What’s next for Gov. DeSantis after second place finish in Iowa?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis finished in second place in Iowa on Monday night as the race now shifts to New Hampshire and South Carolina with questions swirling about what the second place finish will mean for his campaign going forward. DeSantis outperformed some polling expectations on Monday night finishing at roughly 21% when the Real Clear Politics average of polls showed him at 15.7% before votes were cast. However, Trump won a decisive victory with over 50% of the vote, the largest margin of victory in Iowa Caucus history, in a state where DeSantis had gone “all in” with his campaign’s time and resources. The DeSantis campaign touted the performance by saying that the Florida governor “earned his ticket out of Iowa.” Former Ambassador Nikki Haley, who many pundits believed was surging in Iowa and could potentially finish ahead of DeSantis, finished in 3rd place a couple of points behind DeSantis. WHY IOWA PACKS A MEDIA PUNCH, EVEN THOUGH IT’S SMALL AND UNREPRESENTATIVE “They threw everything at Ron DeSantis,” a senior DeSantis campaign official told Fox News Digital late Monday night. “They couldn’t kill him. He is not only still standing, but he’s now earned his ticket out of Iowa. This is going to be a long battle ahead, but that is what this campaign is built for. The stakes are too high for this nation and we will not back down.” During his Monday night speech, DeSantis struck a defiant tone while speaking to his supporters. “I can tell you, because of your support, in spite of all of that they threw at us, everyone against us, we’ve got our ticket punched out of Iowa,” DeSantis said. “This is our responsibility to carry this torch and to preserve this sacred fire of liberty, DeSantis said. “We thank you for your effort. We thank you for your support. You helped us get a ticket punched out of the Hawkeye State. We have a lot of work to do, but I can tell you this as the next President of the United States, I am going to get the job done for this country. I am not going to make any excuses and I guarantee you this. I will not let you down.” Despite the close 2nd place finish, questions about whether DeSantis has the momentum and funding to compete with Trump in future states are likely to continue. Kellyanne Conway, former senior advisor to President Trump, told Fox News before the caucuses on Monday night that DeSantis “should continue on whether he finishes second or third.” Fox News Chief Political Analyst Brit Hume pointed out that a second place finish in Iowa has historically led to securing the nomination on the GOP side. “Let’s not forget that second place has led to a lot of people winning the nomination in Iowa, you finish second in Iowa it’s worth something,” Hume said as the results were coming in on Monday night. “There are a lot of places where it wouldn’t be and in the coming races in the future it won’t be as much but out here when you win second you go on and who knows you might win the nomination.” Some on social media have called for DeSantis, and the other candidates, to drop out of the race given Trump’s dominant and historic victory on Monday night winning by roughly 30 points. THIS 2024 GOP CANDIDATE WAS TARGETED BY WAY MORE ATTACK ADS THAN ANY OTHER HEADING INTO THE PRIMARY ELECTIONS “Deciding to drop out is the hardest decision a presidential candidate can make. It’s deeply personal and emotional, no matter how obvious or rational it seems,” GOP strategist Alex Conant, founding partner at Firehouse Strategies, told Fox News Digital hours before the votes were cast in Iowa on Monday night. “If DeSantis does not beat Trump in Iowa tonight, he won’t beat him anywhere and his campaign will be effectively over. But it will be up to him when to drop out, and that’s anyone’s guess.” DeSantis, who will hold two campaign events in South Carolina on Tuesday before flying to New Hampshire to campaign, has said multiple times that he is staying in the race regardless of Monday’s outcome in Iowa. “This campaign is built for the long-haul,” DeSantis Comms Director Andrew Romeo said on January 12. “We intend to compete for every single available delegate in New Hampshire, Nevada, South Carolina and then into March. That begins on Monday’s Iowa Caucus, and the next day we will kick our campaign into overdrive in both South Carolina and New Hampshire.” “We hope Donald Trump is ready for a long, scrappy campaign as we work to share Ron DeSantis’ vision across America. Game on.” Because Iowa awards delegates proportionately, all of the top four candidates will receive delegates. Trump currently holds large leads in the polls in both New Hampshire and South Carolina. The former president, according to the Real Clear Politics average of polls, holds a 14 point lead in New Hampshire and a 30 point lead in South Carolina. The DeSantis campaign has touted his endorsements in Haley’s home state of South Carolina pointing out that he has earned more than she has. “Despite South Carolina being Nikki Haley’s home state, DeSantis has already built up an impressive grassroots organization,” a campaign spokesperson recently told Fox News Digital. “He has endorsements from 74 current and former elected officials, while Haley has just 14. This includes 19 state legislators for DeSantis, compared to Haley’s 11.”
