Last night there was yet another GOP presidential primary debate, and this time only three candidates qualified: Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, and Donald Trump, who once again skipped out on the official debate in favor of his own solo town hall on Fox News.

The DeSantis vs. Haley head-to-head debate, just days ahead of the Iowa caucuses, could have been an opportunity for one of them to distinguish themselves as the clear second-place contender. Instead, it was … a somewhat baffling buffet of word salads. Ben Mathis-Lilley teases out the recurring themes of the evening, and examines what this debate says about the strategies of both candidates.

Meanwhile, over on Fox, perhaps the most interesting moment of the evening was when Donald Trump tried to answer an audience question about abortion. Molly Olmstead recaps the moment—its twists and turns suggest this is the one issue Trump can’t bluster his way through.

Plus: Chris Christie dropped out of the race yesterday—which would presumably help Nikki Haley. But then a “hot mic” moment revealed that he is, er, not all that fond of her. Jim Newell takes a closer look at........

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