the debate. Candidates rallied behind the nation amid its war against Hamas, which on October 7 launched thousands of missiles into Israel from the Gaza Strip. Israel has since cut off food, water and electricity to Gaza, launching its own attacks, including a ground operation.

    Candidates all voiced support for Israel, saying they would tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he has the right and responsibility to respond to the Hamas attack.

    “The last thing we need to do is to tell Israel what to do. The only thing we should be doing is supporting them in eliminating Hamas,” Haley said.

    Loser: Ukraine

    Ukraine, however, emerged as a loser. Candidates, as in past debates, voiced disagreement over whether the United States should provide aid for Ukraine as it defends itself against the invasion from Russia. More traditional conservatives, such as Haley, have called for continued support, but more MAGA-aligned candidates have called for more limits on aid.

    DeSantis said he would not send U.S. troops to Ukraine, while Scott said he disagreed with coupling aid to Israel and Ukraine, a move that Ukraine aid supporters hope would boost its chances of passing Congress.

    Ramaswamy took a stronger stance against Ukraine, calling President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is Jewish, “a Nazi.”

    “[Ukraine] has celebrated a Nazi in its ranks, the comedian in cargo pants, a man called Zelensky,” he said.

    Winner: Donald Trump

    Moderators opened the debate by directly asking Trump’s rivals why they would make a better president than him. Candidates continued lines of attacks from previous debates—questioning why he is skipping the debate, and knocking him over the national debt.

    But those attacks have not proven to be effective, as Trump withstood them following the second debate, after which his poll numbers continued to hold steady.

    Loser: Vivek Ramaswamy

    Ramaswamy sparked boos from the crowd over launching a personal attack against Haley. The former South Carolina governor has supported a ban on TikTok, a Chinese-owned app that has come under scrutiny for national security concerns. She criticized Ramaswamy for using the app to campaign, and he responded by saying that Haley’s daughter previously used the social media platform.

    The remark elicited loud boos from the crowd, and Haley responded by calling him “scum.”

    As with the other candidates, Ramaswamy was tough on border control, but moved beyond the pack by suggesting that America build a wall on the northern border with Canada as well the southern border. “We need to skate to where the puck is going,” Ramaswamy said, despite northern border encounters making up 5% of all Customs and Border Patrol encounters in September 2023.

    Winner: Nikki Haley

    Haley faced new attacks from DeSantis about her record on China, but largely turned his critiques back on him, raising concerns about his recent record on the matter.

    Haley earned praise following the first two debates from analyst, who have said her past performances suggest she may be able to win over more moderate and independent voters. She held steady during Wednesday’s debate, drawing a contrast from other candidates on Ukraine and abortion, an issue that again proved difficult for Republicans in Tuesday night’s elections, which saw Republican defeats in Virginia’s legislative races and Kentucky’s gubernatorial race.

    She also earned praise from social media users for her response to Ramaswamy’s attack on her daughter’s past use of TikTok, telling him, “Leave my daughter out of your voice.”

    Losers: Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott

    DeSantis and Scott entered the debate in different positions. DeSantis needed a breakout moment during the debate to prove he can go head-to-head against Trump, whose polling lead has only grown since the last debate. Scott, meanwhile needed a particularly strong performance after struggling in the polls.

    Neither had any major slip-ups and remained steady, but they also lacked a major moment as they hope to boost their polling numbers.

    Loser: TikTok

    Republican candidates were united on banning social media app TikTok due to concerns that the Chinese government could access the personal data of American users. But the conversation extended past privacy to point to TikTok’s impact on young minds. “This is China trying to further divide the United States of America,” Christie said.

    The idea of a TikTok ban resonates with many Americans. In a March 2023 study by the Pew Research Center showed supporters of a ban outnumber opponents of a ban by more than 2 to 1.

    Winner: Debate Moderators

    Holt, Welker and Hewitt faced a separate challenge—controlling the candidates. The second debate in October received backlash from viewers after allowing candidates to frequently disrupt each other.

    Tonight’s moderators, however, took a different approach. Holt told the audience to “restrain” themselves when they erupted into thunderous applause early on in the debate.

    “Let’s not go down this road,” he said.

    Welker, meanwhile, took attack from Ramaswamy, who argued she should not be moderating the debate over conservative personalities such as Elon Musk or Tucker Carlson. However, she declined to engage in the attack, drawing praise on social media.

    “Smart move by Lester and Kristen Welker not to take the bait and give Vivek the attention he wanted from his cheap stunt,” wrote journalist Matt Lewis.

    Winner: Social Security … for Current Seniors

    All of the candidates on stage were effusive in their support for Social Security entitlements and made clear that they didn’t want to impact any current recipients. “My mama and every other mama out there — I will protect your social security,” said Scott.

    On the subject of keeping the program solvent, most evaded specific answers on whether the entitlement age should be raised.

    Christie came out as a clear supporter of raising the retirement age “a few years” for Americans in their 30s and 40s, but doesn’t think new funding should come from tax increases. “We are already overtaxed in this country and we shouldn’t raise taxes,” he said.

    Scott firmly said no to a raise on the retirement age. DeSantis seemed to lean away from a change to retirement age, noted that life expectancy is currently declining, so tethering entitlement dates to life expectancy doesn’t make sense.

    Both Christie and Haley brought up limitations on benefits for the wealthy, with Christie specifically calling out Warren Buffett by name.

    Ramaswamy was vague on solutions, but vowed to keep benefits for current seniors intact. When pushed for answers on entitlement reform for future generations, he responded “It’ll take a CEO from the next generation to do it.”