Senate to begin vote Tuesday on temporary funding patch to avoid government shutdown
The Senate is expected to hold a cloture vote Tuesday evening, inching closer to passing another temporary spending patch known as a continuing resolution (CR) that Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., agreed upon to avert a government shutdown. Cloture is a procedure to limit debate on a bill, aiming to move toward a final vote. “To avoid a shutdown, it will take bipartisan cooperation in the Senate and the House to quickly pass the CR and send it to the President’s desk before Friday’s funding deadline,” Schumer said in a statement on Sunday night. “The bipartisan topline funding agreement reached ensures that America will be able to address many of the major challenges our country faces at home and abroad. It is clear that a Continuing Resolution is necessary to give the Appropriations Committee additional time to finish drafting their bills to reflect the new agreement,” he wrote. SENATE NOT EXPECTED TO RELEASE TEXT ON BORDER PACKAGE THIS WEEK On Sunday night, the Senate Appropriations Committee released the text of the CR to avert a partial government shutdown at the end of this week. The CR is still a “laddered” approach, with deadlines extended for funding government agencies until March 1 and March 8. Schumer indicated the CR will follow the same structure as the current one that is set to expire on Jan. 19 and Feb. 2. This implies that the initial set of programs facing expiration includes those covered by the Agriculture, Energy-Water, Military Construction-VA, and Transportation-HUD spending bills. The subsequent set falls within the Commerce-Justice-Science, Defense, Financial Services-General Government, Homeland Security, Interior-Environment, Labor-HHS-Education, Legislative Branch, and State-Foreign Operations spending bills. The aim of having two separate deadlines is to prevent Congress from passing a comprehensive “omnibus” spending bill, a stance widely opposed by Republicans. Earlier this month, Johnson and Schumer struck an agreement to establish the government’s discretionary spending levels at $1.59 trillion for fiscal year 2024. Additionally, they would adhere to a supplementary agreement for an extra $69 billion, originally negotiated between former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Biden, with Johnson negotiating $16 billion in added cuts to offset that. DEMS, GOP AT STANDSTILL ON BORDER SECURITY DEAL WITH SEVERAL ‘UNANSWERED ISSUES’ REMAINING Meanwhile, Congress still has to deal with the White House’s $110 billion national security supplemental request with aid to Ukraine, in addition to an ongoing border security deal on which lawmakers are seeking agreement. Republican lawmakers threatened last week to hold up government funding in exchange for stronger border security during a press conference led by Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Md. A bipartisan group of lawmakers began border talks with White House officials in December but have been unsuccessful in reaching a deal.
Republican presidential primary battle moves on to New Hampshire after Trump romps in Iowa
Former President Donald Trump, celebrating his landslide victory in Iowa’s Republican presidential caucus, quickly set his sights on the state that votes next in the GOP nominating calendar. “It’s now off to New Hampshire, a great place,” Trump told supporters at his victory celebration in Iowa’s capital and largest city. Trump, the commanding GOP frontrunner in his bid to win back his old job in the White House, bulldozed his rivals in Iowa’s lead-off contest. He captured a majority of the vote on Monday night, shattering the old record for margin of victory in Iowa’s Republican caucuses, and his lightning fast victory was a first step toward capturing the GOP nomination. WATCH: TRUMP’S SPEECH TO IOWA SUPPORTERS AFTER CAUCUS VICTORY Trump made history last year as the first former or current president to be indicted for a crime, but his four indictments, including charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss, have only fueled his support among Republican voters. Heading into the caucuses, Trump enjoyed a massive lead in public opinion polls in Iowa and in national surveys in the GOP nomination race. “He basically met expectations, and that’s what he wanted. He wanted to be over 50, and he did it,” longtime Republican strategist and Iowa campaign veteran David Kochel told Fox News. “Trump did what he needed to do.” CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST VOTE COUNT IN THE IOWA CAUCUSES Season Iowa-based Republican strategist Jimmy Centers told Fox News that Trump “won across all demographics…it tells me they had a very sophisticated data-driven operation. They knew where their margins were. They hit those in the final stretch to get that number up over 50%. It’s a really impressive showing.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who staked much of his presidential campaign on a strong finish in Iowa, narrowly edged out former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, who served as U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, for a distant second place to the former president. “They threw everything but the kitchen sink at us,” DeSantis said in a Monday night speech to supporters, referencing the onslaught of negative attacks and ads he faced from his rivals. “Because of your support, in spite of all of that that they threw at us, everyone against us, we’ve got our ticket punched out of Iowa,” he touted. WATCH DESANTIS’ SPEECH TO IOWA SUPPORTERS 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. However, after a series of campaign setbacks over the summer and autumn, and the withering attacks from Trump and his allies, DeSantis