GOP Candidates Battle as 80 Million Watch Trump

Republican candidates faced off Wednesday night, and there were plenty of fireworks during the broad, free-wheeling discussion that moderators struggled to control. Foreign policy, abortion, and climate change sparked most of the exchanges—along with attacks on political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy, who has surged lately in national polls, over his experience level. 

Six of the eight candidates raised their hands showing they’d support Trump if he was the nominee; only Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson didn’t and were booed.

Trump was absent, choosing instead to post an interview with Tucker Carlson (Watch here) to compete with the debate. The interview racked up over 80 million views on X, formerly Twitter, by the time the debate ended.

The night ended without a consensus winner, but Ramaswamy, Pence, and DeSantis are the subject of many strong opinions about the debate’s biggest winners and losers. 

Which candidate do you think had the best night? Cast your vote in our poll (toward the bottom of today’s edition) and we’ll publish the results tomorrow.

Russian Coup Leader Reported Dead in Crash

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a coup attempt against Russian President Putin in late June, was killed Wednesday when his private jet crashed en route to St. Petersburg from Moscow, according to Russian officials.

The plane’s crash was caught on video (watch here). Early reports couldn’t confirm if Prigozhin was aboard the plane, but Russia’s aviation authority confirmed that he was.

Western officials are openly skeptical that the crash was an accident, given Putin’s reputation. They’re also reserving judgment on whether Prigozhin really was on the jet.

“There could be many reasons why Moscow wants us to believe that Prigozhin is dead,” said intelligence analyst Rebekah Koffler.

Police Kill Man in 6-Hour Shooting Standoff

Pittsburgh police killed a 63-year-old man Wednesday after a six-hour “active shooting situation” with hundreds of shots fired and SWAT teams evacuating the neighborhood.

The man, William Hardison Sr., was living in his late brother’s home, which had been sold in a police auction. Police were serving Hardison with an eviction notice when the shooting began.

In one video, the shooting sounds non-stop and several commenters noted how much ammunition he had on hand.

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➤ The Justice Department launched two new Covid-19 fraud strike forces in connection with the theft of over $800 million in Covid aid. The DOJ said 371 people have been charged so far with fraud. (More)

➤ St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones introduced legislation to ban “military-grade weapons” and make it illegal for “insurrectionists” to own guns. Missouri’s attorney general said he opposed the measure. (More)

➤ David Shafer, ex-chair of the Georgia GOP, was arraigned Wednesday. He turned his mugshot into his profile picture on X, formerly Twitter, under the heading, “Good morning!” (See Photo)

➤ Joan Meyer, 98-year-old co-owner of the Kansas newspaper raided by police, was recorded on body-cam video fiercely opposing a search of her home. She died the next day, and her son blames the search. (See Video)

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➤ The New York Yankees lost their 9th straight game, the worst stretch for the team since 1982. Their longest losing streak ever was 12 games in 1908. (More)

➤ Sports Illustrated ranked the Top 10 new college football uniforms for 2023. No. 1 was Florida International with slick pink-and-black Miami Vice colors. (See the Top 10)

➤ Former USC All-American Reggie Bush filed a defamation lawsuit against the NCAA on Wednesday for saying he was involved in a “pay-for-play arrangement.” Bush says that it’s “100% not true.” (More)

Market Report   8/23/23

➤ Big Stock Move: Footlocker shares dropped 28% Wednesday on news that its sales fell 10% in the 2nd quarter. The company blamed inflation and cost-conscious consumers. (More)

➤ Peloton also posted a bigger-than-expected loss, causing its shares to drop 22%. Profits were hit by a recall of bike seat posts that affected more than 2 million of its bikes. (More)

➤ UPS workers approved a new 5-year contract, averting a potential strike and raising the average compensation package for drivers to $170,000 after five years. The contract was ratified by nearly 90% of the votes. (More)

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➤ India celebrated success Wednesday in becoming the first country to land on the moon’s south pole. It’s now the fourth nation in the world, after the U.S., China, and Russia, to land on the moon. (More)

➤ Based on computer simulations, scientists say that 22 people is the minimum number necessary to start and maintain a human colony for 28 years on Mars. (More)

➤ YouTube is testing a new feature that allows users to find videos of songs by simply humming or singing the song. It’s available now only to a sample of Android users but will roll out widely if successful. (More)

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➤ A news anchor in Tennessee was recording on set when she introduced her boyfriend, a TV reporter, to give a report. Instead, he came out with a bouquet of flowers and asked her to marry him. (See Video)

➤ Travel over Labor Day weekend will be higher than last year, particularly for international travel. Overseas air travel is up 44%, and international hotel bookings by more than 80%, from 2022. (More)

➤ A thunderstorm in Guatemala produced a spectacular optical illusion when lightning struck near Acatenango Volcano. A video shows spider lightning appearing to shoot upward from the volcano into the sky. (See Video)

Who do you think won last night’s GOP debate?

1. Ron DeSantis
2. Vivek Ramaswamy
3. Mike Pence
4. Nikki Haley
5. Chris Christie
6. Tim Scott

(We’re limited to six responses to our polls; let us know at editor@theflyover.kinsta.cloud if you think another candidate prevailed.)

Tuesday’s Results:

Would you obey new mask mandates?

Yes: 10.4%
No: 89.6%

Today’s Trivia

When was the first presidential primary debate?