WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;had rock-solid support from New Hampshire Republicans in his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-new-hampshire-primary-two-candidate-race-72a59c4133879eaeec63d6ed30e91e01">primary victory</a>&nbsp;Tuesday, with even most backers of rival&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;acknowledging the GOP belongs to him.

Yet as Trump’s hold on securing the party’s nomination tightened,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2024-Primaries-VoteCastMethodologyStatement_PreElection-Post.pdf">AP VoteCast</a>&nbsp;found that some voters express concerns that he is too extreme to compete in the November general election. Some also worry about his&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">legal peril</a>&nbsp;in a trio of pending criminal trials.

Haley, a former South Carolina governor and a U.N. ambassador under Trump, performed relatively better with college graduates and moderates, a possible sign that Trump has yet to expand his political base.

The survey found signs that primary voters on the Democratic side rallied around&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-new-hampshire-democrats-writein-campaign-597a1208e5a8696a3f6b794a91b9fb00">won in New Hampshire</a>&nbsp;with strong support on the economy, but many have concerns about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-poll-trump-2024-620e0a5cfa0039a6448f607c17c7f23e">his age</a>&nbsp;– he is 81 — and his handling of the situation in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Middle East.</a>

Only weeks into 2024, voters have already shown an awareness of Trump’s strengths and liabilities. But even as the coronavirus, the major challenge during the 2020 election, has faded from public view, the cultural and social forces of that Biden-Trump matchup have hardened in ways that are testing the country’s sense of itself.

The New Hampshire primaries are unique because undeclared voters –- those not affiliated with either party –- can choose to vote in either party’s primary. This draws in voters who are not necessarily party loyalists.

More than 4 in 10 GOP primary voters were not affiliated with a party, compared with about 2 in 10 in the Democratic primary. Among those affiliated with the Republican Party in the state, Trump won handily.

AP VoteCast is a survey of 1,968 New Hampshire voters who are taking part in the Republican primary and 903 Democratic primary voters. The survey is conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

New Hampshire’s demographics favored Trump.

He won in the small towns and rural communities, where about two-thirds of primary participants say they live. Most GOP voters in the state lack a college degree; about two-thirds of them voted for Trump. He won about 7 in 10 Republican voters who identified as conservatives.

Trump was backed by Republicans who prioritize either immigration or the economy, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-caucus-who-voted-how-poll-votecast-4d1d5eb89b32fbba3afedee90334148c">two top issues among GOP voters in New Hampshire and Iowa</a>, where the former president&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iowa-caucus-haley-desantis-cold-voting-begins-0af10f1ba21d488af54776b2c8d4028c">won the leadoff caucuses last week</a>.

Among those in New Hampshire who named immigration as their top priority, about three-quarters support Trump. New Hampshire’s primary voters agreed with Trump on the need to limit immigration and build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

About half of those who said the economy was the top issue backed Trump.

Haley drew her support from groups that could be crucial in November. But those groups were distinct minorities in the GOP electorate.

She beat Trump among primary participants who were not formally affiliated with any party. About half of Haley’s supporters graduated from college, just as about half of them identify as moderates.

In many cases, her backers were simply uncomfortable with Trump.

Haley performed well among those who said Trump did something illegal in at least one of the criminal cases against him. And in the 2020 presidential election, about half of Haley’s supporters voted for Biden, a Democrat.

Iowa exposed suburban voters as a potential weakness for Trump. While Haley did slightly better in New Hampshire’s suburban communities than she did in other areas, she still didn’t pull ahead of Trump in those areas.

Compared with Iowa caucusgoers, New Hampshire Republican primary voters have slightly more doubts about Trump.

In New Hampshire, about half of GOP voters are very or somewhat concerned that Trump is too extreme to win the general election. Only about one-third say the same about Haley.

Regarding Trump’s criminal indictments, about one-third of GOP participants in New Hampshire believe he has done something illegal related to either his alleged attempt to interfere in the vote count in the 2020 presidential election, his role in what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or the classified documents found at his Florida home after he left the White House.

REPUBLICAN VOTERS EXPECT TRUMP TO BE GOP NOMINEE

The vast majority of Republican voters in New Hampshire, about 8 in 10, believed Trump would win the nomination, a finding that came after his dominant showing in Iowa.

Only about 2 in 10 say Haley will be the nominee. In a blow to a candidate who has pitched herself as a Trump alternative, more than half of Haley’s own supporters think Trump will represent the party on the ballot.

About 8 in 10 say they decided before Iowa which candidate they would support. After the caucuses, three contenders ended their campaigns: biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

About 6 in 10 GOP voters say they had their minds made up more than a month ago, including about 4 in 10 saying they have known all along.

BIDEN'S DEMOCRATIC COALITION COMES INTO FOCUS

Biden’s New Hampshire victory provided key insights into the Democratic coalition.

About half hold a college degree, as education has become a major political dividing line across the country. There was almost universal support among Democratic voters for abortion to be legal in most if not all cases. About three-quarters called discrimination against Black people a major problem.

The polling also suggested that the economy might be evolving into a strength for Biden among his base. High inflation had hurt his approval ratings for most of his presidency, but inflation has eased without disrupting job growth and Democrats are showing newfound support for Biden’s agenda. More than 8 in 10 approved of his economic leadership.

There are limits on what New Hampshire can reveal, as the state is less urban, less suburban and less racially diverse than the rest of the country. Cities, suburbs and non-white voters were crucial elements of Biden's winning 2020 coalition.

Still, not everything Biden does received strong plaudits in New Hampshire. Only about 6 in 10 approve of how he is handling immigration, and only about half approve of his handling of the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.

