Midwest
Trump wasn't there to defend himself, but comes away relatively unscathed in DeSantis-Haley Iowa debate
DES MOINES, Iowa – It was a slugfest.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, sharing the debate stage in Iowa five days before the state’s caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar, spent much of their two-hour showdown Wednesday night attacking each other and disagreeing on policy.
That allowed the absent front-runner in the GOP race – former President Donald Trump – to emerge relatively unscathed in a debate that was held a couple of hours after another contender – former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, suspended his campaign.
Trump, who skipped a Republican debate for the fifth straight time since last summer, was a few miles away in downtown Des Moines, taking part in a Fox News town hall.
WHAT FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP SAID AT A FOX NEWS TOWN HALL IN IOWA
Former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, right, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, appearing at a Republican presidential nomination debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
The verbal fireworks ignited moments into the debate, with DeSantis charging that Haley was a “mealymouthed politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear just to try to get your vote.”
Haley immediate hit back, labeling DeSantis a liar.
“What we’re going to do is rather than have him go and tell you all these lies, you can go to DeSantislies.com and look at all of those,” Haley argued, in the first of numerous references to a new campaign website.
And she warned the audience at the debate – which took place at Iowa’s Drake University – “don’t turn this into a drinking game. You will be overserved.”
After DeSantis claimed that “Haley’s running to pursue her donors’ issues. I’m running to pursue your issues and your family’s issues,” she returned fire, arguing DeSantis “is only mad about the donors because the donors used to be with him, but they’re no longer with him now.”
And Haley charged that DeSantis’ “campaign is exploding.”
DeSantis, who touted a campaign website of his own full of opposition research clips of Haley, knocked her for suffering from “ballistic podiatry” as he pointed to her recent gaffes on the campaign trail.
He also targeted Haley over her record as South Carolina governor, from gas taxes to groceries, while she took aim at DeSantis for votes he took as a congressman from Florida.
CHRISTIE TAKES AIM AT HALEY AS THE FORMER NEW JERSEY GOVERNOR DROPS OUT OF THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL RACE
DeSantis, who was convincingly re-elected to a second term as Florida governor 14 months ago, was once the clear alternative to Trump in the Republican White House race. He was solidly in second place behind Trump, who remains the commanding front-runner as he makes his third straight presidential bid.
Republican presidential candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participates in a Republican Presidential Primary Debate at Drake University on January 10, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
But after a series of campaign setbacks over the summer and autumn, DeSantis saw his support in the polls erode.
Haley grabbed momentum during the autumn, thanks to well-regarded debate performances. And in recent weeks she caught up with DeSantis for second place in the polls in Iowa and in national surveys.
Haley also surpassed DeSantis and surged to second place and narrowed the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary — just eight days after Iowa’s caucuses.
Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina governor, participates in a Republican Presidential Primary Debate at Drake University on January 10, 2024 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Haley and DeSantis battled over key issues, from the war in Ukraine and the bloodshed in the Middle East to border security, immigration, and raising the Social Security eligibility age.
DeSantis charged Haley was a globalist, saying “you can take the ambassador out of the United Nations, but you can’t take the United Nations out of the ambassador,
In a sharp exchange on immigration, DeSantis accusing Haley of being soft on securing the border. Haley returned fire, arguing “you can’t trust what Ron is saying.”
While DeSantis and Haley spent plenty of time targeting each other, they did step up their attacks on Trump, with both of them criticizing Trump for not showing up at the debate and knocking the former president on policy.
DeSantis slammed Trump for failing to “drain the swamp” and to finish building the border wall with Mexico, and slammed him on the issue of abortion.
Former President Donald Trump, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks during a Fox News town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, on January 10, 2024. (KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Haley targeted Trump for the exploding national debt and not taking a tougher stance against China.
She also aimed to frame the race as a two-candidate contest between her and the former president, stressing “I wish Donald Trump was up here on this stage. He is the one that I’m running against.”
Longtime Republican strategist David Kochel, a veteran of numerous GOP presidential campaigns and statewide contests in Iowa, was in the debate hall on Wednesday night.
Kochel told Fox News that DeSantis and Haley are “both getting a little bolder in going after” Trump.
“There are two campaigns going on in Iowa right now. One is Trump vs. his expectations and the other one is Haley vs. DeSantis to see who gets the right to take on Trump one-on-one,” Kochel emphasized.
Kochel, who remains neutral in the GOP nomination race, noted that Haley and DeSantis “both want a shot at Trump and the other one’s in the way.”
“She certainly got her licks in. She came across as more polished,” he argued. But he added that DeSantis “knew what he wanted to do tonight.”
And Kochel didn’t see much downside for Trump – who is sitting on a massive lead in the latest Iowa polls – in skipping the debate.
“His people don’t care. They’re with him no matter what,” he said. And he noted that DeSantis and Haley are “in the semi-finals. Trump has a bye week.”
Not on the debate stage because he fell short of the qualifying thresholds was multi-millionaire entrepreneur and first-time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.
But Ramaswamy did appear, in a direct-to-camera TV ad that aired on Iowa TV during a commercial break where he urged viewers to “turn this sh– off.”
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
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Midwest
Gun jams as shoplifting suspect tries to shoot Ohio police officer at point-blank range in wild bodycam video
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Heart-pounding video shows the moment a shoplifting suspect allegedly tried to shoot an Ohio police officer at point-blank range inside a Walmart only to be stopped when his gun appeared to malfunction and a store security worker intervened.
The dramatic incident unfolded Thursday in Canton after the suspect and a woman were detained for allegedly stealing items from the store, according to reports.
The pair were taken to a security room, where a police officer is seen questioning and searching the male suspect, identified as Shane Newman, 21, by FOX 8.
