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National

GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign confirmed Tuesday that it has ceased TV ad spending ahead of next month's Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary.

Why it matters: Traditional broadcast TV ads make up a majority of political advertising spending in the U.S. and are an essential component of political campaigns.

The unusual decision to stop spending money on TV ads comes less than a month before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary offer a snapshot of the state of the presidential race, which still boasts a crowded slate of candidates.

NBC News first reported that the Ramaswamy campaign had stopped buying TV ads and doesn't have any currently booked.

State of play: Ramaswamy's campaign will continue spending on other forms of advertising, with the new strategy being the result of "following the data," Ramaswamy's spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, told Axios.

"We are focused on bringing out the voters we've identified — best way to reach them is using addressable advertising, mail, text, live calls and doors to communicate with our voters on Vivek's vision for America, making their plan to caucus and turning them out," McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin acknowledged that "this isn't what most campaigns look like" but said the strategy would enable the campaign to be "nimble and hyper-targeted in our ad spending."

The big picture: The U.S. political ad market is projected to reach roughly $16 billion in 2024.

In November, Ramaswamy launched a massive advertising campaign focused on the two states. The push is expected to total up to $8 million in Iowa and $4 million in New Hampshire, per Politico.

Since then, the campaign has spent $2.2 million on TV, digital and radio ads, NBC News reported, citing figures from AdImpact.

In the first full week of December, Ramaswamy's campaign spent more than $200,000 on TV ads and last week it spent $6,000 on ads, all of which went to TV, NBC News reported Tuesday, citing AdImpact.

Zoom out: Earlier this year, Ramaswamy predicted a "surprise result" in the Iowa caucuses, saying that he and his campaign could land, if not an outright victory, "something close to it."

Polls show that Trump continues to lead the GOP race in Iowa by a large margin.

GOP candidates ramped up their campaign events in both Iowa and New Hampshire this month ahead of January's contests, per CNN.

Ramaswamy campaign ceases TV ads ahead of Iowa, New Hampshire contests

The strategy is to allow the campaign to be "nimble and hyper targeted" about ad spending, a campaign spokesperson said.

Vivek Ramaswamy during the Republican presidential primary debate on Dec. 6. Photo: Micah Green/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Vivek Ramaswamy

Politics & Policy

COVID-19 variants in the U.S.

The fast-spreading COVID-19 variant known as JN.1 is now the most prevalent in the U.S., accounting for more than 44% of cases as the virus expands domestically and internationally.

The big picture: JN.1's surge suggests it's either more transmissible or better at evading our immune systems than other strains in circulation, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it's too early to tell how much it will drive an increase in infections or hospitalizations this winter.

Driving the news: JN.1 estimates shot up from 21.3% to 44.2% over the two weeks ending Dec. 23, according to the CDC, which noted the variant is showing up in more travelers and wastewater surveillance.

It was by far most prevalent in the Northeast, accounting for 56.9% of the cases in the Department of Health and Human Services' Region 2, which comprises New York, New Jersey and U.S. territories in the Caribbean. 

The CDC said updated vaccines and existing tests and treatments still work well against the variant. Because it doesn't appear to pose additional risks, CDC said it was not changing its recommendations, which include getting updated vaccines and testing if respiratory symptoms arise. 

The World Health Organization last week classified JN.1 as a separate variant of interest but added the additional public health risks it poses is low. 

Between the lines: Increased holiday travel and waning immunity from prior COVID infections and vaccinations is setting up many people up for another round of disease.

Even if the symptoms aren't severe, enough viral spread could put a significant burden on health systems that also are grappling with a surge in other respiratory viruses including influenza, pneumonia and RSV.

COVID hospitalizations were up 10.4% in the most recent week, while flu activity was classified as "very high" in 10 states for the week ending Dec. 16.

What they're saying: JN.1 "may not result in a spike of hospitalizations, but it's definitely adding a significant burden of infections and subsequent risk of long COVID," Eric Topol, executive vice president of Scripps Research, wrote on X.

New COVID strain quickly becomes most dominant in U.S.

Cases of the fast-spreading JN.1 variant have doubled in two weeks.

COVID-19

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Health

A "significant" winter storm that's lashing a large portion of the north-central U.S. will continue through Wednesday, after much of the country experienced "unusually mild" temperatures with no white Christmas.