About 4 in 10 say Biden is too old to serve a second term as president.

During his presidency, the Democratic Party has chosen to make South Carolina the first official presidential contest, a choice that has relegated Biden to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-new-hampshire-democrats-race-call-explainer-6cd2136e9b8c77f736e455fb2ad2eca3">write-in status in New Hampshire</a>. Just over half said it is very or somewhat important to them that New Hampshire’s presidential primary is the first in the nation.

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, tightening his grip on the Republican presidential nomination and bolstering the likelihood of a rematch later this year against President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.

The result was a setback for former U.N. Ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>, who invested significant time and financial resources into winning the state but finished second. She was the last major challenger in the race after Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a>&nbsp;ended his presidential bid over the weekend, allowing her to campaign as the sole alternative to Trump. Haley intensified her criticism of the former president, questioning his mental acuity and pitching herself as a unifying candidate who would usher in generational change.

The appeals failed to resonate with enough voters. Trump can now boast of being the first Republican presidential candidate to win open races in Iowa and New Hampshire since both states began leading the election calendar in 1976, a striking sign of how rapidly Republicans have rallied around him to make him their nominee for the third consecutive time.

By posting easy wins in both early states, Trump is demonstrating an ability to unite the GOP’s factions firmly behind him. He’s garnered support from the evangelical conservatives who are influential in Iowa and New Hampshire’s more moderate voters, strength he hopes to replicate as the primary quickly expands to the rest of the U.S.

Haley was unable to capitalize on New Hampshire’s more moderate political tradition. Now, her path to becoming the GOP standard-bearer is narrowing quickly. She won’t compete in a contest that awards delegates until South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary. As the state’s former governor, she’s hoping a strong showing there could propel her into the March 5&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/super-tuesday">Super Tuesday</a>&nbsp;contests. But in a deeply conservative state where Trump is exceedingly popular, those ambitions may be tough to realize and a home-state loss could prove politically devastating.

President Joe Biden, meanwhile, won New Hampshire's Democratic primary via a write-in effort after the state party moved forward with its own contest. Biden did not appear on the ballot but allies helped him beat a series of little-known challengers.

Trump’s position in the contest is remarkable considering he faces&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">91 criminal charges</a>&nbsp;related to everything from seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election to mishandling classified documents and arranging payoffs to a porn actress. He left the White House in 2021 in the grim aftermath of an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol led by his supporters who sought to stop the certification of Biden’s win. And Trump was the first president to be impeached twice.

But Trump has turned those vulnerabilities into an advantage among GOP voters. He has argued that the criminal prosecutions reflect a politicized Justice Department, though there’s no evidence that officials there were pressured by Biden or anyone else in the White House to file charges. Trump has nonetheless repeatedly told his supporters that he’s being prosecuted on their behalf, an argument that appears to have further strengthened his bond with the GOP base.

As Trump begins to pivot his attention to Biden and a general election campaign, the question is whether the former president’s framing of the legal cases will persuade voters beyond the GOP base. Trump lost the popular vote in the 2016 and 2020 elections and has faced particular struggles in suburban communities from Georgia to Pennsylvania to Arizona that could prove decisive in the fall campaign.

Beyond the political vulnerabilities associated with the criminal cases, Trump faces a logistical challenge in balancing trials and campaigning. He has frequently appeared voluntarily at a New York courtroom where a jury is considering whether he should&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-lawsuit-trial-new-york-fdcb7ae15c7120ae008a5fe4f28558dc">pay additional damages</a>&nbsp;to a columnist who last year won a $5 million jury award against Trump for sex abuse and defamation. He has turned these appearances into campaign events, holding televised news conferences that give him an opportunity to spread his message to a large audience.

He has no choice but to appear in court when the criminal cases begin, which could happen later this spring.

Biden faces his own challenges, though of a different magnitude. There are widespread concerns about his age at 81 years old. Dissent is also building within his party over Biden’s alliance with Israel in its war against Hamas, putting the president’s standing at risk in swing states like Michigan.

Biden championed new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-2024-democrats-dnc-state-parties-ac8fba0ab1117ebf75cc16ebe0c735e4">Democratic National Committee</a>&nbsp;rules that have its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-georgia-2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-83f6ea9bd64e567bb1ed55d734474b89">2024 primary beginning on Feb. 3 in South Carolina</a>, rather than in Iowa or New Hampshire. That left him in something of an awkward position at the outset of the nomination process.

But Democrats in New Hampshire defied the revamped order and held their primary on Tuesday, same as the Republicans. Biden didn’t campaign, giving the state’s Democrats the chance to support primary challengers including Minnesota Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/phillips-2024-presidential-campaign-biden-democratic-challenger-0f38b80ba00566014a4d59fdb516d52c">Dean Phillips</a>&nbsp;and self-help author&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marianne-williamson-president-2024-biden-democratic-primary-14e59754bed9e0c54dad4fdfbbc1fa6b">Marianne Williamson</a>&nbsp;— though many of New Hampshire’s top Democrats backed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-2024-new-hampshire-ballot-primary-shakeup-1df2712ebf31ffecdaf2bceb4c74bb2f">write-in campaign that Biden could still win</a>.

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-new-hampshire-2024-republican-nomination-4661638bf768824d03ea84e5c20d1544">traveled frequently to New Hampshire</a>&nbsp;in the months leading up to the primary but didn’t spend as much time in the state as many of his rivals. That included former New Jersey Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chris-christie">Chris Christie</a>, a fierce Trump critic who enjoyed some popularity in the state&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/christie-presidential-race-5e974cfa407d39af878f066a71af35ad">but suspended his campaign</a>&nbsp;mere days before Iowa’s caucuses in an attempt to blunt the former president’s momentum.

