The Full Belmonte, 8/24/2023
'The elephant not in the room': 5 takeaways from a Republican debate with no Donald Trump
Joey Garrison Phillip M. Bailey
USA TODAY
“In a race dominated by Donald Trump, eight other presidential contenders battled it out at the first Republican primary debate Wednesday in an uphill fight to stop the former president from running away with the nomination.
Trump's absence overshadowed the debate in Milwaukee but gave his challengers a prime opportunity to seize the spotlight and emerge as the leading alternative.
Yet even as the front-runner enjoys a massive polling lead, most candidates only sparingly threw punches his way, instead lobbing most of their attacks at one another, President Joe Biden, his policy agenda and his son Hunter.
Here are five takeaways from the debate.
Republicans dance around Trump
Throughout the two-hour discussion, the Republican field struggled to make a clear argument against Trump, who polls show leading his next-closest counterpart, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, in national polls by about 40 percentage points.
DeSantis took no swings at Trump, spending more time railing on Biden's son Hunter Biden and liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros while characterizing the U.S. as a country that has lost its way.
‘We need to send Joe Biden back to his basement and reverse American decline,’ DeSantis said.
There were some exceptions. Former Govs. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, as expected, took shots at Trump over his legal woes and personal behavior. But the sharpest case against Trump arguably came from Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina who was U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Trump administration.
During the first hour of debate, Haley was the only candidate to create a policy distinction with Trump, saying ‘our kids are never going to forgive us’ for $8 trillion in new debt during the Trump administration.
Then Haley made a point that others seemed unwilling to articulate: that Trump is too polarizing to win another general election.
‘It is time for a new generational conservative leader,’ she said. ‘We have to look at the fact that three-quarters of Americans don't want a rematch between Trump and Biden. And we have to face the fact that Trump is the most disliked politician in America. We can't win a general election that way.’
Trump indictments: Most pledge support in 2024 even if he is convicted
Fox News debate moderator Bret Baier called Trump ‘the elephant not in the room.’
The former president's quadruple indictments came up about an hour into the discussion and created one of the most contrasting moments for voters to measure in Wednesday’s debate.
Asked whether they would still back Trump as the GOP nominee in the general election if he were convicted, most of the eight contenders on stage raised their hand. Exceptions were Hutchinson, who kept his hand down, and Christie, who raised his hand halfway but seemingly to speak on the subject.
‘Someone's got to stop normalizing this conduct, OK? Christie said. ‘Whether or not you believe that the criminal charges are right or wrong, the conduct is beneath the office of president of the United States.’
Christie was met with loud boos from the crowd of Republican partisans.
‘This is the great thing about this country,’ he said. ‘Booing is allowed, but it doesn't change the truth.’
Those remarks prompted a response from Vivek Ramaswamy, who has given the most full-throated support for Trump on the campaign trail of any of the candidates, and called him ‘the best president of the 21st century.’
‘Your claim that Donald Trump is motivated by vengeance and grievance would be a lot more credible if your entire campaign were not based on vengeance and grievance against Donald Trump,’ Ramaswamy said.
Republican candidates were then asked whether former Vice President Mike Pence did the right thing when he opposed Trump's plan to overturn the 2020 election results by certifying Biden's victory on Jan. 6, 2021.
‘Absolutely, he did the right thing,’ Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C, told the audience. ‘But we should be asking ourselves a bigger question about the weaponization of the Department of Justice. When I'm president, the first thing I'll do is fire (Attorney General) Merrick Garland.’
When the question turned to DeSantis, the Florida governor seemed reluctant to answer directly, saying Democrats want to keep that topic going and Republicans need to turn the page.
But the former vice president pressed for a response.
‘I think the American people deserve to know whether everyone on this stage agrees that I kept my oath to the Constitution that day,’ Pence said. ‘There's no more important duty, so answer the question.’
‘I've answered this before. Mike did his duty, I've got no beef with him,’ DeSantis finally said.
Ramaswamy's coming-out party met with GOP fire
Ramaswamy drew fire from multiple rivals as he sought to use the debate as a coming-out-party on the national stage after gaining traction in recent polls.
‘First, let me just address a question that is on everybody's mind at home tonight,’ Ramaswamy, a 38-year-old billionaire businessman, said in his opening remarks. ‘Who the heck is this skinny guy with a funny last name?’
The Ohio Republican − who spoke out of turn frequently throughout the night − took no time irking his opponents.
Pence was the first to take a swipe at Ramaswamy: ‘Joe Biden has weakened this country at home and abroad. Now is not the time for on-the-job training. We don't need to bring in a rookie.’
Christie also reminded the audience that the last politician to stand on a stage and say he's a skinny guy with a funny name was former President Barack Obama. ‘I'm afraid we're dealing with the same type of amateur,’ Christie said.
As he angered his foes, Ramaswamy doubled down on his hard-line conservative pitch.