The big picture: That's according to the National Weather Service, which said preliminary data suggests new high December temperature records have been set in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

As much of the U.S. experienced high winter temperatures, the NWS warned a strengthening low-pressure system would impact parts of the Plains and Upper Midwest with blizzard conditions, heavy snow, freezing rain and strong winds through Tuesday night.

Blizzard warnings were in effect in parts of Colorado, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, and South Dakota on Tuesday, the NWS said. Some of these warnings will last though Tuesday night. Others remain in effect until early Wednesday.

State of play: In parts of South Dakota, NWS warned of 3-8 inches of snow and winds of up to 50 miles per hour, per the NWS. Up to 12 inches of snow were expected along the Cheyenne Ridge in Wyoming.

Portions of South Dakota and Nebraska had received 8-12 inches of snow in the past 24 hours, while 1-3" were expected in Denver on Tuesday, according to the NWS and NOAA.

Heavy snow and strong winds, with gusts up to 55 mph were leading to blizzard conditions in South Dakota and Nebraska, while a "significant freezing rain event" continued in the Dakotas. Travel was "difficult to impossible" in affected areas, the NWS said in a Tuesday afternoon forecast discussion.

Impact on air travel was moderate on Tuesday, with 3,302 flights within, into, or out of the U.S. delayed and only 94 canceled, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

In South Dakota, lanes on the I-90 was reopened on Tuesday after being closed Christmas Day due to the weather, the state's Department of Transportation said.

Nebraska State Patrol said that it had responded to more than 100 weather-related accidents on Christmas Day, including trucks sliding in the snow on I-80 on Christmas morning. 

NWS Omaha warned on X Tuesday that "treacherous travel" conditions were persisting in central and western parts of the state.

Meanwhile, much of the U.S. was experiencing above-average temperatures for the holiday season, including along the East Coast and in the West.

Parts of the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and interior Northeast will see "anomalously warm" temperatures upwards of 10 to 20 degrees above average on Tuesday and Wednesday, NWS said.

Of note: The NWS' Green Bay office said in a post to X that at least eight sites had unofficially set or tied record high temperatures for Christmas Day as of 10am Monday — including Antigo, Green Bay, Marshfield, Merrill, Rhinelander, Stevens Point, Wausau, and Wisconsin Rapids.

In Minnesota, Rochester hit a Dec. 25 record high of 53°F, according to preliminary NWS data.

Zoom out: Canada has also been experiencing an unseasonably warm winter.

In Alberta, officials said at least 10 new high-temperature records had been set in the province on Friday — including in Taber, which hit 14.9°C (59°F). One week earlier, Toronto hit a record high of 13.2°C (56°F).

In the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan, CBC reports that the town of Radisson was struggling to keep its natural ice rink solid due to the warm winter.

Between the lines: Environment and Climate Change Canada and other agencies say El Niño and human-caused climate change are contributing factors for the unseasonably warm temperatures.

Climate Central's Climate Shift Index found record warmth is at least twice as likely now compared to the preindustrial era.

In photos: Blizzard conditions snarl traffic in the Plains

Truck slides off the highway due to icy conditions

A truck on the I-80 between Grand Island and Lincoln, Nebraska on Dec. 25. Photo: Nebraska State Patrol

Trucks and cars along Nebraska's I-80 between Grand Island and Lincoln on Dec. 25. Photo: Nebraska State Patrol

Vehicles travel along Nebraska's I-80 between Grand Island and Lincoln on Dec. 25. Photo: Nebraska State Patrol

Trucks skid off the road along Nebraska's I-80 between Grand Island and Lincoln on Dec. 25. Photo: Nebraska State Patrol

Trucks traveling along a snowy highway in nebraska

Go deeper: Our winters are warming faster than our summers

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

Our winters are warming faster than our summers

Blizzard leaves travel in the Plains "difficult to impossible"

But much of the country is experiencing "unusually mild" temperatures, the NWS said.

First responders along the I-80 between Grand Island and Lincoln, Nebraska.

First responders work along the I-80 between Grand Island and Lincoln, Nebraska on Dec. 25. Photo: Nebraska State Patrol

extreme weather

Extreme weather

News and analysis of the scientific advances fueling AI and quantum computing, revolutionizing biology and medicine, and tackling climate change. Science is changing the world and colliding with the global politics that shape it.