Rather than the traditional approach of greeting voters personally or in small groups, Trump has staged large rallies. He has spent much of his time complaining about the past — including the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-lies-debunked-4fc26546b07962fdbf9d66e739fbb50d">lie that the 2020 election was stolen</a>&nbsp;due to widespread voter fraud.

If he returns to the White House, the former president has promised to enact a hardline immigration agenda that includes stopping migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3a20abe305bd4c989116f82bf535393b">reimposing his first-term travel ban</a>&nbsp;that originally targeted seven Muslim-majority countries. He’s also said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-border-wall-breaches-asylum-immigration-beddd2ca0ffd02884ce0d0ad1785f538">rising number of immigrants</a>&nbsp;entering the United States are “poisoning the blood of our country,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hitler-poison-blood-history-f8c3ff512edd120252596a4743324352">echoing Adolf Hitler’s language</a>.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706063510035.png" alt="Former President Donald Trump celebrated before his victory address-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Former President Donald Trump celebrated before his victory address-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Former President Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;had rock-solid support from New Hampshire Republicans in his&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-new-hampshire-primary-two-candidate-race-72a59c4133879eaeec63d6ed30e91e01">primary victory</a>&nbsp;Tuesday, with even most backers of rival&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>&nbsp;acknowledging the GOP belongs to him.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Donald Trump: &quot;We won new Hampshire three times now... On Nikki Haley: &quot;She&#39;s doing a speech like she won. She didn&#39;t win. She lost.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/6CC62WiB8b">pic.twitter.com/6CC62WiB8b</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1749983498553733129?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Yet as Trump’s hold on securing the party’s nomination tightened,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnorc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2024-Primaries-VoteCastMethodologyStatement_PreElection-Post.pdf">AP VoteCast</a>&nbsp;found that some voters express concerns that he is too extreme to compete in the November general election. Some also worry about his&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">legal peril</a>&nbsp;in a trio of pending criminal trials.Haley, a former South Carolina governor and a U.N. ambassador under Trump, performed relatively better with college graduates and moderates, a possible sign that Trump has yet to expand his political base.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Nikki Haley: &quot;I want to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory tonight...New Hampshire is first in the nation, it is not the last in the nation. This race is far from over. There are dozens of states left to go and the next one is my sweet state of South Carolina.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/ZyEIYGrZWH">pic.twitter.com/ZyEIYGrZWH</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1749967537155039727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The survey found signs that primary voters on the Democratic side rallied around&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a>. He&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-new-hampshire-democrats-writein-campaign-597a1208e5a8696a3f6b794a91b9fb00">won in New Hampshire</a>&nbsp;with strong support on the economy, but many have concerns about&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-age-poll-trump-2024-620e0a5cfa0039a6448f607c17c7f23e">his age</a>&nbsp;– he is 81 — and his handling of the situation in the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war">Middle East.</a>Only weeks into 2024, voters have already shown an awareness of Trump’s strengths and liabilities. But even as the coronavirus, the major challenge during the 2020 election, has faded from public view, the cultural and social forces of that Biden-Trump matchup have hardened in ways that are testing the country’s sense of itself.The New Hampshire primaries are unique because undeclared voters –- those not affiliated with either party –- can choose to vote in either party’s primary. This draws in voters who are not necessarily party loyalists.More than 4 in 10 GOP primary voters were not affiliated with a party, compared with about 2 in 10 in the Democratic primary. Among those affiliated with the Republican Party in the state, Trump won handily.AP VoteCast is a survey of 1,968 New Hampshire voters who are taking part in the Republican primary and 903 Democratic primary voters. The survey is conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.HOW TRUMP WON IN NEW HAMPSHIRENew Hampshire’s demographics favored Trump.He won in the small towns and rural communities, where about two-thirds of primary participants say they live. Most GOP voters in the state lack a college degree; about two-thirds of them voted for Trump. He won about 7 in 10 Republican voters who identified as conservatives.Trump was backed by Republicans who prioritize either immigration or the economy, the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/iowa-caucus-who-voted-how-poll-votecast-4d1d5eb89b32fbba3afedee90334148c">two top issues among GOP voters in New Hampshire and Iowa</a>, where the former president&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iowa-caucus-haley-desantis-cold-voting-begins-0af10f1ba21d488af54776b2c8d4028c">won the leadoff caucuses last week</a>.Among those in New Hampshire who named immigration as their top priority, about three-quarters support Trump. New Hampshire’s primary voters agreed with Trump on the need to limit immigration and build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.About half of those who said the economy was the top issue backed Trump.HOW HALEY’S STRENGTHS FELL SHORTHaley drew her support from groups that could be crucial in November. But those groups were distinct minorities in the GOP electorate.She beat Trump among primary participants who were not formally affiliated with any party. About half of Haley’s supporters graduated from college, just as about half of them identify as moderates.In many cases, her backers were simply uncomfortable with Trump.Haley performed well among those who said Trump did something illegal in at least one of the criminal cases against him. And in the 2020 presidential election, about half of Haley’s supporters voted for Biden, a Democrat.Iowa exposed suburban voters as a potential weakness for Trump. While Haley did slightly better in New Hampshire’s suburban communities than she did in other areas, she still didn’t pull ahead of Trump in those areas.POTENTIAL WEAKNESSES FOR TRUMPCompared with Iowa caucusgoers, New Hampshire Republican primary voters have slightly more doubts about Trump.In New Hampshire, about half of GOP voters are very or somewhat concerned that Trump is too extreme to win the general election. Only about one-third say the same about Haley.Regarding Trump’s criminal indictments, about one-third of GOP participants in New Hampshire believe he has done something illegal related to either his alleged attempt to interfere in the vote count in the 2020 presidential election, his role in what happened at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or the classified documents found at his Florida home after he left the White House.REPUBLICAN VOTERS EXPECT TRUMP TO BE GOP NOMINEEThe vast majority of Republican voters in New Hampshire, about 8 in 10, believed Trump would win the nomination, a finding that came after his dominant showing in Iowa.Only about 2 in 10 say Haley will be the nominee. In a blow to a candidate who has pitched herself as a Trump alternative, more than half of Haley’s own supporters think Trump will represent the party on the ballot.About 8 in 10 say they decided before Iowa which candidate they would support. After the caucuses, three contenders ended their campaigns: biotech investor Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.About 6 in 10 GOP voters say they had their minds made up more than a month ago, including about 4 in 10 saying they have known all along.BIDEN'S DEMOCRATIC COALITION COMES INTO FOCUSBiden’s New Hampshire victory provided key insights into the Democratic coalition.About half hold a college degree, as education has become a major political dividing line across the country. There was almost universal support among Democratic voters for abortion to be legal in most if not all cases. About three-quarters called discrimination against Black people a major problem.The polling also suggested that the economy might be evolving into a strength for Biden among his base. High inflation had hurt his approval ratings for most of his presidency, but inflation has eased without disrupting job growth and Democrats are showing newfound support for Biden’s agenda. More than 8 in 10 approved of his economic leadership.There are limits on what New Hampshire can reveal, as the state is less urban, less suburban and less racially diverse than the rest of the country. Cities, suburbs and non-white voters were crucial elements of Biden's winning 2020 coalition.Still, not everything Biden does received strong plaudits in New Hampshire. Only about 6 in 10 approve of how he is handling immigration, and only about half approve of his handling of the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.About 4 in 10 say Biden is too old to serve a second term as president.During his presidency, the Democratic Party has chosen to make South Carolina the first official presidential contest, a choice that has relegated Biden to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/election-new-hampshire-democrats-race-call-explainer-6cd2136e9b8c77f736e455fb2ad2eca3">write-in status in New Hampshire</a>. Just over half said it is very or somewhat important to them that New Hampshire’s presidential primary is the first in the nation.