saw his support in the polls erode. Heading into the caucuses, DeSantis was betting that his vaulted ground game in Iowa, which is heavily reliant on the aligned super PAC Never Back Down, would carry him across the finish line. Haley grabbed momentum during the fall months and caught up with DeSantis for second place in polls in Iowa and in national surveys in recent weeks. She also surged to second place, surpassing DeSantis and narrowing the gap with Trump, in New Hampshire, the state that holds the first primary and second overall contest in the GOP nominating calendar. The Granite State’s Jan. 23 primary is just a week away. WHAT HALEY TOLD SUPPORTERS IN IOWA ON MONDAY NIGHT Haley, addressing her supporters on Monday night, once again framed the nomination race as a contest between herself and Trump. “When you look at how we’re doing in New Hampshire, in South Carolina, and beyond, I can safely say tonight Iowa made this Republican primary a two-person race,” she argued. Multimillionaire biotech entrepreneur and first time candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, who relentlessly campaigned across Iowa in recent months, suspended his campaign after finishing a distant fourth place. Ramaswamy said he called Trump to congratulate him and said he would attend a rally with the former president in New Hampshire on Tuesday. “There needs to be an America First candidate in this race,” Ramaswamy said. “Going forward, he will have my full endorsement for the presidency.” Turnout in the caucuses, which will likely be around 110,000 when all votes are counted, is the lowest in over two decades. The frigid sub-zero temperatures that followed a weekend blizzard appeared to depress turnout in Iowa. But Centers noted that Trump’s “people were still that motivated to come out and show up. It speaks to his grip on the party and if any other candidate wants a shot at slowing him down in this race for the nomination, they need very quick field consolidation. And someone needs to stop him in New Hampshire.” New Hampshire, where independent and moderate voters play a crucial role in the state’s storied presidential primary, rarely follows in Iowa’s footsteps. Kochel, pointing to DeSantis and Haley, emphasized that “the race for second kind of still looks muddled. They both kind of limp on with Haley holding the stronger cards” in New Hampshire and her home state, which holds the first southern contest in late February. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Northern Iraq hit by Iranian missile strikes
NewsFeed Northern Iraq has been hit by missiles launched by Iran’s military, which says it was targeting “espionage centres” linked to Israel and other “anti-Iranian” groups in the Kurdish region. Officials there say that civilian areas were hit and that at least four civilians were killed. Published On 16 Jan 202416 Jan 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Israel’s war on Gaza: List of key events, day 102
EXPLAINER Gaza suffers its seventh communications blackout since October 7 amid relentless Israeli strikes in the Palestinian enclave. Here’s how things stand on Tuesday, January 16, 2024: Latest updates and human impact Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have claimed responsibility for five ballistic missiles that struck the city of Erbil in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq. The attack occurred late on Monday night, killing at least four people and injuring another six, according to the Kurdistan government’s security council. Israeli attacks killed at least 25 people in Gaza on Monday night, including 11 Palestinians from two families in Miraj, in the north of Rafah, reported Palestinian news agency Wafa. At least 24,100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7, and 60,834 others have been injured, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health. Hamas appeared to show the bodies of two Israeli hostages in a video released on Monday, claiming that they were killed by Israeli air strikes. In the seventh communications blackout since October 7, telecommunication services in Gaza remained shut down for the third consecutive day on Monday, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA). Diplomacy In a post to X on Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for sexual violence claims against Hamas to “be rigorously investigated and prosecuted”. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian described the United States and United Kingdom’s military strikes on Houthi targets as a “strategic mistake” in a phone call on Monday with Guterres, according to the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). On Tuesday, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region called on Iraq’s federal government to take a “principled position” following Iran’s “cowardly attack” on the city of Erbil. He also said the strike was a “flagrant violation of Iraq’s and the Kurdistan region’s sovereignty”. Israel’s cabinet on Monday passed an amended 2024 state budget, adding $15bn for war, said the finance ministry and Prime Minister’s Office. West Bank raids and violence The Israeli army says it has redeployed an elite unit from Gaza to the occupied West Bank, where it says the situation is “spiralling”, reported Al Jazeera correspondent, Hamdah Salhut, on Tuesday. Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles at dawn in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah after midnight on Monday, reported Wafa. On Monday, Israeli soldiers raided the home of Ahmed and Mohammed Zeidat, whom they accuse of carrying out a car ramming and stabbing attack in Raanana, near Tel Aviv, killing one person and injuring at least 14 others, according to Al Jazeera correspondent, Ayman Nobani. Adblock test (Why?)