‘Do you want a super PAC puppet or do you want a patriot who speaks the truth?’ he said. ‘Do you want incremental change or do you want revolution?’
Republicans vary on national abortion ban
Biden and Democrats have made clear they plan to thrust abortion rights at the center of the president's 2024 reelection bid.
In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court ended Roe v. Wade, six states have addressed reproductive rights questions and the liberal side has won each of those ballot questions.
Asked about where they stand in terms of a national standard, each of the Republican presidential candidates said they were ‘pro-life,’ but that meant something different with each answer.
Haley, the only woman running, said the GOP should be trying to find a consensus because any federal legislation needs 60 votes in the Senate. She said that means leaning into banning later-term abortions and agreeing not to jail women who get them.
But Pence, who is well liked among evangelical voters demanding a national ban, cast abortion as a ‘moral issue.’ He scolded Haley, saying that ‘consensus is the opposite of leadership.’
Scott, like most on stage, said Congress should aim for a 15-week ban at least. When pressed on the question, DeSantis talked up signing a six-week ban in Florida while sharing his personal reasons for opposing abortion.
Christie said that he doesn't support a federal prohibition and that it should be left up to the states.
Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz, in a statement released during the debate, said: ‘Americans have rejected the extreme, anti-choice positions of MAGA Republicans in the midterms and in elections throughout this year. They will again in 2024.’
Candidates fight over additional aid for Ukraine
Republicans sparred over U.S. aid for Ukraine a year and a half after Russia's invasion, reflecting the declining support for Ukrainian military aid among the Republican base.
‘The reality is today Ukraine is not a priority for the United States of America,’ Ramaswamy said, arguing that China poses a bigger threat to the U.S. ‘We have to have the interests of Americans first.’
DeSantis said continued support should be contingent on greater support from European counties.
‘I will have Europe pull their weight. Right now, they're not doing it,’ DeSantis said.
Haley and Pence took the more traditional Republican view on foreign policy, voicing support for maintaining financial aid for Ukraine to fight Russian forces.
Haley ripped DeSantis for having downplayed Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a ‘border dispute’ and hit Ramaswamy for saying the U.S. should cede eastern Ukraine to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
‘You have no foreign policy experience and it shows,’ she said.
Pence told Ramaswamy that ‘if we do the giveaway that you want to do to’ and give Putin eastern Ukraine, ‘it's not going to be too long’ before Russia rolls across the border into a NATO nation.
Later, while discussing Ukraine, DeSantis shifted to a more popular topic among Republican voters: migration at the U.S.-Mexico border.
‘I'm not going to send troops to Ukraine, but I am going to send them to our southern border,’ DeSantis said.” [USA Today]
Trump Ditches Georgia Lawyer Before Surrendering for Arrest
“Donald Trump has decided to drop his lead Georgia lawyer ahead of his surrender on charges of election interference in the state on Thursday evening, according to a report. Drew Findling, the attorney who has helmed the former president’s defense in Georgia, is being replaced with Atlanta-based lawyer Steven Sadow, whose website describes him as a ‘special counsel for white collar and high-profile defense.’ A source cited by CNN said the decision to ditch Findling for Sadow was not related to Findling’s performance. Sadow told CNN in a statement that he had been retained by Trump in the Fulton County case. ‘The president should never have been indicted. He is innocent of all the charges brought against him,’ Sadow said. ‘We look forward to the case being dismissed or, if necessary, an unbiased, open minded jury finding the president not guilty.’" [Daily Beast]
Rudy Giuliani’s mug shot.Fulton County Sheriff'S Office, via Reuters
“Rudy Giuliani turned himself in at an Atlanta jail to be booked in the Georgia election interference case. Trump said he would turn himself in today.
The South Carolina Supreme Court upheld a near-total ban on abortion, reversing an earlier decision.” [New York Times]
Guns killed a record number of children in the U.S. in 2021.
The figures: At least 4,752 children died from a firearm injury in 2021. That’s an increase of almost 42% from 2018, according to a new analysis of CDC data.
What it means: It was the second year in a row in which guns were the top cause of death among children and adolescents, surpassing cars, drug overdoses and cancer.
Read this story at Washington Post
Brain implants helped a voiceless woman speak.
How? Researchers monitored the woman’s neural activity with tiny devices implanted in her brain. They then decoded what she wanted to say at a rate of 62 words a minute.
Why it matters: It’s a milestone in restoring the ability to communicate to people who have lost it. And this new study relied on technology that is rapidly being improved.