---------------MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, tightening his grip on the Republican presidential nomination and bolstering the likelihood of a rematch later this year against President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.The result was a setback for former U.N. Ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>, who invested significant time and financial resources into winning the state but finished second. She was the last major challenger in the race after Florida Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis">Ron DeSantis</a>&nbsp;ended his presidential bid over the weekend, allowing her to campaign as the sole alternative to Trump. Haley intensified her criticism of the former president, questioning his mental acuity and pitching herself as a unifying candidate who would usher in generational change.The appeals failed to resonate with enough voters. Trump can now boast of being the first Republican presidential candidate to win open races in Iowa and New Hampshire since both states began leading the election calendar in 1976, a striking sign of how rapidly Republicans have rallied around him to make him their nominee for the third consecutive time.By posting easy wins in both early states, Trump is demonstrating an ability to unite the GOP’s factions firmly behind him. He’s garnered support from the evangelical conservatives who are influential in Iowa and New Hampshire’s more moderate voters, strength he hopes to replicate as the primary quickly expands to the rest of the U.S.Haley was unable to capitalize on New Hampshire’s more moderate political tradition. Now, her path to becoming the GOP standard-bearer is narrowing quickly. She won’t compete in a contest that awards delegates until South Carolina’s Feb. 24 primary. As the state’s former governor, she’s hoping a strong showing there could propel her into the March 5&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/super-tuesday">Super Tuesday</a>&nbsp;contests. But in a deeply conservative state where Trump is exceedingly popular, those ambitions may be tough to realize and a home-state loss could prove politically devastating.President Joe Biden, meanwhile, won New Hampshire's Democratic primary via a write-in effort after the state party moved forward with its own contest. Biden did not appear on the ballot but allies helped him beat a series of little-known challengers.Trump’s position in the contest is remarkable considering he faces&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">91 criminal charges</a>&nbsp;related to everything from seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election to mishandling classified documents and arranging payoffs to a porn actress. He left the White House in 2021 in the grim aftermath of an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol led by his supporters who sought to stop the certification of Biden’s win. And Trump was the first president to be impeached twice.But Trump has turned those vulnerabilities into an advantage among GOP voters. He has argued that the criminal prosecutions reflect a politicized Justice Department, though there’s no evidence that officials there were pressured by Biden or anyone else in the White House to file charges. Trump has nonetheless repeatedly told his supporters that he’s being prosecuted on their behalf, an argument that appears to have further strengthened his bond with the GOP base.As Trump begins to pivot his attention to Biden and a general election campaign, the question is whether the former president’s framing of the legal cases will persuade voters beyond the GOP base. Trump lost the popular vote in the 2016 and 2020 elections and has faced particular struggles in suburban communities from Georgia to Pennsylvania to Arizona that could prove decisive in the fall campaign.Beyond the political vulnerabilities associated with the criminal cases, Trump faces a logistical challenge in balancing trials and campaigning. He has frequently appeared voluntarily at a New York courtroom where a jury is considering whether he should&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-lawsuit-trial-new-york-fdcb7ae15c7120ae008a5fe4f28558dc">pay additional damages</a>&nbsp;to a columnist who last year won a $5 million jury award against Trump for sex abuse and defamation. He has turned these appearances into campaign events, holding televised news conferences that give him an opportunity to spread his message to a large audience.He has no choice but to appear in court when the criminal cases begin, which could happen later this spring.Biden faces his own challenges, though of a different magnitude. There are widespread concerns about his age at 81 years old. Dissent is also building within his party over Biden’s alliance with Israel in its war against Hamas, putting the president’s standing at risk in swing states like Michigan.Biden championed new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-2024-democrats-dnc-state-parties-ac8fba0ab1117ebf75cc16ebe0c735e4">Democratic National Committee</a>&nbsp;rules that have its&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-georgia-2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-83f6ea9bd64e567bb1ed55d734474b89">2024 primary beginning on Feb. 3 in South Carolina</a>, rather than in Iowa or New Hampshire. That left him in something of an awkward position at the outset of the nomination process.But Democrats in New Hampshire defied the revamped order and held their primary on Tuesday, same as the Republicans. Biden didn’t campaign, giving the state’s Democrats the chance to support primary challengers including Minnesota Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/phillips-2024-presidential-campaign-biden-democratic-challenger-0f38b80ba00566014a4d59fdb516d52c">Dean Phillips</a>&nbsp;and self-help author&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marianne-williamson-president-2024-biden-democratic-primary-14e59754bed9e0c54dad4fdfbbc1fa6b">Marianne Williamson</a>&nbsp;— though many of New Hampshire’s top Democrats backed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-2024-new-hampshire-ballot-primary-shakeup-1df2712ebf31ffecdaf2bceb4c74bb2f">write-in campaign that Biden could still win</a>.Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-new-hampshire-2024-republican-nomination-4661638bf768824d03ea84e5c20d1544">traveled frequently to New Hampshire</a>&nbsp;in the months leading up to the primary but didn’t spend as much time in the state as many of his rivals. That included former New Jersey Gov.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/chris-christie">Chris Christie</a>, a fierce Trump critic who enjoyed some popularity in the state&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/christie-presidential-race-5e974cfa407d39af878f066a71af35ad">but suspended his campaign</a>&nbsp;mere days before Iowa’s caucuses in an attempt to blunt the former president’s momentum.Rather than the traditional approach of greeting voters personally or in small groups, Trump has staged large rallies. He has spent much of his time complaining about the past — including the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-2020-election-lies-debunked-4fc26546b07962fdbf9d66e739fbb50d">lie that the 2020 election was stolen</a>&nbsp;due to widespread voter fraud.If he returns to the White House, the former president has promised to enact a hardline immigration agenda that includes stopping migrants from crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/3a20abe305bd4c989116f82bf535393b">reimposing his first-term travel ban</a>&nbsp;that originally targeted seven Muslim-majority countries. He’s also said the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/arizona-border-wall-breaches-asylum-immigration-beddd2ca0ffd02884ce0d0ad1785f538">rising number of immigrants</a>&nbsp;entering the United States are “poisoning the blood of our country,”&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-hitler-poison-blood-history-f8c3ff512edd120252596a4743324352">echoing Adolf Hitler’s language</a>.

