What to expect from the second Republican presidential debate

The first one was interesting. This one? Don’t hold your breath.

The second Republican presidential debate will be held tonight in California at 9 p.m. Eastern. It will be televised by Fox Business Network and Univision. Fox News’ Dana Perino and Fox Business’ Stuart Varney will co-moderate.

Like the first debate, Donald Trump will not participate. Seven of the eight participants in the first debate will take part in this one: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum.

Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson did not qualify for this debate.

Perino tells Politico’s Kelly Garrity that this is the debate where the candidates might have to shift their attention away from President Joe Biden and to former President Donald Trump. Perino said, “They all agree about Joe Biden. The way to have a breakout moment is not about what you’re going to say about the current president. It’s about how you think that you would be a better president than the one we have now, or the one that we’ve had before that is running again.”

Christie has been the most critical of Trump, and Pence continues to defend himself for certifying election results on Jan. 6, 2021. Other than that, for the most part, candidates have hesitated to be too critical of Trump.

Perino said her biggest challenge will be keeping the candidates from breaking the rules and talking over each other — something that happened often in the first debate. Perino told Garrity, “It is on my mind, thinking about the control of the debate. A lot of that does rest with the candidates though. It’s up to the candidates to understand that if you’re talking over somebody that means that the microphones cancel each other out, and no one hears what you’re saying so it’s not productive. And I don’t know if there’s anything I can do about that.”

You might ask: With Trump dominating the polls, what are the candidates fighting for? Second place? A chance they could end up as Trump’s running mate? Perhaps, laying the groundwork for another run in 2028?

Or do they really believe they can win the nomination, either because they mount a serious comeback or because Trump’s legal woes keep him from running?

The New York Times’ Shane Goldmacher, Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan wrote, “Among those watching at home will be some of the Republican Party’s biggest donors who have so far held out from backing any of the candidates. Major contributors are planning to watch the second debate carefully, according to people in contact with several of them, in order to see who, if anyone, they might rally behind in the coming months.”

They added, “The most immediate stakes of the debate are likely financial. The last, major public fund-raising deadline before voting in the primary begins is at the end of September. Few events can generate waves of small donations — or help fence-sitting multimillionaires pick a candidate — quite like a powerful showing on the debate stage.”

Wait, the debate is on what?

Again, tonight’s debate is on Fox Business, not Fox News. Fox Business features such shows as “Mornings with Maria,” anchored by Maria Bartiromo, and Stuart Varney’s “Varney & Co.” It also has shows hosted by Larry Kudlow and Neil Cavuto.

In August, according to Nielsen, Fox Business averaged about 203,000 viewers during the day (9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.), which was slightly higher than CNBC (190,000), although CNBC did better in the 25 to 54 demo (38,000 to 15,000). Fox Business and CNBC had nearly identical total viewership numbers (195,000) during market hours (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.).

This, obviously, is Fox’s attempt to draw some attention to Fox Business, but tonight’s debate is likely to draw fewer viewers than the first debate on Fox News, partly because it’s on Fox Business and partly because this is the second debate.

The debate also will be televised on Univision.

The next Republican presidential debate will be held Nov. 8, but details, including who will televise it, haven’t been announced yet.

Speaking of Fox …

Donald Trump seems to go on some kind of rant daily on his Truth Social. On Tuesday, he directed his ire at Fox.

First, he went after tonight’s co-moderator Stuart Varney by writing, “Did Stuart Varney of Fox Business, who is hosting the upcoming ‘Job Application,’ ever apologize for probably purposely mixing up my Poll numbers with Ron DeSanctimonious, making it look like he was winning, when in fact he is being CRUSHED. Varney took a lot of heat, but I still haven’t heard the word, ‘SORRY!’ MAGA knew anyway, they didn’t have to look at a Fake Fox Post!!!”

Yes, that’s right, Trump is calling the Republican presidential debates “job applications.”