Messi edges Haaland and Bonmati completes sweep at FIFA awards
Messi pips Haaland after tie-breaker to pick men’s best player, as Guardiola and Wiegman are named best coaches. Lionel Messi was crowned as the best men’s player for 2023, while Aitana Bonmati added to her collection of individual accolades by winning the women’s award at FIFA’s award ceremony in London. Messi retained the award on Monday night by beating Manchester City’s treble-winning Norwegian striker Erling Haaland in a tie-break as France’s Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe finished third. The 36-year-old was a surprise victor ahead of Haaland as the award covered only the period after Messi had led Argentina to World Cup glory in December 2022 to August 2023. During that time the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner had a subdued end to his career at Paris Saint-Germain, despite winning the Ligue 1 title, before joining MLS side Inter Miami in June. While Messi quickly made his mark in the United States as he helped the franchise to their first trophy by winning the Leagues Cup in August, Haaland was the favourite to win after scoring 52 goals in his debut season with City as the English side won a treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup. After receiving the same number of points (48) from a scoring system based on votes from national team captains, coaches, journalists and fans, Messi was crowned victor thanks to more first-choice nominations. However, all three of the men’s finalists did not attend the ceremony leaving Arsenal and France legend Thierry Henry, who was co-hosting the event, to pick up the award in Messi’s absence. #TheBest around. 💫 pic.twitter.com/OfGV3XgNfr — FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) January 15, 2024 Bonmati’s ‘exceptional and unique year’ But World Cup champion Bonmati showed up – and cleaned up. The 25-year-old Spain playmaker added to her Ballon d’Or award last October, which followed a UEFA award in August and the Golden Boot award at the World Cup. It was after she led Spain to World Cup glory and Barcelona to the Champions League title. She was named player of the tournament for both competitions. Bonmati edged out Spain teammate Jenni Hermoso and Colombia star Linda Caicedo. “A couple of weeks ago when 2023 came to an end, I was nostalgic because 2023 was an exceptional and unique year I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Bonmati. “I’m proud of being part of a powerful generation of women who are changing the rules of the game and the world.” Pep Guardiola was named best coach after masterminding City’s first-ever Champions League success. “We’re here because we won a lot and the thousands of people involved in our success,” said Guardiola. “I’m really happy for the season we had because it was an incredible journey. In the end, we did it, but the pleasure of being there was incredible.” Haaland was joined by five of his club teammates – Kyle Walker, John Stones, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne – in the team of the year. Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois, Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior, Messi and Mbappe made up the 11. City’s Ederson won men’s goalkeeper of the year, while England and Manchester United stopper Mary Earps picked up the women’s award. England national team boss Sarina Wiegman won the women’s coach of the year after leading the Lionesses to the World Cup final. Seven of England’s women were included in the team of the year: Earps, Lucy Bronze, Alex Greenwood, Keira Walsh, Alessia Russo, Lauren James and Ella Toone. Olga Carmona, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, was the only other Spaniard included alongside Bonmati with American star Alex Morgan and Australia’s Sam Kerr also selected. The Brazilian men’s team won the fair play award after they donned an all-black shirt for the first time in a show of support for forward Vinicius, who suffered several incidents of racist abuse while playing for Madrid last year. There was also Brazilian success in the Puskas award for the best goal, scored by Botafogo’s Guilherme Madruga for his spectacular overhead kick. Adblock test (Why?)
SC stays HC order for court-monitored survey of Shahi Idgah Mosque in Mathura
The bench said there are certain legal issues which have arisen and questioned the ‘vague’ application made before the high court for appointment of a court commissioner for the survey.
Video: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh cleans Hanuman Setu temple in Lucknow ahead of ‘Pran Pratishtha’ event
On Sunday, BJP president JP Nadda launched a nationwide cleanliness drive at temples.
