The Daily 202 P.M. Special: A huge test for Ted Cruz, and other dynamics to watch in tonight’s Republican debate

podesta-emails 3,006 words email

P17 V11 P19 V16 V13

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- mQQBBGBjDtIBH6DJa80zDBgR+VqlYGaXu5bEJg9HEgAtJeCLuThdhXfl5Zs32RyB I1QjIlttvngepHQozmglBDmi2FZ4S+wWhZv10bZCoyXPIPwwq6TylwPv8+buxuff B6tYil3VAB9XKGPyPjKrlXn1fz76VMpuTOs7OGYR8xDidw9EHfBvmb+sQyrU1FOW aPHxba5lK6hAo/KYFpTnimsmsz0Cvo1sZAV/EFIkfagiGTL2J/NhINfGPScpj8LB bYelVN/NU4c6Ws1ivWbfcGvqU4lymoJgJo/l9HiV6X2bdVyuB24O3xeyhTnD7laf epykwxODVfAt4qLC3J478MSSmTXS8zMumaQMNR1tUUYtHCJC0xAKbsFukzbfoRDv m2zFCCVxeYHvByxstuzg0SurlPyuiFiy2cENek5+W8Sjt95nEiQ4suBldswpz1Kv n71t7vd7zst49xxExB+tD+vmY7GXIds43Rb05dqksQuo2yCeuCbY5RBiMHX3d4nU 041jHBsv5wY24j0N6bpAsm/s0T0Mt7IO6UaN33I712oPlclTweYTAesW3jDpeQ7A ioi0CMjWZnRpUxorcFmzL/Cc/fPqgAtnAL5GIUuEOqUf8AlKmzsKcnKZ7L2d8mxG QqN16nlAiUuUpchQNMr+tAa1L5S1uK/fu6thVlSSk7KMQyJfVpwLy6068a1WmNj4 yxo9HaSeQNXh3cui+61qb9wlrkwlaiouw9+bpCmR0V8+XpWma/D/TEz9tg5vkfNo eG4t+FUQ7QgrrvIkDNFcRyTUO9cJHB+kcp2NgCcpCwan3wnuzKka9AWFAitpoAwx L6BX0L8kg/LzRPhkQnMOrj/tuu9hZrui4woqURhWLiYi2aZe7WCkuoqR/qMGP6qP EQRcvndTWkQo6K9BdCH4ZjRqcGbY1wFt/qgAxhi+uSo2IWiM1fRI4eRCGifpBtYK Dw44W9uPAu4cgVnAUzESEeW0bft5XXxAqpvyMBIdv3YqfVfOElZdKbteEu4YuOao FLpbk4ajCxO4Fzc9AugJ8iQOAoaekJWA7TjWJ6CbJe8w3thpznP0w6jNG8ZleZ6a jHckyGlx5wzQTRLVT5+wK6edFlxKmSd93jkLWWCbrc0Dsa39OkSTDmZPoZgKGRhp Yc0C4jePYreTGI6p7/H3AFv84o0fjHt5fn4GpT1Xgfg+1X/wmIv7iNQtljCjAqhD 6XN+QiOAYAloAym8lOm9zOoCDv1TSDpmeyeP0rNV95OozsmFAUaKSUcUFBUfq9FL uyr+rJZQw2DPfq2wE75PtOyJiZH7zljCh12fp5yrNx6L7HSqwwuG7vGO4f0ltYOZ dPKzaEhCOO7o108RexdNABEBAAG0Rldpa2lMZWFrcyBFZGl0b3JpYWwgT2ZmaWNl IEhpZ2ggU2VjdXJpdHkgQ29tbXVuaWNhdGlvbiBLZXkgKDIwMjEtMjAyNCmJBDEE EwEKACcFAmBjDtICGwMFCQWjmoAFCwkIBwMFFQoJCAsFFgIDAQACHgECF4AACgkQ nG3NFyg+RUzRbh+eMSKgMYOdoz70u4RKTvev4KyqCAlwji+1RomnW7qsAK+l1s6b ugOhOs8zYv2ZSy6lv5JgWITRZogvB69JP94+Juphol6LIImC9X3P/bcBLw7VCdNA mP0XQ4OlleLZWXUEW9EqR4QyM0RkPMoxXObfRgtGHKIkjZYXyGhUOd7MxRM8DBzN yieFf3CjZNADQnNBk/ZWRdJrpq8J1W0dNKI7IUW2yCyfdgnPAkX/lyIqw4ht5UxF VGrva3PoepPir0TeKP3M0BMxpsxYSVOdwcsnkMzMlQ7TOJlsEdtKQwxjV6a1vH+t k4TpR4aG8fS7ZtGzxcxPylhndiiRVwdYitr5nKeBP69aWH9uLcpIzplXm4DcusUc Bo8KHz+qlIjs03k8hRfqYhUGB96nK6TJ0xS7tN83WUFQXk29fWkXjQSp1Z5dNCcT sWQBTxWxwYyEI8iGErH2xnok3HTyMItdCGEVBBhGOs1uCHX3W3yW2CooWLC/8Pia qgss3V7m4SHSfl4pDeZJcAPiH3Fm00wlGUslVSziatXW3499f2QdSyNDw6Qc+chK hUFflmAaavtpTqXPk+Lzvtw5SSW+iRGmEQICKzD2chpy05mW5v6QUy+G29nchGDD rrfpId2Gy1VoyBx8FAto4+6BOWVijrOj9Boz7098huotDQgNoEnidvVdsqP+P1RR QJekr97idAV28i7iEOLd99d6qI5xRqc3/QsV+y2ZnnyKB10uQNVPLgUkQljqN0wP XmdVer+0X+aeTHUd1d64fcc6M0cpYefNNRCsTsgbnWD+x0rjS9RMo+Uosy41+IxJ 6qIBhNrMK6fEmQoZG3qTRPYYrDoaJdDJERN2E5yLxP2SPI0rWNjMSoPEA/gk5L91 m6bToM/0VkEJNJkpxU5fq5834s3PleW39ZdpI0HpBDGeEypo/t9oGDY3Pd7JrMOF zOTohxTyu4w2Ql7jgs+7KbO9PH0Fx5dTDmDq66jKIkkC7DI0QtMQclnmWWtn14BS KTSZoZekWESVYhORwmPEf32EPiC9t8zDRglXzPGmJAPISSQz+Cc9o1ipoSIkoCCh 2MWoSbn3KFA53vgsYd0vS/+Nw5aUksSleorFns2yFgp/w5Ygv0D007k6u3DqyRLB W5y6tJLvbC1ME7jCBoLW6nFEVxgDo727pqOpMVjGGx5zcEokPIRDMkW/lXjw+fTy c6misESDCAWbgzniG/iyt77Kz711unpOhw5aemI9LpOq17AiIbjzSZYt6b1Aq7Wr aB+C1yws2ivIl9ZYK911A1m69yuUg0DPK+uyL7Z86XC7hI8B0IY1MM/MbmFiDo6H dkfwUckE74sxxeJrFZKkBbkEAQRgYw7SAR+gvktRnaUrj/84Pu0oYVe49nPEcy/7 5Fs6LvAwAj+JcAQPW3uy7D7fuGFEQguasfRrhWY5R87+g5ria6qQT2/Sf19Tpngs d0Dd9DJ1MMTaA1pc5F7PQgoOVKo68fDXfjr76n1NchfCzQbozS1HoM8ys3WnKAw+ Neae9oymp2t9FB3B+To4nsvsOM9KM06ZfBILO9NtzbWhzaAyWwSrMOFFJfpyxZAQ 8VbucNDHkPJjhxuafreC9q2f316RlwdS+XjDggRY6xD77fHtzYea04UWuZidc5zL