The Slatest for Jan. 11: The Town Hall Question That Tripped Up Trump

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 his motivations.

The House and Senate are both up for grabs in 2024, which means it won’t just be a loud year for presidential politics—it’s gonna be chaos in Congress too. To help you cut through the noise, the politics team at Slate identified the top 16 cliques warring in Congress. You can peruse them all in our handy interactive guide to who really runs Washington, and why the right way to think about this is far beyond “Democrats and Republicans.”

Just a taste of what you’ll find:

• Jeremy Stahl explains what the hell is happening with Arizona Republicans

• Alexander Sammon ponders how the “Debate Me” Bro took over America

• Molly Olmstead examines the big mystery Dianne Feinstein left behind in Congress

• Ben Mathis-Lilley pinpoints what brought Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene upon us all.

The actor says it’s what he wants to do. Molly Olmstead breaks down how that would transform his life.

… is: Why does Ron DeSantis smile like that? To understand the uncanniness of the Florida governor’s smile (grimace?), Heather Schwedel consulted some experts. Their analysis is somewhat chilling.

College football’s greatest source of misery is finally giving his rivals a break. “The universe will remember Saban’s excellence, but wise fans will not only think of the world he built,” Alex Kirshner writes. “They will linger on the ones he destroyed or prevented from ever existing.” He considers those worlds as he takes stock of Saban’s legacy.

The New York Times ran an essay considering what it might mean if some of Taylor Swift’s songs were actually about being in love with women. And while this is hardly a new theory, it made a lot of people very angry online. Shannon Palus carefully examines why the piece struck such a nerve.

… much like Godzilla! And even though 70 years have passed since the famous mega-lizard first appeared on the silver screen, Dana Stevens argues that the latest movie featuring everyone’s favorite skyline-destroying radioactive dino is a true masterpiece.

Thanks so much for reading! See you back here tomorrow.