Video from the officer’s body camera, which had been placed on a table, initially showed a calm scene, with a Walmart employee handing the officer a pen and paper as the two suspects sat on a bench.
UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE STUDENT ALLEGEDLY MAPPED OUT ATTACK ON CAMPUS POLICE; ILLEGAL WEAPONS RECOVERED
A Walmart security employee lunges at an armed shoplifting suspect inside a store security room in Ohio after the suspect attempted to fire a gun at a police officer, video footage shows. (Canton Police Department)
Moments later, the situation exploded.
Newman suddenly turned, pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot the officer as the woman screamed, “No, no, no!” A clicking sound could be heard as Newman apparently pulled the trigger.
The Walmart worker immediately jumped on Newman in an effort to restrain him, but Newman raised the gun again and attempted to fire a second time and another click could be heard.
The worker then knocked the gun from Newman’s hands as the officer drew his weapon and shouted, “Get back! Get back!”
The officer then took control of matters and pinned Newman to the floor until additional police arrived. Both suspects were taken into custody.
In the bodycam footage, the officer told responding police Newman had “pulled the gun out, pointed it at my head and pulled the trigger,” but the weapon did not fire.
NORTH CAROLINA POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY DURING EMERGENCY ROOM SHOOTING INCIDENT
A Walmart security worker and a police officer restrain a shoplifting suspect inside a store security room in Ohio after police say the suspect attempted to shoot the officer, body camera footage shows. (Canton Police Department)
The officer said he drew his own weapon and would have shot Newman but feared hitting the Walmart employee as the worker struggled to disarm the suspect. He also acknowledged missing the gun concealed in Newman’s shoulder bag during the initial search.
The officer said he had just been alerted seconds before the attack that Newman had an active warrant for his arrest and was classified as “armed and dangerous.”
Newman was charged with attempted murder and felonious assault on a police officer, court records show.
The woman, identified as Katerina Jeffrey, was charged with complicity to commit robbery and having weapons under disability for possession of ammunition, FOX 8 reported.
Bodycam images show Shane Newman inside a Walmart security room in Ohio shortly before police say he pulled a gun and attempted to shoot an officer. Newman is seen holding a small red container that investigators said contained illegal drugs. (Canton Police Department)
Before the violence erupted, the police officer asked Newman if he had anything on him as part of the search. Newman said all he had was a cellphone, and then he voluntarily handed over a small container from his pocket that investigators said contained illegal drugs, according to FOX 8.
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“Are we going to jail?” Jeffrey asked the police officer.
“Not unless something crazy happens,” the officer replied.
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Detroit, MI
Detroit Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown dealing with knee injury
Lions QB Jared Goff on controversial final play vs Steelers
Goff said he didn’t agree with the pass interference call made on receiver Isaac TeSlaa in the final minute of the game, Dec. 21, 2025.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is dealing with a knee injury, though Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated he does not believe it’s serious.
St. Brown was listed as a non-participant on the Lions’ estimated practice report Monday, Dec. 22.
The Lions held a walk-through Monday in advance of this week’s game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday (4:30 p.m., Netflix). Campbell said St. Brown showed up to the practice facility after the team’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers and reported the injury.
“We’ll know more a little bit later but this is just something that just popped up when he came in today,” Campbell said. “So hopeful this is something [that’s] just some type of irritation from the game. That’s what I’m hoping.”
St. Brown leads the Lions with 98 catches, 1,194 yards and 11 touchdowns and needs two catches over the Lions’ final two games for his fourth straight 100-catch season.
Taylor Decker (shoulder) and Avonte Maddox (back) also were listed as non-participants on Monday’s practice report, and the Lions listed nine others as limited participants including starters Marcus Davenport (shoulder), Graham Glasgow (knee), Christian Mahogany (fibula), Alim McNeill (abdomen) and Amik Robertson (hand).
The Lions (8-7) must win their final two games and have the Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) lose their final two games to make the playoffs.
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee daycare van stolen with kids inside; 27-year-old woman accused
MILWAUKEE – A 27-year-old Milwaukee woman is accused of stealing a running daycare van that had four young children inside. The accused is Katelyn Librizzi – and she faces the following criminal counts:
- Operating a motor vehicle without owner’s consent
- Abduction of a child
Case details
What we know:
According to the criminal complaint, a Milwaukee police detective responded around 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16 to an abduction investigation near Appleton and Burleigh. A 911 call came from the owner of a daycare center indicating that a woman “jumped into her van and pulled off with her children inside,” the complaint says. That second person was later identified as Katelyn Librizzi, the defendant.
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A short time later, Milwaukee police conducted a high-risk traffic stop. The defendant was the driver and was arrested. The complaint says four young children were seated inside the van.
When police spoke with the daycare owner, she said she called 911 from the daycare because her personal cellphone was in the van that had been stolen.
Inside the recovered van, police found medical documents listed to the defendant, the complaint says. Investigators also used the daycare owner’s cellphone to get geolocation data, which showed the van’s path.
On Dec. 17, a detective interviewed the defendant who “indicated she had mental health issues,” the complaint says. The detective also reported Librizzi “was making statements and comments that are not typically mentioned in interviews,” the complaint says. Librizzi also told police “she had been driving and saw little kids in the back of the vehicle. The defendant also reported that the police pulled her over. She reported that the can had been running in front of a daycare,” the complaint says.
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What’s next:
Librizzi appeared in Milwaukee County court on Sunday, Dec. 21. Cash bond was set at $10,000. The court also ordered Librizzi to undergo a competency examination.
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Wisconsin Circuit Court Access and the criminal complaint associated with this case.
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