After the post about Varney, Trump took aim at Fox in general, writing, “I watched Fox & Friends this morning, and it is totally unrecognizable. All they do is ‘gush’ over job seeking candidates that are 50 Points, plus, down to your favorite President, or speak endlessly about people that will never run and, without cheating, could never win…And what ever happened to Steve? No wonder their ratings are way down. MAGA!”

The “Steve” he is referring to is Steve Doocy.

Trump then added, “Fox News was our VOICE, but sadly, that VOICE has developed a serious case of Laryngitis!!!”

X marks the spot

For all the hand-wringing, complaining and threats we make about X, formerly known as Twitter, Sunday was a perfect example of why we just can’t quit the social media juggernaut.

It was one of those special shared experiences, where we all came together over a moment that everyone was witnessing at the same time — Taylor Swift showing up at the Kansas City Chiefs football game to watch her maybe-boyfriend Travis Kelce.

Not that X owner Elon Musk gets credit or that X is suddenly a good thing again, but X became our proverbial water fountain, our town square. It’s where we all gathered to talk about Tayvis or Traylor or Swelce or whatever we are calling it.

In fact, it was the go-to place to share our excitement or disdain or joy or anger or whatever it was we were feeling.

And that’s where X still matters. When there is some sort of breaking viral news — be it political or international or sports or entertainment — it’s still the one place many of us go to share the moment.

Best line of the day

Talking about the whole Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce story, Defector’s Samer Kalaf had the best line: “Tayvis is a fascinating collision of two very famous people from distinctly separate worlds. It's a little like learning that Santa Claus and the Statue of Liberty were spotted at a dimly lit bar in the East Village.”

One more thing …

Eli Manning and his brother Peyton host the “ManningCast,” an alternative broadcast on ESPN2 for “Monday Night Football.” The Mannings don’t do traditional play by play. They watch the game and talk about it, just like they were hanging out in your living room.

They also occasionally have guests. Besides athletes, past big-name guests include Barack Obama, David Letterman, Snoop Dogg, Dwayne Johnson and many others from movies, TV and music.

You can guess who Eli wants on a future “ManningCast.”

“I think she would be a popular guest,” Eli said, obviously talking about Swift, in a conversation with Sports Illustrated’s Robin Lundberg. “Now that she’s a football fan and going to Chiefs games and connecting with Travis Kelce, our next Chiefs game — that's an easy ask. We’ll have to see if she wants to come on the show.”

We can probably answer that for Eli now: Uh, that’s an easy no.

Finally, for a good fun recap of it all, check out The Ringer’s Nora Princiotti with “The Definitive Guide to All Things Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.”

Important reporting

I wanted to take a moment to point out some important data-driven reporting from a relatively new investigative project.

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity and WBEZ Chicago are launching a three-part series looking into race and traffic stops.

Back in 2003, Illinois passed a measure sponsored by then-state Sen. Barack Obama that collected details from all traffic stops. The Investigative Project and WBEZ analyzed the 42.5 million records of traffic stop data in the 20 years since the measure was passed.

What did they find?

According to a release, “The percentage of Black drivers stopped by police continues to rise, unabated. A record number of law enforcement agencies are ignoring the law. And the state seems incapable of reversing the tide.”

The release also said key findings include:

• In the last two years, Black drivers have topped 30% of all traffic stops statewide, up from 17.5% in 2004, the first year data was released.
• In Chicago, where Black, white and Latino populations are roughly equal, traffic stops of Black drivers in 2022 were more than four times that of white drivers and more than twice that of Latino drivers.
• Beyond Chicago’s city limits, traffic stops also disproportionately affect Black drivers. Last year, traffic stops involving Black drivers made up 21% of all traffic stops throughout Illinois (excluding Chicago).

