Good morning. Happy Thursday to all who celebrate. Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

• A fiery debate

• Goodbye, giant pandas

• Affordable primary healthcare

• And much more!

Here’s today’s edition of The Elective:

 2024 

A heated Republican debate

Five Republican presidential candidates duked it out for two solid hours at the third primary debate of the year. We watched all two hours (ugh) so you didn’t have to. The fun part was watching all five of them dance around talking about the financial problems of Social Security (most voters are over 50).

Chris Christie: New Jersey’s former governor was his usual well-spoken self. His debate skills are strong. But his campaign? Not so much.

• The Good: Christie again spoke from the heart when it came to drug overdoses and the fentanyl crisis.

• The Bad: He needed a breakout moment that never came. He’s treading water at fourth place in New Hampshire. His lackadaisical approach to this debate gave the impression he knows he’s not winning this thing.

Ron DeSantis: Florida’s governor has slowly and steadily fallen in the polls since the moment he announced. With Haley on the rise, he needs to claw back some momentum.

• The Good: DeSantis largely stayed above the fray last night. That gives off the good “front runner” vibe that he’s looking for.

• The Bad: Staying above the fray has a downside. It keeps you out of the fray completely. DeSantis didn’t take a beating but he also made no waves.

Nikki Haley: The former UN Ambassador and South Carolina governor took some shots at DeSantis over his policies on both energy and China. Neither attack seemed to stick.

• The Good: Haley, as the only woman on stage, has the floor when it comes to abortion discussions. She again skillfully used that position to stake out the middle ground that largely matches the position of the suburban voters she needs.

• The Bad: During a tense shouting match discussion over whether or not to ban TikTok, which Haley favors, Ramaswamy pointed out that Haley’s own 25-year-old daughter uses the app. Haley responded by calling him “scum.” Yikes.

Vivek Ramaswamy: The biotech entrepreneur called Nikki Haley “Dick Cheney in three inch heels.” Depending on who you ask, that’s either sexist or a hilarious insult tying her foreign policy to the unpopular former VP’s.

• The Good: His opening move was to trash the moderators and the RNC. That plays well with primary voters. He had a good moment talking about the fentanyl crisis, calling it close to “bio-terrorism.”

• The Bad: His attack on Haley’s adult daughter came off as mean-spirited. And he at one point seemed to call Ukrainian President Zelensky, who is Jewish, a Nazi.

Tim Scott: The Senator from South Carolina is a nice guy who’s gone all-in on Iowa. And it hasn’t quite paid off.

• The Good: He avoided picking goofy fights with other candidates like he did in the previous debate (when he argued with Haley about curtains).

• The Bad: His answers were lengthy and seemingly adrift at sea. He’s much better at in-person campaign events. Scott is the likeliest of these candidates to drop out before Iowa. But he just might want to stay in through his home state’s primary (though he’s polling a distant fourth).

The elephant in the room, former President Donald Trump, again did not appear at the debate. Polling has been all over the place in recent elections. But, taking them at face value, Trump is still the likeliest Republican nominee by a mile. Sure, his legal troubles could cause damage. But much of that might come after he’s sewn up the nomination (if it comes at all).

 NEWS 

🇪🇺 European Union: The European Commission (part of the EU’s government) officially recommended opening EU membership negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. The Commission’s president called expansion “vital” for the EU. Presidents of both nations issued statements approving of the move. They were each granted EU candidate status last summer. While they’ve already met most membership preconditions, the two countries still have to implement various reforms regarding language education, corruption, transparency, their judicial systems, and more. Opening negotiations will require the unanimous approval of all 27 EU member states. That could come as soon as December. The process for membership is, loosely, applicant > candidate > negotiating > member.

🐼 Pandas: Panda diplomacy may be coming to an end. The three giant pandas of DC’s National Zoo are on their way home to China. The move marks the end of a 50+ year run. Pandas are also leaving zoos in Australia and Scotland. Every panda in the world, save for a single female in Mexico, belongs to China. The first pandas loaned to America arrived in 1972 as a diplomatic gesture from the Chinese government after President Nixon reopened Chinese-American relations. Now that those relations are worsening, the pandas are going home. They’ve already left zoos in Memphis and San Diego. The final American pandas in Atlanta are set to go home next year. The National Zoo has applied for a new loan.

🕵️ FBI: The General Services Administration (GSA) announced yesterday that the FBI’s new headquarters building will be in Greenbelt, Maryland. Two sites in Maryland and one in Virginia were under consideration. Don’t expect the new digs to be ready any time soon, though. This process has already taken over a decade. And the surrounding Congressional drama isn't over. Virginia's politicians are furious, saying the GSA its playing politics. And some Republicans in the House, which handles funding the new building, aren’t fans of the idea either. But proponents of the plan say the current FBI HQ is in "shambles." That building, less than a mile from both the White House and Capitol, has been home to the agency since 1975. The GSA is an independent federal agency that supports the basic functions of other agencies (like, say, by providing them offices).

 POLITICS 

🔵 New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D) just got himself a primary challenge. Westchester County (wealthy area north of NYC) Executive George Latimer will challenge Bowman in the Democratic primary next year. Bowman is a member of the AOC’s left-wing Squad in the House. He attracted national attention recently when he (seriously…) pulled a fire alarm in a House office building in a bizarre attempt to delay a vote. This congressional district has a sliver of NYC and about half of Westchester County. It’s safely Democratic — Biden got 71% of the vote here in 2020 — so anyone with a (D) behind their name is likely to win.

🔴 Utah Rep. Blake Moore (R) was elected by the House Republican Conference as their vice chair yesterday. That makes him the seventh ranking House Republican. The vice chair helps dole out committee assignments, operate party meetings and, get the party’s message out. The job was vacant after the last guy, Mike Johnson, got a huge promotion to speaker of the House.

 TRIVIA 

 BRIEFS 

🩺 Amazon Prime members will receive a discounted monthly price of $9 for One Medical membership. The service includes 24/7 virtual visits with licensed healthcare providers at no additional cost.

🚔 Detroit police arrested a suspect in the Oct. 21 murder of synagogue leader Samantha Woll. Police say there is no evidence suggesting the murder was an anti-Semitic hate crime.

🎭 Is there a lost Shakespeare play? Clues point to the idea that his comedy “Love’s Labour’s Lost” has a lost sequel titled “Love’s Labour’s Won.”

🤑 Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy and Nebraska Rep. Mike Flood are on a bipartisan mission to help end loneliness and social isolation.

🪦 RIP Omegle. The sometimes cool but usually creepy chat site is finally shutting down. Pour one out for the memorable five minutes you accidentally spent on that site that one time.

 QUOTE 

 ANSWER 

1. California has 54.

2. Texas has 40.

3. Florida has 30.

4. New York has 28.

5. Pennsylvania & Illinois both have 19.