Former President Trump on Monday, hours before the Iowa caucuses, told reporters: "We've won it twice, as you know."
The big picture: Trump has a massive polling lead in Iowa, while Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are likely battling over second place.
Clarence B. Jones — who helped draft Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech — told Axios the late civil rights leader would be "astonished if Trump were re-elected, but not that he is a candidate for president again."
Why it matters: Jones, MLK's lawyer, was a direct witness to some of the biggest moments of the Civil Rights Movement.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has been released from the hospital, the Defense Department said in a statement Monday.
Why it matters: The initial secrecy surrounding Austin's two-week hospitalization has prompted criticism from members of Congress, and President Biden called it a lapse in judgment.
Bernardo Arévalo was sworn in as Guatemala's new president early Monday after a nine-hour delay caused by opposing lawmakers.
The big picture: The inauguration's delay — which took place as ex-presidents and dignitaries from across the Americas, including from the U.S., waited for the ceremony — illustrates the challenges to democracy Guatemala faces. The challenges Arévalo has faced since the election also signal what's to come for the new president, who ran on an anti-corruption platform.
Black descendants of enslaved people once owned by members of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation are seeking full tribal membership in a case that's now backlogged in the tribe's court system.
Why it matters: Muscogee (Creek) Nation Freedmen are the latest group to seek full tribal membership amid a racial reckoning among Indigenous tribes and resistance from some tribal leaders.
A majority of Republican Iowa caucuses voters said they'll support former President Trump even if he is convicted of a crime before the general election, according to a new poll.
Why it matters: Trump, the GOP presidential front-runner, faces charges in four jurisdictions, including alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election in Georgia.
Republican presidential campaigns have poured an unprecedented $124 million-plus into video and TV advertising in Iowa, according to estimates from AdImpact.
Why it matters: The Iowa caucuses not only kick off the 2024 presidential primary, but they set the tone for the remainder of the campaign.
ANKENY, Iowa — Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are spending the final hours before tonight's Iowa caucuses in the snowy I-80 and I-35 corridors, courting suburban voters who want an alternative to GOP frontrunner Donald Trump.
Why it matters: The late rush in Iowa is a snow-covered version of election battles to come across the U.S. in 2024, as both parties fight for voters in suburbs that aren't heavily Republican red or Democratic blue.
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in support of Israel and against militarism as he became a leader of America's Civil Rights Movement. Today, with the Middle East in turmoil, both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict say his remarks show that he'd favor them.
Why it matters: King's words from the middle of the 20th century often are cited to bolster contemporary political positions without historical context — and debates about the Middle East are no different.
President Biden raised over $97 million for his re-election effort in the final three months of 2023, his campaign announced Monday morning.
Why it matters: It's Biden's strongest fundraising quarter yet and he enters an election year with $117 million cash on hand — likely to give him an advantage over his potential Republican rivals.
Republican presidential candidates campaigned in subzero temperatures in Iowa on Sunday in their final push the day before the nation's first presidential nominating contest of 2024, as the state faces the coldest caucus weather in decades.
The big picture: Former President Trump has polled consistently ahead of his 2024 rivals in the leadup to Iowa's caucuses. Many are watching to see how much of a threat his top rivals — former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — will prove. Some election officials have expressed concern that the frigid weather could impact turnout.
President Biden vowed Sunday his administration would continue efforts to free the hostages Hamas seized 100 days ago in the militant group's attack on Israel.
The big picture: Hamas seized some 240 hostages on Oct. 7 and more than 130 remain in captivity, including six Americans.
