Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley clash during the final Republican debate before the Iowa caucuses. Donald Trump is expected to be back in court for the closing arguments of his civil fraud trial. And past “quality issues” with the maker of the door plug that detached during an Alaska Airlines flight come to light.
Here’s what to know today.
GOP debate takeaways: DeSantis and Haley clash but largely avoid Trump
The Republican presidential debate in Iowa was a crucial moment for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the only two participants on last night’s stage. Hours earlier, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie dropped out of the race. Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy failed to make the cut. And former President Donald Trump refused to participate in the debate, as he has the others, and opted to hold a town hall instead.
Both candidates largely called each other out on past policies and quotes. Haley portrayed DeSantis as an unserious, lying loser and made DeSantisLies.com a main character in her attacks. DeSantis hammered Haley as a squishy moderate globalist who won’t stand up for conservative values.
Senior politics Sahil Kapur notes the debate was a big opportunity for DeSantis and Haley to cut into Trump’s lead. There were some moments when the candidates attacked the former president. For example, Haley called Jan. 6, 2021 a “terrible day,” in contrast to Trump’s declaration that it was “a beautiful day.” DeSantis hit Trump on tweeting about “law and order” during the 2020 “riots” but failing to do anything to ensure it.
But most of their energy was spent attacking each other and letting Trump skate.
Read the full story for more takeaways from the debate.
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