🎥 Historic win: Trump defeats Haley in New Hampshire primary

NEW YORK (AP) — Charles Osgood, who anchored “CBS Sunday Morning” for more than two decades, was host of the long-running radio program “The Osgood File” and was referred to as CBS News’ poet-in-residence, has died. He was 91.

CBS reported that Osgood died Tuesday at his home in New Jersey and that the cause was dementia, according to his family.

Osgood was a broadcaster who could write essays and light verse as well as report hard news, and he worked radio and television with equal facility. He often signed off by telling listeners: “I’ll see you on the radio.”

Osgood took over “Sunday Morning” after the beloved&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/almanac-charles-kuralt/">Charles Kuralt</a>&nbsp;retired in 1994. Osgood seemingly had an impossible act to follow, but with his folksy erudition and his slightly bookish, bow-tied style, he immediately clicked with viewers who continued to embrace the program as an unhurried TV magazine.

In 1967, he took a job as reporter on the CBS-owned New York news radio station. Then, one fateful weekend, he was summoned to fill in at the anchor desk for the TV network’s Saturday newscast. In 1971, he joined the CBS network.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1706037411949.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — Charles Osgood, who anchored “CBS Sunday Morning” for more than two decades, was host of the long-running radio program “The Osgood File” and was referred to as CBS News’ poet-in-residence, has died. He was 91.CBS reported that Osgood died Tuesday at his home in New Jersey and that the cause was dementia, according to his family.Osgood was a broadcaster who could write essays and light verse as well as report hard news, and he worked radio and television with equal facility. He often signed off by telling listeners: “I’ll see you on the radio.”Osgood took over “Sunday Morning” after the beloved&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/almanac-charles-kuralt/">Charles Kuralt</a>&nbsp;retired in 1994. Osgood seemingly had an impossible act to follow, but with his folksy erudition and his slightly bookish, bow-tied style, he immediately clicked with viewers who continued to embrace the program as an unhurried TV magazine.In 1967, he took a job as reporter on the CBS-owned New York news radio station. Then, one fateful weekend, he was summoned to fill in at the anchor desk for the TV network’s Saturday newscast. In 1971, he joined the CBS network.

Charles Osgood, CBS host on TV and radio has died at 91

<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/apprenticeship-grant-act-aims-to-raise-nebraskans-out-of-public-assistance/">Nebraska Examiner</a>

LINCOLN — A workforce development proposal that would direct an annual $4 million in state funds to a new apprenticeship initiative received mostly positive feedback during a Monday legislative hearing.