VpsuZR1nObXOgE+4s8LU5p6fo7jL0CRxvfFnDhSQg2Z617flsdjYAJ2JR4apg3Es G46xWl8xf7t227/0nXaCIMJI7g09FeOOsfCmBaf/ebfiXXnQbK2zCbbDYXbrYgw6 ESkSTt940lHtynnVmQBvZqSXY93MeKjSaQk1VKyobngqaDAIIzHxNCR941McGD7F qHHM2YMTgi6XXaDThNC6u5msI1l/24PPvrxkJxjPSGsNlCbXL2wqaDgrP6LvCP9O uooR9dVRxaZXcKQjeVGxrcRtoTSSyZimfjEercwi9RKHt42O5akPsXaOzeVjmvD9 EB5jrKBe/aAOHgHJEIgJhUNARJ9+dXm7GofpvtN/5RE6qlx11QGvoENHIgawGjGX Jy5oyRBS+e+KHcgVqbmV9bvIXdwiC4BDGxkXtjc75hTaGhnDpu69+Cq016cfsh+0 XaRnHRdh0SZfcYdEqqjn9CTILfNuiEpZm6hYOlrfgYQe1I13rgrnSV+EfVCOLF4L P9ejcf3eCvNhIhEjsBNEUDOFAA6J5+YqZvFYtjk3efpM2jCg6XTLZWaI8kCuADMu yrQxGrM8yIGvBndrlmmljUqlc8/Nq9rcLVFDsVqb9wOZjrCIJ7GEUD6bRuolmRPE SLrpP5mDS+wetdhLn5ME1e9JeVkiSVSFIGsumZTNUaT0a90L4yNj5gBE40dvFplW 7TLeNE/ewDQk5LiIrfWuTUn3CqpjIOXxsZFLjieNgofX1nSeLjy3tnJwuTYQlVJO 3CbqH1k6cOIvE9XShnnuxmiSoav4uZIXnLZFQRT9v8UPIuedp7TO8Vjl0xRTajCL PdTk21e7fYriax62IssYcsbbo5G5auEdPO04H/+v/hxmRsGIr3XYvSi4ZWXKASxy a/jHFu9zEqmy0EBzFzpmSx+FrzpMKPkoU7RbxzMgZwIYEBk66Hh6gxllL0JmWjV0 iqmJMtOERE4NgYgumQT3dTxKuFtywmFxBTe80BhGlfUbjBtiSrULq59np4ztwlRT wDEAVDoZbN57aEXhQ8jjF2RlHtqGXhFMrg9fALHaRQARAQABiQQZBBgBCgAPBQJg Yw7SAhsMBQkFo5qAAAoJEJxtzRcoPkVMdigfoK4oBYoxVoWUBCUekCg/alVGyEHa ekvFmd3LYSKX/WklAY7cAgL/1UlLIFXbq9jpGXJUmLZBkzXkOylF9FIXNNTFAmBM 3TRjfPv91D8EhrHJW0SlECN+riBLtfIQV9Y1BUlQthxFPtB1G1fGrv4XR9Y4TsRj VSo78cNMQY6/89Kc00ip7tdLeFUHtKcJs+5EfDQgagf8pSfF/TWnYZOMN2mAPRRf fh3SkFXeuM7PU/X0B6FJNXefGJbmfJBOXFbaSRnkacTOE9caftRKN1LHBAr8/RPk pc9p6y9RBc/+6rLuLRZpn2W3m3kwzb4scDtHHFXXQBNC1ytrqdwxU7kcaJEPOFfC XIdKfXw9AQll620qPFmVIPH5qfoZzjk4iTH06Yiq7PI4OgDis6bZKHKyyzFisOkh DXiTuuDnzgcu0U4gzL+bkxJ2QRdiyZdKJJMswbm5JDpX6PLsrzPmN314lKIHQx3t NNXkbfHL/PxuoUtWLKg7/I3PNnOgNnDqCgqpHJuhU1AZeIkvewHsYu+urT67tnpJ AK1Z4CgRxpgbYA4YEV1rWVAPHX1u1okcg85rc5FHK8zh46zQY1wzUTWubAcxqp9K 1IqjXDDkMgIX2Z2fOA1plJSwugUCbFjn4sbT0t0YuiEFMPMB42ZCjcCyA1yysfAd DYAmSer1bq47tyTFQwP+2ZnvW/9p3yJ4oYWzwMzadR3T0K4sgXRC2Us9nPL9k2K5 TRwZ07wE2CyMpUv+hZ4ja13A/1ynJZDZGKys+pmBNrO6abxTGohM8LIWjS+YBPIq trxh8jxzgLazKvMGmaA6KaOGwS8vhfPfxZsu2TJaRPrZMa/HpZ2aEHwxXRy4nm9G Kx1eFNJO6Ues5T7KlRtl8gflI5wZCCD/4T5rto3SfG0s0jr3iAVb3NCn9Q73kiph PSwHuRxcm+hWNszjJg3/W+Fr8fdXAh5i0JzMNscuFAQNHgfhLigenq+BpCnZzXya 01kqX24AdoSIbH++vvgE0Bjj6mzuRrH5VJ1Qg9nQ+yMjBWZADljtp3CARUbNkiIg tUJ8IJHCGVwXZBqY4qeJc3h/RiwWM2UIFfBZ+E06QPznmVLSkwvvop3zkr4eYNez cIKUju8vRdW6sxaaxC/GECDlP0Wo6lH0uChpE3NJ1daoXIeymajmYxNt+drz7+pd jMqjDtNA2rgUrjptUgJK8ZLdOQ4WCrPY5pP9ZXAO7+mK7S3u9CTywSJmQpypd8hv 8Bu8jKZdoxOJXxj8CphK951eNOLYxTOxBUNB8J2lgKbmLIyPvBvbS1l1lCM5oHlw WXGlp70pspj3kaX4mOiFaWMKHhOLb+er8yh8jspM184= =5a6T -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- View on the Web: <http://link.washingtonpost.com/view/5483d5bc3b35d0d76d8c549c3isjk.9l95/f1d9f1b6> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE DAILY 202 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - By James Hohmann - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Share on Twitter: <http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/5915648.447449/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS8_c3RhdHVzPUNoZWNrJTIwb3V0JTIwVGhlRGFpbHkyMDIlMjBmcm9tJTIwJTQwUG93ZXJQb3N0JTIwaHR0cDovL2xpbmsud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL3B1YmxpYy81OTE1NjQ4JndwbW09MSZ3cGlzcmM9bmxfZGFpbHkyMDI/5483d5bc3b35d0d76d8c549cC0bad8ed6> Share on Facebook: <http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/5915648.447449/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZmFjZWJvb2suY29tL3NoYXJlci5waHA_dT1odHRwOi8vbGluay53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vcHVibGljLzU5MTU2NDgmd3BtbT0xJndwaXNyYz1ubF9kYWlseTIwMg/5483d5bc3b35d0d76d8c549cCed05fb55> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THE