Happy Thursday! Attention, all Starbucks drinks are half off today until 6 p.m.🚨 America will run on peppermint mochas today lol. And Hannukkah begins at sundown tonight. Happy Hanukkah to all our readers who celebrate!

• The once-crowded GOP debate stage shrunk to four candidates last night — and it was a nasty night. But Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had his best performance so far.
• Anselm College is hosting one of my favorite events of the presidential campaign cycle today — the Lesser Known Candidates forum! Keep reading for the livestream link.
• Pantone announced the 2024 color of the year — “Peach Fuzz.”
• Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) announced departure is setting up a worrisome vote card for House Republicans.

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-release.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

GOP presidential candidates Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie duked it out Wednesday night in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

1. Haley, who has been surging in popularity lately, was (obviously) the top target of the night.
2. DeSantis had his strongest debate performance yet.
3. Christie had knives out for former President Trump, calling him a “dictator” and a “bully.”
4. Haley and DeSantis also took their swipes at Trump, but in a much more muted way.
5. I don’t think anyone came out of the debate feeling warm and fuzzy. It was the nastiest so far.

Breakdown of the debate takeaways, via The Hill’s Caroline Vakil, Jared Gans and Julia Manchester

Winners: DeSantis, Trump

Mixed: Haley, Christie

Loser: Ramaswamy

^ Why Ramaswamy had such a bad night: He had nasty attack after nasty attack, pumped oxygen into conspiracy theories and his scribbled piece of paper came off as gimmicky.

Explainers for the others’ night, via The Hill’s Niall Stanage

This is giving me a headache!: I think all four — and a moderator — are speaking at this particular moment. Watch

During a commercial break: Christie walked over to talk to the debate moderators. Photo from NewsNation’s Kellie Meyer

Christie compared Ramaswamy to a ‘drunk driver’: “If you look at their performances last night, Vivek Ramaswamy is a drunk driver on the debate stage,” Christie told Fox & Friends on Thursday. “You never know where he’s going, what he’s going to do …” (The Hill)

^ Annnd: Fox News host Steve Doocy slammed Ramaswamy’s debate performance as “embarrassing.”

Enjoy the meme: Ramaswamy held a sign that read, “Nikki = Corrupt.” Well, The Lincoln Project erased the message and posted a blank template for social media users. “Go nuts,” they posted. Here’s the meme template

5 memorable moments

The Hill’s Julia Manchester reports that Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Ronna McDaniel is facing mounting criticism following the GOP’s recent defeats. Examples — and what this could mean for Republicans in 2024

Washington Post journalists are holding a 24-hour strike today over union negotiations.

The Guild accused management of refusing “to bargain in good faith” — and pointed to recent layoffs and proposed buyouts that could potentially lead to more layoffs.

If you want to get involved: The Guild is asking Washington Post readers not to interact with any of their content today. (The Hill)

Former President Trump is appearing in the New York civil fraud today as his defense team testifies.

Refresher on the case: “The New York attorney general’s office accused Trump, his business and several executives — including Trump’s adult sons — of falsely adjusting the value of the business’s assets to receive lower taxes and better insurance coverage in a lawsuit filed last year.” What to expect today, via The Hill’s Ella Lee.

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced Wednesday that he is leaving Congress at the end of the month.

💡 Why his departure matters: The resignation of McCarthy, combined with the expulsion of former Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) makes Republicans’ razor-thin majority even tighter. Depending on timing of special elections and resignations, it’s possible that House Republicans could only afford to lose two (!) votes on any party-line measure. The Hill’s Emily Brooks has a helpful explainer on why McCarthy’s departure matters. (The Hill)

🎵Please click here for your soundtrack for the next few lines 🎵

The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell gave us an eloquent throwback to some of the highs and lows of McCarthy’s 17-year career on Capitol Hill.

Young Guns: “After arriving in Congress in 2007, McCarthy quickly joined forces with two other up-and-coming Republicans — Reps. Paul Ryan (Wis.) and Eric Cantor (Va.) — who, beginning in the mid-aughts, sought to remold the image of the GOP.”

Freedom Caucus blocked his ascension: “When Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) resigned in 2015, McCarthy, as majority leader, was widely expected to replace him at the top of the party. It didn’t happen.” McCarthy caused a stir by suggesting the Benghazi investigation was political.

More key moments that defined McCarthy’s tenure —His Jan. 6 stance, the historic Speakership race and the debt ceiling victory.

Throwback: C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman posted a video of McCarthy’s first appearance on C-SPAN in July 2000. He held up a CD-ROM while talking about emerging technologies. Watch the clip

‘McCarthy’s Exit May Create Even More Headaches for the Tiny G.O.P. Majority’: The New York Times

A man who is running for ex-Rep. George Santos’s (R-N.Y.) House seat was convicted on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Keep in mind: 19 people (!) are running for this seat.

🍭 Celebrate: Today is National Cotton Candy Day!

🍑 The 2024 color of the year!: Pantone announced that “Peach Fuzz” is its 2024 color of the year. Photo of the color — and Pantone’s reasoning

☕️Starbucks drinks are half off: Starbucks is offering half-off drinks every Thursday afternoon through the end of the year. (People)

💪 ‘Taylor Swift Shares Her Eras Tour Workout and Self-Care Regimen’: From TIME

^ My favorite post about Swift’s TIME Person of the Year announcement: Taylor Swift posted, “Time Magazine: We’d like to name you Person of the Yea-

Me: Can I bring my cat.” The photo

‘Experts thought they knew how the economy worked. After the pandemic, they’re not so sure.’: The Hill

‘How Israel Is Using Real-Time Battlefield Intelligence to Target Hamas’: The New York Times

‘Rick Santorum is back — the “patron saint” of every 2024 long-shot campaign’: Politico

‘Hundreds of Jewish organization staffers press Biden on Gaza cease-fire’: The Hill

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. (all times Eastern)

• This morning: The Hill hosted the “U.S. Healthcare’s Annual Checkup.” 💻 Watch
• 1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby brief reporters. 💻 Livestream
• 1:45 p.m.: A Senate cloture vote on a nomination. 🗓️ Today’s agenda
• 3 p.m.: Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff host a holiday reception, followed by another reception at 5 p.m.
• 4 p.m. — one of my favorite events of the campaign cycle: The New Hampshire Institute of Politics hosts the Lesser-Known Candidates forum in Manchester, N.H. 💻 Livestream

Because you made it this far, here’s a dog with a fabulously independent sense of style.