Laura S. Washington, a founding board member of the Investigative Project, said in the release, “This investigation is the kind of data-driven reporting, vivid storytelling and journalistic partnership that the Investigative

Project will be known for. As an Illinois state senator in 2003, Barack Obama sponsored the Traffic Stop Statistical Study Act to assess if drivers of color were treated equitably on our state’s roads. Our analysis and reporting demonstrates that Illinois and the Chicago area are still grappling with the consequences of systemic racism.”

The report will debut this morning on WBEZ-FM and wbez.org, as well as The Investigative Project on Race and Equity website.

The Investigative Project on Race and Equity was, it says, “created by a group of seasoned journalists and civic leaders who came together to preserve the distinctive brand of investigative journalism pioneered at The Chicago Reporter.” This is their inaugural project.

In its mission, the Investigative Project says it “trains journalists in data-driven reporting and collaborates with news organizations to uncover systemic racism. Our partnerships add depth to the coverage of underrepresented communities and help to build capacity within newsrooms to pursue in-depth projects. By working together, we also expand the reach of reporting on race and equity and amplify its impact.”

The founding board includes longtime Washington Post sports columnist Kevin B. Blackistone; ProPublica senior editor Rui Kaneya; and Washington, a Chicago Tribune contributing columnist and political analyst for ABC 7-Chicago.

Back to work

Back in July, I wrote about how McClatchy had laid off three Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonists, including Jack Ohman of The Sacramento Bee.

On Tuesday, the San Francisco Chronicle announced Ohman has been hired as a contributing columnist for the paper’s opinion section. Because his cartoons had been syndicated, Ohman’s work has appeared in the Chronicle for the past five years.

Editorial page editor Matthew Fleischer said in a statement, “We're thrilled that he’s expanding his role, and is now going to be able to call the Chronicle his home base.”

Ohman won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, and was a finalist in 2012.

Covering climate

The Los Angeles Times is launching a new section called Climate California.

The Times writes, “You can expect aggressive and impactful reporting on climate change, the natural world, health and science — and even more of the sophisticated, ambitious and approachable coverage that has earned the Los Angeles Times four Pulitzer Prizes in environmental journalism in the last two decades.”

More than a dozen reporters and contributors will work for a section that  includes coverage from the newly formed Environment, Health and Science department.

Media tidbits

• Sean McManus, chairman of CBS Sports, will retire next April after 27 years in that role. He will be replaced by Dave Berson, who has been president of CBS Sports for the past decade. McManus played a major role in CBS reacquiring the rights to broadcast the NFL, as well as obtaining or extending rights to such properties as college football, the PGA Tour, the Masters and UEFA. He will leave as one of the most impactful TV sports executives ever. He is the son of the late legendary sportscaster Jim McKay.
• My Poynter colleague Amaris Castillo with “63% of Black Americans say news about Black people is more negative, study finds.”
• Mediaite’s Colby Hall with “The Unlikely Hero of Ron DeSantis-Gavin Newsom Debate? Its Moderator, Sean Hannity.”
• For The Atlantic, Alex Reisner with “These 183,000 books are fueling the biggest fight in publishing and tech.”
• The New York Times’ Benjamin Mullin reports that New York Public Radio, which oversees WNYC, is going to cut its staff by about 12%. In a memo to staff, New York Public Radio president and chief executive LaFontaine Oliver said the layoffs are due to a “free fall in the advertising market.” He added, “I know this news is hard to hear, and knowing macroeconomic factors have led to this moment doesn’t soften the blow when national trends land on your own doorstep.”

Hot type

• The Wall Street Journal’s Neil Shah with “How Mick Jagger Has Kept the Rolling Stones in Business for Six Decades.”
• Catching up on this story from last week: The Los Angeles Times’ Stacy Perman with “Investigations into secret payments. A new sports colossus. Inside Vince McMahon’s last stand.”
• Vanity Fair’s Savannah Walsh with “Chevy Chase Claims Community Just ‘Wasn’t Funny Enough’ for Him.”

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Have feedback or a tip? Email Poynter senior media writer Tom Jones at [email protected].