DAILY 202 P.M. SPECIAL: A HUGE TEST FOR TED CRUZ, AND OTHER DYNAMICS TO WATCH IN TONIGHT’S REPUBLICAN DEBATE <http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/5915648.447449/aHR0cDovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vbmV3cy9wb3dlcnBvc3Qvd3AvMjAxNi8wMS8xNC90aGUtZGFpbHktMjAyLXAtbS1zcGVjaWFsLWEtaHVnZS10ZXN0LWZvci10ZWQtY3J1ei1hbmQtb3RoZXItZHluYW1pY3MtdG8td2F0Y2gtaW4tdG9uaWdodHMtcmVwdWJsaWNhbi1kZWJhdGUvP3dwbW09MSZ3cGlzcmM9bmxfZGFpbHkyMDI/5483d5bc3b35d0d76d8c549cCf9f30066> Davis Krugh mops the stage before tonight’s Republican debate on the Fox Business Network. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt) THE BIG IDEA: — The restrooms at the media filing center in North Charleston are stocked with Advil, Alka-Seltzer and eye drops. “By the time tonight is over, it may come to be seen as an omen,” says Karen Tumulty, one of half a dozen Post journalists in South Carolina for the sixth Republican debate. The undercard debate, with three low-polling candidates, starts at 6 p.m. Eastern time. The main event begins at 9 p.m. Both will be televised on Fox Business Network. With just over two weeks until the Iowa caucuses, we’re flooding the zone. In the newsroom, fact checkers, subject-matter experts and trail reporters are preparing to fill our live blog. (Which you can/should follow along here.) The filing center restroom (Photo by Karen Tumulty) — The stakes are high. “For all the candidates who are not named Trump, the time for caution is over,” says Tumulty. “That is especially the case in what is being thought of as the ‘establishment lane.’ Anyone who does not make a big impression may have forfeited his meaningful opportunity to do so. And being the grownup on the stage has not been the way to do that — at least, not so far. I’m betting we’ll see more fire from everyone. Or maybe I’m just hoping that.” — I checked in today with all of my colleagues on the politics team about what they’re following. Here are the most interesting themes that emerged: Do Ted Cruz and Donald Trump take their tiff to the debate stage? “Over the past few months Cruz has been incredibly careful not to bash Trump, but that all went out the window earlier this week after Trump spent more than a week questioning whether Cruz’s Canadian birthplace disqualifies him from being president,” notes Cruz beat reporter Katie Zezima. “Cruz, in the past few days, has tied Trump to Hillary Clinton, questioned his ability to win a general election and cast doubt on his ability to serve as commander-in-chief. … The Texas Republican has said throughout his campaign that he doesn’t want to engage in what he calls a ‘cage match’ with other Republicans, so I don’t expect him to bring up any of these things. But if Trump hits him, how hard will he hit back?” “Trump says that he does not plan to bring up Cruz’s birth in Canada — but do we really believe that’s not going to happen?” Jenna Johnson emailed from Pensacola, Fla., where she covered last night’s Trump rally. “With that said, Trump has been a bit more mellow in the past few debates, focusing on the questions asked and usually saving his attacks for those who attack him first. I will be watching to see if he presides over the debate like a frontrunner or jumps into fights like a candidate who is worried about losing his lead.” A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, which