Morning Must Reads: August 7

In a raucous and entertaining debate, the top 10 GOP presidential candidates faced off in Cleveland for the first time Thursday. The event did little to change the underlying dynamic of the race, but there were some readily apparent winners and losers.

Winners: Sen. Marco Rubio had the best performance of the night, mixing substance with humor and charisma unmatched by his rivals. It was a reminder of his potent political skills, but running a deliberately slow-and-steady campaign, don’t expect Rubio to overplay his victory. After barely making the debate stage, Ohio Gov. John Kasich had a strong showing on his home turf, proving his mettle in the race. And New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie scored the clearest head-to-head win of the evening, dominating a showdown with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul over government surveillance. The bottom two candidates in the polls on stage, the two outspoken governors displayed why they have the potential to grow their support.

Losers: Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee appeared to fade into the background for much of the debate, and though they had entertaining moments, did little to advance their campaigns for the White House. Paul, who came out swinging against Christie and Donald Trump emerged from both scuffles worse for the wear, failing to expand his reach beyond his libertarian base.

The rest of the field: Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush‘s primary job was to do no harm to his campaign, and despite a few answers that descended into a word salad, he accomplished that goal. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker set out to introduce himself to the American people—sometimes at the expense of directly answering the question—but didn’t do much to move the needle. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz scored a few sound-bites, but overall was barely a factor on stage.

Category unto his own: Trump. Despite indications he would try to tone things down, the real estate magnate and reality television star was exactly who he’s been on the campaign trail: brash, outspoken, and unyielding. His fights with the Fox News moderators, especially Megyn Kelly, will likely energize his most committed supporters, but could mark an inflection point.

In the earlier undercard debate, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina was the consensus victor, having delivered a consistently strong performance on stage. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry‘s appearance was slightly uneven (at one point, he called Ronald Reagan, ‘Ronald Raven’) but he was largely successful at showing he’s a more serious candidate than four years ago. Both may see a boost—that is if their performances weren’t over-shadowed by the more exciting main event.

Here are your must-reads:

Must Reads

What You Missed While Not Watching the Primetime Republican Debate
TIME’s Michael Scherer provides a debate run-down

Watching the Republican Debate With the Clinton Campaign
The view from Brooklyn from TIME’s Sam Frizell

Trump Blasts ‘Nasty,’ ‘Unfair’ Debate Questions
After testy exchanges, he attacks the moderators [TIME]

Chuck Schumer Opposes Iran Nuclear Deal, Shaking Democratic Firewall
The future Democratic leader breaks with Obama [New York Times]

Sound Off

“I cannot say. I have to respect the person that, if it’s not me, the person that wins, if I do win, and I’m leading by quite a bit, that’s what I want to do. I can totally make that pledge. If I’m the nominee, I will pledge I will not run as an independent. But — and I am discussing it with everybody, but I’m, you know, talking about a lot of leverage. We want to win, and we will win. But I want to win as the Republican. I want to run as the Republican nominee.” — Donald Trump earning boos as he refused to rule out a third-party run and declined to pledge to endorse the eventual GOP nominee

“Well, I don’t know. I didn’t get a phone call from Bill Clinton before I jumped in the race. Did any of you get a phone call from Bill Clinton? I didn’t. Maybe it’s because I hadn’t given money to the foundation or donated to his wife’s Senate campaign.” — Carly Fiorina taking a thinly-veiled shot at Donald Trump, whom she suggested was helping Clinton’s candidacy

Bits and Bites

Spurned GOP Candidates Have Dinner Together During Main Debate [TIME]

Here Are Some of the Tough Questions Megyn Kelly Asked at the Debate [TIME]

Jeb Bush Accidentally Leaks His Debate Attack Plan [Politico]

Kim Kardashian Met With Hillary Clinton During GOP Debate [TIME]

Carly Fiorina Left Her Debate Remarks on a Hotel Printer [TIME]

Donald Trump Flight Simulator [TIME]

Democrats Will Hold First Debate in October [TIME]

California Court Gets One Step Closer to Deciding Uber’s Fate [TIME]