State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner introduced Legislative Bill 993 to create the Apprenticeship Grant Act.

Under the program, a business would apply to the Department of Economic Development for reimbursement of wages or tuition for apprentices, who also must be in a public assistance program such as SNAP Next.

Ibach said the participating business, in turn, is to have a full-time job waiting for the apprentice that offers wages high enough to reduce the worker’s reliance on government economic aid.

Grants are limited to $37,000 per apprentice and 100 apprentices per business. The business must certify that the apprenticeship is part of a registered program.

The initiative is modeled after the Ignite Nebraska program launched at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska in 2022.

Joni Wheeler, Blue Cross’ executive vice president of talent and enterprise solutions, said 14 graduates of the program no longer are reliant on state assistance. They’re working at Blue Cross, Union Pacific Railroad or Boys Town.

“Our objective is to scale the program across the state of Nebraska,” said Wheeler, in rural and urban communities.

“This bill is a game changer in workforce development,” she said. She said the recipients get “power to lift up their families.”

A few who spoke during the legislative hearing before the Business and Labor Committee suggested tweaks to the bill, including raising the state’s annual contribution and providing more flexibility in the post-training hiring process.

The committee on Monday did not take any action on advancing the bill.

Cindy Gonzalez<a href="https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/apprenticeship-grant-act-aims-to-raise-nebraskans-out-of-public-assistance/">Nebraska Examiner</a>LINCOLN — A workforce development proposal that would direct an annual $4 million in state funds to a new apprenticeship initiative received mostly positive feedback during a Monday legislative hearing.State Sen. Teresa Ibach of Sumner introduced Legislative Bill 993 to create the Apprenticeship Grant Act.Under the program, a business would apply to the Department of Economic Development for reimbursement of wages or tuition for apprentices, who also must be in a public assistance program such as SNAP Next.Ibach said the participating business, in turn, is to have a full-time job waiting for the apprentice that offers wages high enough to reduce the worker’s reliance on government economic aid.Grants are limited to $37,000 per apprentice and 100 apprentices per business. The business must certify that the apprenticeship is part of a registered program.The initiative is modeled after the Ignite Nebraska program launched at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska in 2022.Joni Wheeler, Blue Cross’ executive vice president of talent and enterprise solutions, said 14 graduates of the program no longer are reliant on state assistance. They’re working at Blue Cross, Union Pacific Railroad or Boys Town.“Our objective is to scale the program across the state of Nebraska,” said Wheeler, in rural and urban communities.“This bill is a game changer in workforce development,” she said. She said the recipients get “power to lift up their families.”A few who spoke during the legislative hearing before the Business and Labor Committee suggested tweaks to the bill, including raising the state’s annual contribution and providing more flexibility in the post-training hiring process.The committee on Monday did not take any action on advancing the bill.

‘Apprenticeship Grant Act’ aims to raise Nebraskans out of public assistance

NEW YORK (AP) — After a tumultuous movie year marred by strikes and work stoppages, the Academy Awards&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/oscar-nominations-2024">showered nominations</a>&nbsp;Tuesday on Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic, “Oppenheimer,” which came away with a leading 13 nominations.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oppenheimer-box-office-success-christopher-nolan-imax-413bc36ac6ae68f422c06c9b1cc0ab0a">Nolan’s three-hour opus</a>, viewed as the best picture frontrunner, received nods for best picture; Nolan’s direction; acting nominations for Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt; and multiple honors for the sweeping craft of the J. Robert Oppenheimer drama. Though Nolan is regarded as the big-canvas auteur of his era, he’s never won an Academy Award, nor have any of his films won best picture. This, though, could be his year.

The year’s biggest hit, “Barbie,” came away with a nominations haul slightly less than its partner in Barbenheimer mania.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greta-gerwig-interview-barbie-ed61b918097f2fc43e024f4872a7225e">Greta Gerwig’s feminist comedy</a>, with more than $1.4 billion in ticket sales, was nominated for eight awards, including best picture; Ryan Gosling for best supporting actor; and two best-song candidates in “What Was I Made For” and “I’m Just Ken.”

Gerwig was surprisingly left out of the best director field. She was nominated for best director in 2018 for her solo directorial debut, “Lady Bird.” At the time, Gerwig was just the fifth woman nominated for the award.

Read the complete list of Oscar nominations below

“American Fiction”; “Anatomy of a Fall”; “Barbie”; “The Holdovers”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Maestro”; “Oppenheimer”; “Past Lives”; “Poor Things”; “The Zone of Interest”

Annette Bening, “Nyad”; Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall”; Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”; Emma Stone, “Poor Things”

Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”; Colman Domingo, “Rustin”; Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”; Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”; Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer.”

Sterling K. Brown, “American Fiction”; Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”; Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”; Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”

Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”; Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”; America Ferrera, “Barbie”; Jodie Foster, “Nyad”; Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”

Justine Triet, “Anatomy of a Fall”; Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor Things”; Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”; Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Jonathan Glazer, “The Zone of Interest”

“The Boy and the Heron”; “Elemental”; “Nimona”; “Robot Dreams”; “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”

“Four Daughters”;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/20-days-mariupol-oscar-nominations-documentary-d1256ee3cd3bf1a69787108513a7a761" target="_blank">“20 Days in Mariupol”;</a>&nbsp;“Bobi Wine: The People’s President”; “The Eternal Memory”; “To Kill a Tiger.”