Science

Breaking climate science and policy coverage as extreme weather events reshape communities. Keep tabs on the race to a low carbon economy, which may be bumpy as governments, climate tech startups and major oil and gas companies race to find their niche amid the changing energy landscape.

Energy & Climate

Apple filed an appeal Tuesday to the International Trade Commission's decision to ban U.S. sales of Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models. 

Why it matters: Apple continues to be the largest smartwatch seller in the world and while the company saw a decline in revenue last quarter, it also touted 2 billion active devices, which Tim Cook attributed to "a lot of first-time buyers in the case of the Apple Watch." 

Driving the news: The emergency request came after the U.S. trade representative's office said in a statement that it has declined to overturn the ban, which has now gone into effect.

"Apple is asking only for a short stay while this Court resolves its broader request," the appeal reads.

The failure to intervene means the sales pause is now fully in effect until the intellectual property dispute is resolved.

Catch up fast: Masimo, a medical device company that also produces fitness-tracking smart watches, claims that Apple's blood oxygen sensor infringed Masimo's intellectual property — specifically, its pulse oximetry technology.

After the USITC ruled in favor of Masimo in October, Apple had two months to either work out a licensing agreement with Masimo or appeal the order to the Biden administration, which could reverse it, according to the New York Times.

What they're saying: The USITC said in a statement that U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai decided not to reverse the finding that Apple infringed two patents owned by Masimo Corporation and Cercacor Laboratories and noted that its decision became final on Dec. 26.

Meanwhile, a Masimo spokesperson said in an emailed statement on Tuesday afternoon that the USITC's decision "marks a significant moment for the U.S. as a defender of innovation and a protector" of inventors' rights.

"This is a win for the integrity of the U.S. patent system, and ultimately American consumers who will benefit from an ecosystem that rewards true innovation," the spokesperson added.

The other side: "We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible," a spokesperson from Apple told Axios.

Between the lines: Third-party sellers are allowed to sell down their existing inventory of the watches and both of the affected watches are available for purchase outside of the U.S. 

What to watch: Apple is likely to try to tweak the affected models to continue selling the watch while avoiding the patent issues. It's unclear whether Apple can make these tweaks via a software update or if it will require hardware changes.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comments from an Apple spokesperson.

Apple files emergency request to halt Watch ban

Shoppers looking at Apple Watches in a store

Apple

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Technology

Latest news on Wall Street, Corporate America and financial regulation.

Business

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World

The Israeli military expanded its ground operation in Gaza on Tuesday to the area between Gaza City and Khan Younes, the Israeli Defense Forces said.

The big picture: This is one of the most densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip where several refugee camps are located. 

The Israeli military has been bombarding the area with strikes. Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza said over the weekend that an Israeli strike killed more than 70 people in the Maghazi refugee camp. 

More than 20,900 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Ministry of Health in the enclave.

Israeli officials have warned the war will likely last for a long time. But the IDF push into this area is likely the last major effort in the high-intensity phase of the fighting, which Israeli officials have said is expected to be completed by the end of January.

Israel has said its goal is to bring all hostages held by militants home and to destroy Hamas, whose militants killed at least 1,200 people during the Oct. 7 attack, according to Israeli officials.

Driving the news: The IDF said its forces started operating in the al-Bureij refugee camp to defeat Hamas militants in the central camps.

Earlier in the war, the IDF said it killed the commander of the Hamas central camps brigade in an airstrike.

State of play: The IDF is in control of most of northern Gaza, though some fighting continues in several neighborhoods.

IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi claimed on Tuesday that the IDF is close to completing the dismantling of Hamas' battalions in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israel expands ground operation in Gaza as pressure grows for ceasefire

Israel expanded its ground offensive to the area between Gaza City and Khan Younes where several refugee camps are located.

Axios

Tuesday's top stories

Ramaswamy campaign ceases TV ads ahead of Iowa, New Hampshire contests

New COVID strain quickly becomes most dominant in U.S.

Blizzard leaves travel in the Plains "difficult to impossible"

Apple files emergency request to halt Watch ban

Israel expands ground operation in Gaza as pressure grows for ceasefire

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