The Week: It’s Iowa’s Turn

• “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone” wasn’t supposed to be a legal argument.

• Nikki Haley and Florida governor Ron DeSantis faced off in Iowa for the final Republican presidential debate before the voting. Donald Trump once again skipped the debate, opting for a town hall on Fox News. But with the field otherwise narrowed (sorry, Vivek Ramaswamy), the top two Trump rivals had the stage to themselves and took one last opportunity to pummel each other in person and on CNN. DeSantis, in danger of slipping into third place in a state in which he invested heavily, unloaded the oppo book on Haley—eviscerating her as a “mealymouthed” politician who does the bidding of woke corporations and donors. He contrasted her past with his record of delivering conservative victories. Haley, who sees an opening to win New Hampshire, branded him a serial liar (and repeatedly directed viewers to a campaign website attacking him). She also said that his poor management of his campaign, with massive spending and poor poll numbers, portended poorly for a DeSantis presidency. It was a bitter fight that likely left Trump feeling vindicated about having refused to join any of the debates.

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• “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot someone” wasn’t supposed to be a legal argument.

• Nikki Haley and Florida governor Ron DeSantis faced off in Iowa for the final Republican presidential debate before the voting. Donald Trump once again skipped the debate, opting for a town hall on Fox News. But with the field otherwise narrowed (sorry, Vivek Ramaswamy), the top two Trump rivals had the stage to themselves and took one last opportunity to pummel each other in person and on CNN. DeSantis, in danger of slipping into third place in a state in which he invested heavily, unloaded the oppo book on Haley—eviscerating her as a “mealymouthed” politician who does the bidding of woke corporations and donors. He contrasted her past with his record of delivering conservative victories. Haley, who sees an opening to win New Hampshire, branded him a serial liar (and repeatedly directed viewers to a campaign website attacking him). She also said that his poor management of his campaign, with massive spending and poor poll numbers, portended poorly for a DeSantis presidency. It was a bitter fight that likely left Trump feeling vindicated about having refused to join any of the debates.