“Society of the Snow,” (Spain); “The Zone of Interest,” (United Kingdom); “The Teachers’ Lounge” (Germany); “Io Capitano” (Italy) ; “Perfect Days” (Japan)

“Barbie”; Killers of the Flower Moon; “Napoleon”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”

“American Fiction”; “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”

“The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot”; “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie”; “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”; “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony.

“Golda”; “Maestro”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”; “Society of the Snow”

“Barbie”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Napoleon”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”

“Anatomy of a Fall”; “The Holdovers”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”

“Barbie”; “Poor Things”; “American Fiction”; “Oppenheimer”; “The Zone of Interest”

“Anatomy of a Fall”; “The Holdovers”; “Past Lives”; “May December”; “Maestro”

“Letter to a Pig”; “Ninety-Five Senses”; “WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John &amp; Yoko”; “Pachyderme”; “Our Uniform”

“The After”; “Invincible”; “Knight of Fortune”; “Red, White and Blue”; “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.”

“El Conde”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Maestro”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”

“Anatomy of a Fall”; “The Holdovers”; “Killers of the Flower Moon"; “Oppenheimer,"; “Poor Things.”

“The Creator”; “Godzilla Minus One”; “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”; “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”; “Napoleon”

“Oppenheimer”; “Maestro”; “The Zone of Interest”; “The Creator”; “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”

“The ABCs of Book Banning”; “The Barber of Little Rock”; “Island in Between”; “The Last Repair Shop”; “Nǎi Nai &amp; Wài Pó”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2022/11/1667851376804.jpeg" alt="Image Associated Press" />
 <figcaption>Image Associated Press</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — After a tumultuous movie year marred by strikes and work stoppages, the Academy Awards&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/oscar-nominations-2024">showered nominations</a>&nbsp;Tuesday on Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster biopic, “Oppenheimer,” which came away with a leading 13 nominations.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/oppenheimer-box-office-success-christopher-nolan-imax-413bc36ac6ae68f422c06c9b1cc0ab0a">Nolan’s three-hour opus</a>, viewed as the best picture frontrunner, received nods for best picture; Nolan’s direction; acting nominations for Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Emily Blunt; and multiple honors for the sweeping craft of the J. Robert Oppenheimer drama. Though Nolan is regarded as the big-canvas auteur of his era, he’s never won an Academy Award, nor have any of his films won best picture. This, though, could be his year.The year’s biggest hit, “Barbie,” came away with a nominations haul slightly less than its partner in Barbenheimer mania.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/greta-gerwig-interview-barbie-ed61b918097f2fc43e024f4872a7225e">Greta Gerwig’s feminist comedy</a>, with more than $1.4 billion in ticket sales, was nominated for eight awards, including best picture; Ryan Gosling for best supporting actor; and two best-song candidates in “What Was I Made For” and “I’m Just Ken.”Gerwig was surprisingly left out of the best director field. She was nominated for best director in 2018 for her solo directorial debut, “Lady Bird.” At the time, Gerwig was just the fifth woman nominated for the award.Read the complete list of Oscar nominations below<h2>BEST PICTURE</h2>“American Fiction”; “Anatomy of a Fall”; “Barbie”; “The Holdovers”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Maestro”; “Oppenheimer”; “Past Lives”; “Poor Things”; “The Zone of Interest”<h2>BEST ACTRESS</h2>Annette Bening, “Nyad”; Lily Gladstone, “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Sandra Hüller, “Anatomy of a Fall”; Carey Mulligan, “Maestro”; Emma Stone, “Poor Things”<h2>BEST ACTOR</h2>Bradley Cooper, “Maestro”; Colman Domingo, “Rustin”; Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers”; Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”; Cillian Murphy, “Oppenheimer.”<h2>SUPPORTING ACTOR</h2>Sterling K. Brown, “American Fiction”; Robert De Niro, “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Robert Downey Jr., “Oppenheimer”; Ryan Gosling, “Barbie”; Mark Ruffalo, “Poor Things”<h2>SUPPORTING ACTRESS</h2>Emily Blunt, “Oppenheimer”; Danielle Brooks, “The Color Purple”; America Ferrera, “Barbie”; Jodie Foster, “Nyad”; Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”<h2>DIRECTOR</h2>Justine Triet, “Anatomy of a Fall”; Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor Things”; Christopher Nolan, “Oppenheimer”; Martin Scorsese, “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Jonathan Glazer, “The Zone of Interest”<h2>ANIMATED FILM</h2>“The Boy and the Heron”; “Elemental”; “Nimona”; “Robot Dreams”; “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”<h2>DOCUMENTARY FEATURE</h2>“Four Daughters”;&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/20-days-mariupol-oscar-nominations-documentary-d1256ee3cd3bf1a69787108513a7a761" target="_blank">“20 Days in Mariupol”;</a>&nbsp;“Bobi Wine: The People’s President”; “The Eternal Memory”; “To Kill a Tiger.”<h2>INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM</h2>“Society of the Snow,” (Spain); “The Zone of Interest,” (United Kingdom); “The Teachers’ Lounge” (Germany); “Io Capitano” (Italy) ; “Perfect Days” (Japan)<h2>COSTUME DESIGN</h2>“Barbie”; Killers of the Flower Moon; “Napoleon”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”<h2>ORIGINAL SCORE</h2>“American Fiction”; “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”<h2>ORIGINAL SONG</h2>“The Fire Inside” from “Flamin’ Hot”; “I’m Just Ken” from “Barbie”; “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie”; “Wahzhazhe (A Song For My People)” from “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “It Never Went Away” from “American Symphony.<h2>MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING</h2>“Golda”; “Maestro”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”; “Society of the Snow”<h2>PRODUCTION DESIGN</h2>“Barbie”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; Napoleon”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”<h2>FILM EDITING</h2>“Anatomy of a Fall”; “The Holdovers”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”<h2>ADAPTED SCREENPLAY</h2>“Barbie”; “Poor Things”; “American Fiction”; “Oppenheimer”; “The Zone of Interest”<h2>ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY</h2>“Anatomy of a Fall”; “The Holdovers”; “Past Lives”; “May December”; “Maestro”<h2>ANIMATED SHORT FILM</h2>“Letter to a Pig”; “Ninety-Five Senses”; “WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John &amp; Yoko”; “Pachyderme”; “Our Uniform”<h2>LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM</h2>“The After”; “Invincible”; “Knight of Fortune”; “Red, White and Blue”; “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.”<h2>CINEMATOGRAPHY</h2>“El Conde”; “Killers of the Flower Moon”; “Maestro”; “Oppenheimer”; “Poor Things”<h2>FILM EDITING</h2>“Anatomy of a Fall”; “The Holdovers”; “Killers of the Flower Moon"; “Oppenheimer,"; “Poor Things.”<h2>VISUAL EFFECTS</h2>“The Creator”; “Godzilla Minus One”; “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”; “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”; “Napoleon”<h2>SOUND</h2>“Oppenheimer”; “Maestro”; “The Zone of Interest”; “The Creator”; “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”<h2>DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM</h2>“The ABCs of Book Banning”; “The Barber of Little Rock”; “Island in Between”; “The Last Repair Shop”; “Nǎi Nai &amp; Wài Pó”

