It’s Thursday. Capital Weather Gang just published its prediction for this upcoming winter. If they’re right, expect a cold winter with the most snow in five years in the Washington, D.C., area. ☃️ Get your winter coats and accessories ready! Here’s what we’re covering today: - Last night’s debate was awfully feisty, especially considering that without former President Trump on stage, it likely won’t move the needle.
- Senate Republicans are feeling a bit panicked about Tuesday’s election results as they try to regain the Senate majority.
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Israel has agreed to a four-hour pause in fighting so Gazan civilians can evacuate.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. PROGRAMMING NOTE: I will be off tomorrow for a long weekend. But I am leaving you in the capable hands of The Hill’s Liz Crisp! See you Monday, friends. ✌️ |
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I can’t imagine how it feels to be a debate moderator:
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Last night’s “GOP SmackDown!” was just as feisty as past debates, even with only five Republican presidential candidates on stage.
The line that’s getting the most traction — ‘scum’: When entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy discussed whether he would ban TikTok, he called out former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley because her daughter uses the app. Haley responded by calling Ramaswamy “scum.” ‘A party of losers’: “We’ve become a party of losers at the end of the day,” Ramaswamy said, blaming Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel, and a “cancer” in the GOP establishment. Meanwhile, the anti-prom happened just a few miles away: Former President Trump sat out of the debate, once again, and held a rally nearby.
Debate recap: The Hill |
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➤ TAKEAWAYS AND REACTIONS: |
What was notable about the evening: -
It’s clear that Nikki Haley is seen as a threat. She has the most momentum of anyone on stage.
- The NBC moderators handled the debate questioning well. NBC’s Kristen Welker even scolded Ramaswamy, telling him, “We ask the questions.”
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The biggest takeaway is that this debate doesn’t seem to matter without former President Trump on stage. He is polling much higher than any other Republican and is the clear front-runner. His strategy of skipping the debates has been effective.
Other takeaways: The Hill, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, NBC News and Axios
👍 Winners: Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Trump and the NBC News moderators
🫳 Mixed: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie 👎 Losers: Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)
Read Niall Stanage’s reasoning |
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Sen. Tim Scott brought a date!: Scott debuted his girlfriend on the debate stage Wednesday night. “A source familiar with Scott’s campaign confirmed that the woman is Mindy Noce and that she is, indeed, his girlfriend.” Tell me everything. (The Hill)
This dig has layers: Ramaswamy took a dig at Haley, calling her “Dick Cheney in 3-inch heels.” “We’ve got two of you onstage!” Ramaswamy said, which is an apparent reference to fashion critics questioning whether DeSantis wears height-increasing shoes.
^ Haley’s response: “I’d first like to say, they’re 5-inch heels — and I don’t wear them unless you can run in them.”
Oh, this makes me sad: The Associated Press’s Seung Min Kim posted “the saddest email subject line today”: ‘Doug Burgum Statement on Republican Debate.'” Burgum did not qualify for yesterday’s debate.
OK, this line was pretty clever: Chris LaCivita, a senior Trump campaign adviser, said about the debate: “Unless you’re a fan of cheap knockoffs or out-of-tune tribute bands, tonight’s GOP debate was a complete waste of time and money.” |
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➤ WHEN AND WHERE IS THE NEXT DEBATE?: |
NewsNation will host the fourth Republican presidential primary debate on Dec. 6 in Alabama. It will also air on Nexstar’s broadcast television network, The CW. |
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All I can think of is Patrick Star’s ‘wee woo’ alarm while on patrol:
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Here’s the clip if you haven’t seen it.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that “Republican senators battling to win back the Senate majority say Democratic victories Tuesday in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia are an early warning and a wake-up call ahead of next year’s elections.”
Abortion is a key issue for many: “The GOP senators, who are vying to defeat Democratic incumbents in Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and other swing states, say Tuesday’s results show that abortion remains a potent issue that will help Democratic candidates next year.” And voter turnout could harm Republicans: “That problem was on display in Ohio where suburban voters turned out in big numbers to pass a ballot measure to protect the right to abortion from state government restrictions until the point when a fetus can survive on its own, which is roughly 23 weeks.” What Senate Republicans are specifically saying |
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A four-hour pause to the fighting: |
Israel has agreed to a four-hour pause in fighting to allow for civilians to flee.
How we know: National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. “We’ve been told by the Israelis that there will be no military operations in these areas over the duration of the pause, and that this process is starting today,” Kirby said. (The Hill) |
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‘After antisemitic attacks, colleges debate what kind of speech is out of bounds’: |
The gist: “Pro-Palestinian students say that they are speaking up for an oppressed people, but critics say that their rhetoric is deeply offensive.” Full read in The New York Times ‘In tensions over Israel-Hamas war, college campuses confront violent threats’: NBC News ‘How Are Students Expected to Live Like This on Campuses?’: Op-ed from The New York Times |
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Steve Bannon is trying to avoid prison: |
“Steve Bannon’s bid to avoid prison heads to a federal appeals court Thursday as the onetime Trump White House strategist attempts to overturn his conviction.”
Back story: “A jury last year found Bannon guilty of two counts of contempt of Congress after he defied a subpoena from the Jan. 6 House select committee.”
Bannon’s argument: “The onetime former President Trump aide … is advancing several arguments rejected by a lower court, including that the Jan. 6 committee’s subpoena wasn’t valid in the first place. Even if it was, Bannon contends he was entitled to present various defenses to the jury to explain his defiance. Bannon insists he is innocent because he relied on his attorney’s advice and legal opinions from within the Department of Justice.”
More from The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld |
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🥣 Celebrate: Today is National Greek Yogurt Day! Fun fact: Did you know you can make a healthier version of bagel using nonfat Greek yogurt and self-rising flour? They’re called “two-ingredient bagels” and here’s a recipe!
🥯 Speaking of bagels…: TikTok user Taylor Offer posted a video about his experiences ordering a bagel in New York vs. Los Angeles. Let’s just say he tried ordering a gluten free bagel with the inner bread scooped out. A New York bagel shop worker responded, “I’m not scooping your f—ing bagel.” Watch the video
👀 Want a peek into the White House?: An interactive White House exhibit will open at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue next fall, giving visitors a snapshot of the Oval Office, a state dinner and the Rose Garden. The exhibit will be free. (Washingtonian)
🐼 Miss you already, pandas: Check out this video of one of the pandas poking its head out the window before returning to China. (Video from NBC Washington’s Amiee Cho) |
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The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Illinois, and Vice President Harris is in Massachusetts. (all times Eastern) |
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12:10 p.m.: Harris delivers remarks on workers and union jobs. 💻 Livestream
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1 p.m.: The Hill is hosting an event, “Powerful Women Over 50.” Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Obama Foundation CEO Valerie Jarrett are among the speakers. 💻 Livestream
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1:25 p.m.: Harris speaks at a campaign reception in Boston.
- 1:45 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks in Belvidere, Ill., on union jobs and the United Auto Workers (UAW.) 💻 Livestream
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1:45 p.m.: The Senate holds a judicial confirmation vote. 🗓️ Today’s agenda
- 5 p.m.: Biden participates in a campaign reception in Chicago.
- 9:25 p.m.: Biden returns to the White House.
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