posted at 5 p.m., shows Trump has only become stronger in the horse race. He leads with 33 percent of national Republican primary voters, up 6 points from last month. Cruz is second at 20 percent, followed by Marco Rubio at 13 percent and Ben Carson at 12 percent. Chris Christie and Jeb Bush are tied at 5 percent. No other Republican presidential candidate gets more than 3 percent. The most interesting nugget in the poll is that, in a hypothetical one-on-one race, Cruz leads Trump by 8 points (51-43), while Trump leads Rubio in a one-on-one matchup by 7 points (52-45.) In a three-way contest between these top three finishers, Trump gets 40 percent, Cruz 31 percent and Rubio 26 percent. Robert Costa explains why Cruz vs. Trump could be the deciding dynamic: “If the Texas senator emerges just slightly bruised but not broken from engagements with the billionaire — whether it’s over his birthplace, his voting record, or whatever — he will likely leave in a strong position and his performance would send a signal to Iowa conservatives especially that he has not been diminished by Trump’s pushing and prodding in recent weeks. For Cruz, it’s a challenge similar to the one Rubio faced at a debate last year when he was swiped by Bush. Everyone knew the attack was coming but the question was how it’d play out. That’s what Cruz faces tonight. A test — and a testy foil.” — Another question mark for Cruz: “The New York Times reported Wednesday that Cruz failed to disclose a loan he and his wife, who works at Goldman, took out to finance his 2012 Senate campaign. Cruz said it was an inadvertent error and the campaign said it will update FEC filings. “He has railed against big banks on the campaign trail,” Zezima notes. “Will someone bring this up? And if so, will Cruz get into the intricacies of loans and campaign filings, and if so, how will that play?” Marco Rubio in Nashua last week (Reuters/Brian Snyder) — How does Marco Rubio respond to the inevitable pile-on? “The New Year has brought fresh attacks in every which way, but the preponderance of them have been aimed at Rubio,” says Philip Rucker. “I am eager to see how the Florida senator handles the incoming fire expected on the debate stage tonight. It will be a test of whether he has the fortitude and agility to go the distance in this race.” Rubio beat reporter Sean Sullivan calls the senator “a marked man”: “For weeks, it looked like Rubio’s fierce rivalry with Cruz was his biggest worry. But headed into the debate, knocking down Christie may be his more urgent task. … Christie’s strategy has been to get personal: He’s been portraying Rubio as a weak through brash insults. Rubio has returned fire with policy, highlighting the more liberal elements of Christie’s past. Look for Rubio to hammer Christie on taxes tonight. Oh, and if you’re looking for some Rubio-Cruz fireworks, don’t worry, it’s a safe bet you’ll see those too, also on the issue of taxes, which Rubio has been leaning into this week.” Signs at chairs at a Jeb Bush event in Grinnell, Iowa, on Tuesday (Reuters/Aaron P. Bernstein) — Jeb says he’s fired up to attack Trump. Will he take him to the mat? “Bush enters the debate once again desperately in need of a good moment,” says Ed O’Keefe. “He remains stuck in the low single digits in recent polls out of Iowa and New Hampshire, two states where he’s deployed dozens of staffers in hopes of at least topping other ‘establishment’ rivals.” Campaigning in