Read this story at Washington Post
Heat dome
“Triple-digit temperatures and excessive heat warnings are expected today and Friday across a large swath of the US. On Wednesday, at least 22 states, many around the Gulf Coast northward to central Minnesota, were under some kind of heat alert. The high temperatures are being fueled by a heat dome, a strong area of high pressure that traps and intensifies hot air at the surface, which has been measured at record levels in multiple states. This week, nearly two dozen cattle died in Nebraska, more than 100 Missouri nursing home residents were evacuated and some businesses in Iowa were forced to close. By Friday, more than 65 million people will have experienced a temperature above 100 degrees, meteorologists say.” [CNN]
WSJ reporter's detention extended
Photo: Natalia Kolesnivoka/AFP via Getty Images
“A court in Moscow extended by three months the pretrial detention of Evan Gershkovich (seen above today), the Wall Street Journal reporter who has been held by Russia for five months.
In a closed hearing, a judge granted the request of investigators that Gershkovich, 31, remain behind bars awaiting trial until Nov. 30, the Journal reports.” [Axios]
Florida College System Must Fire Employees Who Defy Bathroom Ban
By Susan H. Greenberg
“The Florida State Board of Education approved a new rule Wednesday detailing the disciplinary action colleges must take for employees who don’t use the bathroom corresponding to the sex they were assigned at birth, Business Insider reported.
The rule states that the Florida College System—which includes 28 two- and four-year institutions and is separate from the State University System of Florida—can ‘utilize a progressive discipline process’ for offenders that includes ‘verbal warnings, written reprimands, suspension without pay, and termination,’ noting that ‘a second documented offense must result in a termination.’
But it needn’t take two offenses for a college to level such a punishment. ‘Nothing in this rule prohibits an institution from immediately terminating an employee for such a violation,’ it reads.
The new rule elaborates on the raft of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed in May, which among other things requires people to use restrooms and changing rooms that correspond to their sex at birth. [Inside Higher Ed]
3 dead, 6 injured in mass shooting at Southern California biker bar
At least 3 people are dead and six others are injured after a shooter opened fire Wednesday night at a biker bar in Southern California, authorities said. The shooting occurred around 7 p.m. at Cook’s Corner in Trabuco Canyon, a small unincorporated community in eastern Orange County. The Orange County Sheriff's Department said four victims were confirmed dead at the scene, including the suspected shooter. Wednesday's shooting rampage is the latest in a series of mass shootings that has made 2023 one of the most violent on record. Read more at USA Today
In an image from video, authorities work at the scene of a fatal shooting Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, at Cook's Corner, a biker bar in rural Trabuco Canyon, Calif., in Orange County. (ABC7 Los Angeles via AP)
AP
Yevgeniy Prigozhin was listed as a passenger in a plane crash that killed 10.
“What to know: A private jet crashed northwest of Moscow yesterday, Russian authorities said. But Prigozhin’s death has not been confirmed by U.S. or Russian officials.
Who is he? The Wagner mercenary group chief led a short-lived mutiny against the Kremlin in June. It was an unprecedented challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s authority.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Emergency workers at the crash site, in a photograph released by the Russian government.Russian Investigative Commitee
Japan started releasing water from Fukushima’s nuclear plant today.
“The background: For years, tanks have stored contaminated waterfrom the site of one of the world’s worst nuclear disasters.
The plan: The water will be filtered and diluted, then released into the Pacific Ocean over the next three decades.
Is it safe? Japan’s government and some scientists say yes. But neighboring countries, environmental groups and Japan’s fishing industry have concerns.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft successfully lands near lunar south pole
“Chandrayaan-3 has deployed a rover on the moon to search for signs of water after it successfully landed on the moon Wednesday, etching India into history as the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the lunar surface. The Indian Space Research Organization launched Chandrayaan-3 over a month ago with the goal of landing near the lunar south pole, where it made a soft landing at about 8:33 a.m. EDT Wednesday. The mission marks the first landing of any country near the south pole. The world watched the progress of Chandrayaan-3 after the loss of Russia's Luna-25, which crashed into the lunar surface Sunday.” Read more at USA Today
On August 23, 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft is shown seconds before its successful lunar landing on the south pole of the Moon.
AFP PHOTO /HANDOUT/Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
International
“The BRICS Group, a club of nations that formed to tilt the international order away from the West, invited six countries to join: Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia.” [New York Times]
“More than 350 fires have broken out in Greece in the past week. This is its worst summer for wildfires on record.” [New York Times]
British Museum Has Lost a Staggering Amount of Artifacts
“Hundreds of valuable items have gone missing from the British Museum over the last decade, according to a report, with a police investigation currently underway into artifacts that were listed as ‘missing, stolen, or damaged.’ On Thursday, The Times claimed that the London institution’s records showed that ancient coins, silver necklaces, and 540 pieces of pottery were among precious items that have been lost since 2013. The shocking scale of the British Museum’s missing exhibits was revealed after the U.K. press reported last week that a staff member had been fired and an investigation launched after museum staff realized that items including gems and gold jewelry had either vanished or been damaged. On Wednesday, the BBC reported correspondence claiming that the museum had been warned by an art dealer back in 2021 that they’d seen some allegedly stolen items online, some of which were sold on eBay, according to the PA news agency.” [Daily Beast]