In Iowa Debate, Haley and DeSantis Showed Why They’re Competing for Second Place

Team Trump Gets Serious • Hunter Comes to Congress • Kelce’s Swift Stardom [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( In Iowa Debate, Haley and DeSantis Showed Why They’re Competing for Second Place Good morning from the Hive newsroom. Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis went to the mat last night in Iowa, where Eric Lutz [watched]( both candidates trade barbs in the fifth Republican primary debate, this time hosted by CNN. For a moment or two, Haley and DeSantis appeared to verge on serious political discourse. But in the end, he writes, the two mostly “launched petty attacks while remaining in lockstep” on “wokeness,” immigration, COVID, and climate change. Elsewhere, Gabriel Sherman [reports]( that Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign operation is more disciplined than you might expect. “This time,” says one insider, “he’s not talking to randos.” Plus, Tom Kludt [checks in]( with Kansas City Chiefs writers about covering Travis Kelce’s headline-grabbing romance with Taylor Swift this season (along with, you know, football). Thanks for reading! [In Iowa Debate, Haley and DeSantis Showed Why They’re Competing for Second Place]( By [Eric Lutz]( [Both candidates traded predictably petty barbs, calling each other liars while at times verging on serious debate. But, for the most part, the showdown just underscored why the two are still getting trounced by Donald Trump.]( [Read more button](   [Trump Insiders Say His 2024 Campaign Is More Disciplined: “This Time, He’s Not Talking to Randos”]( By [Gabe Sherman]( [Despite facing 91 criminal counts, Trump is cruising to the GOP nomination without the chaos and infighting that consumed his 2016 run—and presidency. “The thinking is,” says one 2020 veteran, “let’s be organized, let’s get him in.”]( [Read more button](   [“The Taylor Swift Season”: How Football Writers Made Peace With Covering Travis Kelce’s Love Life]( By [Tom Kludt]( [Chiefs scribes entered the season expecting the team’s defense of a Super Bowl title to dominate headlines; instead, they found themselves swept up by a modern-day version of DiMaggio and Monroe. “You have to cater to what the public craves and wants,” says one.]( [Read more button](   [Republicans Lose Their Minds Over Hunter Biden’s Surprise Visit to Congress]( By [Bess Levin]( [Nancy Mace in particular was not pleased with the president’s son.]( [Read more button](   [Florida’s Book-Banning Crusade Has Found Its Next Target: Dictionaries]( By [Caleb Ecarma]( [A law signed by Ron DeSantis last year has led one school district to remove three publishers’ dictionaries, while another removed classics like Paradise Lost and East of Eden, for their descriptions of “sexual conduct.”]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2024 Condé Nast