Iowa this week, the former Florida governor told reporters that: “We don’t have really much of a strategy, it’s just stop thinking of it as a debate. Don’t call it a debate – that gets me thinking the wrong way. It’s a performance, it’s a chance for me to express my views about things that I think are important for our country. There may be some comparin’ and contrastin.'” Bush seemed to telegraph his lines of attack earlier. He told Post columnist Kathleen Parker that, if a question posed to him begins with something like “You’ve said Trump isn’t a serious candidate,” “I’m going to go after him.” Bush also told Parker that he plans to highlight Trump’s bankruptcies and employee layoffs sparked by his companies’ failures. He said he also plans to highlight the story of a widow, Vera Coking, whose house Trump attempted to take over in order to build a parking lot near his Atlantic City casino. “Concerns about eminent domain come up frequently at Bush’s town halls in Iowa and New Hampshire, where energy companies are seeking to build gas pipelines,” O’Keefe flags. — Maybe the most striking finding in tonight’s NBC/WSJ poll is the growing GOP acceptance of Trump. In March, 23 percent of Republican primary voters said they could see themselves supporting him. Now it is 65 percent. For Cruz, it’s 71 percent. For Rubio, it’s 67 percent. BUT for Jeb, a mere 42 percent of Republicans say they can see themselves supporting him. That’s down from 75 percent in June. Nikki Haley in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford) — Nikki Haley will not be on stage, but will her State of the Union response become an issue? “It will be fascinating to see who goes out of their way to align themselves with the message that the South Carolina governor delivered earlier this week,” says Matea Gold. The governor, mentioned as a potential VP pick, has backtracked after declaring yesterday that Rubio believes in amnesty. She said she misspoke but reiterated her opposition to his “Gang of Eight” bill. Trump, meanwhile, has been willing to criticize the speech, specifically her call for the country to rise above the siren song of angry voices. John Kasich in Keene, N.H. (Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP) — After struggling to breakout, will John Kasich change his tack? “Kasich, who only secured entry in the debate after a strong New Hampshire poll, had failed to break out in previous rounds despite a focus on what he’d done in Ohio,” David Weigel emails. “After a November debate, when the Ohio governor repeatedly jumped in to answer or interject thoughts about other candidates’ questions, a focus group convened by Frank Luntz gave him one of the lowest scores the Republican strategist had ever seen. But after a meet and greet at a Charleston barbecue restaurant owned by an endorser (last night), Kasich brushed off a question about whether his approach to the debates would change. ‘Look, I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow,’ he said.” Ben Carson walks through the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa, last week. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) — Ben Carson promises to be more forceful tonight. Will anyone care? “Carson has focused heavily in recent months on convincing voters that he has a sufficient grasp of foreign policy to keep the nation safe if elected president. But even as he’s developed some confidence on these issues (which is pretty clear to reporters covering him on the trail), the reality is that no one is really listening to him anymore,” Jose DelReal emails. “Carson has indicated that he will try to seem more aggressive during the debate — with a little ‘pep in my step’ — with hopes of reversing the impression that he is too weak to be the president.” ‘You’re going to see me not being quite so polite as to never say anything unless somebody asks me something,’ Carson told CNN Tuesday.” — After tonight, the next Democratic debate is Sunday on NBC (also in South Carolina) and the next Republican debate is Jan. 28 on Fox News. SOCIAL MEDIA SPEED READ: — Zignal Insight: It’s been a month since Republicans gathered in Vegas for the last debate. Here’s a look from our analytics partners at Zignal Labs at what has happened since: Trump is still in his own category when it comes to total mentions across all media, followed by Cruz and Rubio. But we’ve seen a slow climb from Bush’s impact on social media. The former establishment front-runner has long lagged in social media presence behind many of his rivals. If social media attention is something akin to the ability to activate the netroots, Jeb is steadily climbing up the ranks. Zignal continues to see big fades from Carson and Fiorina. Over the last month, Carson has commanded just a 2 percent share of voice of the GOP field. That’s down from a 5 percent share from Nov. 15-Dec. 15 and a 15 percent share from mid-October through mid-November. Here are the word clouds for the GOP frontrunners since the Nevada debate: — Facebook says these are the five most discussed issues since the last GOP debate in the U.S.” Religion Iraq, Syria and ISIS The economy Homeland security and terrorism Guns The chart below shows the number of unique people on Facebook in the U.S. engaging in the conversation about each of the candidates – as well as the number of interactions those people made. “One way to say this is that in the last month, 4 million people in the U.S. on Facebook posted about, shared, liked or commented on content about Ted Cruz over 18 million times,” a spokesman for the social network explains. — Twitter says these are the top 10 most-tweeted-about moments of this cycle’s debates: Sanders says he doesn’t care about Hillary’s “damn emails” (52k Tweets Per Minute) Lincoln Chafee says he had “just arrived” in the Senate when repealing Glass-Steagall came up for a vote. (37k TPM) Sanders says “Congress does not regulate Wall Street, Wall Street regulates Congress” while Trump tweets that there’s “no STAR on stage tonight.” (35k TPM) Christie and Paul debate 9/11, hugs and the NSA. (34k TPM) Trump on Clinton attending his wedding, and telling Rand, “You’re having a hard time tonight.” (33k TPM) Trump responds to A question about the language he’s used to describe women. (32k TPM) Carly Fiorina responds to a question about Trump’s comments regarding her face. (30k TPM) Fiorina discusses Planned Parenthood and Iran the same night. (27k TPM) Trump invokes Columba Bush while discussing immigration. (25k TPM) Trump tells Bush, “You’re a tough guy, Jeb, I know.” (23k TPM) — Pictures of the day: Here’s a view from outside the debate venue: (cruzforpresident) And from center stage inside the coliseum: (seanmspicer) RNC strategist Sean Spicer likes the coffee bar, courtesy of Google: (seanmspicer) Meanwhile, Rand Paul gave the media the middle finger in an interview (He was booted from the main debate and won’t attend the undercard): (@aaronkastersky) Paul