Vivek Ramaswamy ends presidential bid following Iowa caucuses
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has suspended his campaign and is throwing his support behind former President Trump after falling short at Monday’s Iowa Caucuses, Fox News Digital has confirmed. Ramaswamy earned roughly 8% support among caucusgoers, trailing behind both Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley finishing at second and third each at roughly 20% while Trump shattered contested caucus records earning more than 50% of the vote. Ramaswamy, who entered the race in February of last year with virtually zero name recognition, outlasted several big-name Republicans including former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and former Vice President Mike Pence. TRUMP WINS IOWA, FOX NEWS DECISION DESK PREDICTS DESANTIS WILL TAKE SECOND PLACE A big focus of his campaign was restoring America’s identity and his call to demolish the bureaucratic state by dramatically cutting the size of federal government. The 38-year-old also argued that Republicans needed to elect a candidate with “fresh legs” in an attempt to draw contrast between himself and 77-year-old Trump, who he had regularly declared the “greatest president” of his lifetime. While the Iowa caucuses didn’t go his way, it wasn’t because Ramaswamy didn’t put the effort in. His campaign touted that he had completed the “Full Grassley” twice, meaning he had visited all of Iowa’s 99 counties at least two times. And he held more campaign events than any other candidate running in the Hawkeye State. Ramaswamy, a multimillionaire, largely funded his own campaign. Even Trump himself appeared to be threatened by Ramaswamy in the late stages of the race, attacking him on Truth Social within days of the Iowa Caucuses. VIVEK RAMASWAMY WITHHOLDS ‘FRIENDLY FIRE’ AFTER TRUMP ATTACK: ‘I’M NOT GOING TO CRITICIZE HIM’ The biotech entrepreneur began earning attention in conservative circles with the release of his 2021 book “Woke, Inc.,” which put a spotlight on how identity politics and social justice movements have plagued corporations. But he started becoming a household name for his bombastic performances at the Republican debates, sparring with several of the establishment-friendly GOP candidates, especially Haley, who he had branded as “corrupt” on a notepad he held up in what quickly became a meme on social media. RAMASWAMY URGES SUPREME COURT TO OVERTURN COLORADO DECISION, FILES AMICUS BRIEF IN SUPPORT OF TRUMP Ramaswamy’s rise in the polls throughout 2023 may be credited to his embrace of media appearances, rarely saying no to an invitation regardless of the size of the platform and how adversary the outlet, while other candidates were more cautious when it came to granting interviews. The young political outsider was widely praised for how he would engage with hostile attendees at campaign events who would confront him on issues like abortion, climate change and trans issues, often becoming viral moments with Ramaswamy being heralded as an effective communicator. He was also cheered on by the conservative base for his combative exchanges with members of the legacy media. Critics hit Ramaswamy for constantly defending Trump amid his legal woes and showering him with praise throughout his candidacy, so much so that Ramaswamy was accused of being a de facto Trump surrogate in the race. He faced accusations of being a flip-flopper on various issues like his views of Jan. 6. Ramaswamy was also heavily targeted by GOP rivals for his foreign policy positions during the debates. Ramaswamy was frequently joined on the campaign trail by his surgeon wife Apoorva and their two young boys. He often spoke about how his Hindu faith was aligned with the values of Evangelical Christian voters in the state. While his White House aspirations were cut short in 2024, many believe Ramaswamy has a long future in conservative politics, with some thinking he will land a spot in Trump’s cabinet and others predicting another presidential bid in the not too distant future.
DeSantis edges Haley for second place finish in Iowa, behind Trump’s historic caucus win
The Fox News Decision Desk projects that Gov. Ron DeSantis will take second place in the Iowa caucuses. DeSantis will trail Trump by a significant margin, but coming in second may give his campaign a much needed boost. The Fox News Decision Desk projects DeSantis has edged former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who comes in third, as he tries to make the case that he is the true alternative candidate to former President Donald Trump in the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Haley will look to regain support in New Hampshire. Vivek Ramaswamy comes in fourth in the Iowa caucuses. The contest between Haley and DeSantis quickly heated up between the two Southern conservatives after entrepreneur Ramaswamy’s rise in the polls fizzled following the first presidential debate. Haley and DeSantis continued to battle in Iowa and elsewhere to convince voters it was a two-candidate race between them and Trump. TRUMP QUICKLY SECURES VICTORY IN IOWA, OTHERS BATTLE FOR SECOND IN FIRST GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATING ELECTION It’s unclear what Haley’s path to victory will be considering Trump’s commanding lead in the upcoming New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries, although recent polls suggest she stands in a distant second place in both contests ahead of DeSantis. Ahead of the Fox News Decision Desk second-place call, the DeSantis campaign indicated to Fox News Digital in a statement that the former governor would be pushing ahead in the race for the GOP nomination. “They threw everything at Ron DeSantis. They couldn’t kill him. He is not only still standing, but he’s now earned his ticket out of Iowa. This is going to be a long battle ahead, but that is what this campaign is built for. The stakes are too high for this nation and we will not back down,” a senior DeSantis campaign official said. This is a developing story. Check back here for updates. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.