also discouraged supporters from watching the debates, directing them instead to his own town hall meeting: (@RandPaul –Tweets of the day: NBC’s Kasie Hunt spotted a Confederate flag in the sky outside the arena: (@kasie) Mike Huckabee met Miss South Carolina: (@GovMikeHuckabee) Ben Carson prebutted attacks on his foreign policy savvy: (@realBenCarson) And Jeb Bush flooded his Twitter feed with promotional videos: (@JebBush) –Instagrams of the day: Marco Rubio snap-chatted his debate walk-through: (marcorubiofla) John Kasich got a feel for the stage — in basketball shorts: (johnkasich) Chris Christie dressed a little more formally when he did the same: (chrischristie) Earlier, Donald Trump shared this photo from last night’s rally in Pensacola, Fla.: (realDonaldTrump) QUOTE OF THE DAY: Donald Trump thinks he’s generating more energy on the campaign trail than Ronald Reagan ever did. “Now, Reagan had a little bit of this, but I don’t think to the same extent,” The Donald said in an interview with Bloomberg’s “With All Due Respect.” “But he also won. So I haven’t been in that position yet… We have to see what happens. I think that the closest thing that I can think of is Reagan, but I don’t think it’s the intensity that we have.” (Jenna Johnson) VIDEOS OF THE DAY: Watch Donald Trump make three decades of cameos in movies and TV shows: (Washington Post) Watch Jimmy Fallon break down President Obama’s expressions, including this one: (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) Finally, DJ Khaled advises Jeb Bush on the keys to success, like sneakers and breakfast (Bush replied on Twitter here): (Jimmy Kimmel Live) Rubio released a video calling himself the “conservative choice” for the White House: (Marco Rubio) Again, you can follow tonight’s developments on our live blog. Talk to you again in the morning. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Twitter <http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/5915648.447449/aHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9Qb3dlclBvc3Q_d3BtbT0xJndwaXNyYz1ubF9kYWlseTIwMg/5483d5bc3b35d0d76d8c549cCaa63b751> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - You are receiving this email because you signed up for the The Daily 202 or were registered on washingtonpost.com or were invited as a VIP. For additional free newsletters or to manage your newsletters, click here: <http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/5915648.447449/aHR0cHM6Ly9zdWJzY3JpYmUud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL25ld3NsZXR0ZXJzP3dwbW09MSZ3cGlzcmM9bmxfZGFpbHkyMDI/5483d5bc3b35d0d76d8c549cCa074bd61>. We respect your privacy <http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/5915648.447449/aHR0cDovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vcHJpdmFjeS1wb2xpY3kvMjAxMS8xMS8xOC9nSVFBU0lpYWlOX3N0b3J5Lmh0bWw_d3BtbT0xJndwaXNyYz1ubF9kYWlseTIwMg/5483d5bc3b35d0d76d8c549cC4c7bd4b6>. If you believe that this email has been sent to you in error, or you no longer wish to receive email from The Washington Post, click here: <http://link.washingtonpost.com/oc/5483d5bc3b35d0d76d8c549c3isjk.9l95/2842d9c1>. Contact us <http://link.washingtonpost.com/click/5915648.447449/aHR0cDovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vYWN0bWdtdC9oZWxwLz93cG1tPTEmd3Bpc3JjPW5sX2RhaWx5MjAy/5483d5bc3b35d0d76d8c549cC7d7525ae> for help. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Copyright 2016 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071