See the full list of nominees for the 2024 Oscars

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is aiming for a commanding victory Tuesday in New Hampshire, securing a sweep of the first two Republican primary races that would make a November rematch with President Joe Biden look more likely than ever.

The biggest question is whether Trump's last major rival, former U.N. Ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>, will be able to eat into his margin — or pull off an upset outright. Haley has dedicated significant time and financial resources to New Hampshire, hoping to appeal to its famously independent-minded electorate.

In the first results released early Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dixville-notch-primary-voting-new-hampshire-tuesday-0f7f420054403510364469ad52255270">all six registered voters of tiny Dixville Notch</a>&nbsp;cast their ballots for Haley over Trump. The resort town is the only one in New Hampshire this year that opted to vote at midnight.

Trump won New Hampshire's Republican primary big during his first run for president in 2016, but some of his allies lost key races during the midterms two years ago. Haley also has to contend with an opponent who has a deep bond with the GOP base and has concentrated on winning the state decisively enough that it would effectively end the competitive phase of the Republican primary.

If successful, Trump would be the first Republican presidential candidate to win open races in Iowa and New Hampshire since both states began leading the election calendar in 1976 — a clear sign of his continued grip on the party's most-loyal voters.

Trump’s allies are already pressuring Haley to leave the race and those calls will intensify if he wins New Hampshire easily. Were she to drop out, that would effectively decide the GOP primary on its second stop, well before the vast majority of Republican voters across the country have been able to vote.

Haley has been campaigning with New Hampshire’s popular Republican governor, Chris Sununu, a Trump critic. She insists she’s in the race for the long run, telling supporters at a VFW hall in Franklin on Monday that “America does not do coronations.”

“This is about, do you have more of the same, or do you want someone who’s going to take us forward with new solutions,” Haley told reporters, also saying that, “We can either do the whole thing that we’ve always done and live in that chaos world that we’ve had, or we can go forward with no drama, no vendettas and some results for the American people.”

“This is a two-person race,” she added.

Haley and Trump were both hoping to capitalize on high-profile recent departures from the race. Haley could get a lift from some supporters of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who campaigned around decrying Trump but ended his bid shortly before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iowa-caucus-haley-desantis-cold-voting-begins-0af10f1ba21d488af54776b2c8d4028c">Iowa's caucus</a>&nbsp;last week. Trump, meanwhile, may be able to consolidate support from conservative voters who were supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-250c8ed4b49843350e258f0c2754c8ba">who dropped his White House bid</a>&nbsp;on Sunday.

Trump, who appeared at a pre-primary rally in Laconia with one of his former primary rivals, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, was already looking ahead to being the race's last Republican candidate. Asked during a Monday interview with Newsmax about Haley possibly abandoning her campaign after New Hampshire, the former president said he’d never call on her to do that but added, “Maybe she’ll be dropping out Tuesday.”

Scot Stebbins Sr., who attended Trump's rally in a Make America Great Again baseball cap, called him “the greatest president we’ve had since Abraham Lincoln” adding that Trump “has done nothing but good for our nation.”

Stebbins said he thought the&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">four criminal cases</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">91 felony counts</a>&nbsp;Trump is facing constituted “a witch hunt” and said Trump would “get rid of all the corrupt politicians who have been in there too long that are getting paid off.”

“He can’t be bought,” Stebbins said. “He’s a true American. He always has been.”

Democrats were also holding a primary Tuesday, but it was unlike any in recent memory.

Biden championed new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-2024-democrats-dnc-state-parties-ac8fba0ab1117ebf75cc16ebe0c735e4">Democratic National Committee</a>&nbsp;rules that have the party's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-georgia-2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-83f6ea9bd64e567bb1ed55d734474b89">2024 primary process beginning on Feb. 3 in South Carolina</a>, rather than in Iowa or New Hampshire. He argued that Black voters, the party’s most reliable constituency and a critical part of his win in South Carolina that revived his 2020 primary campaign after three opening loses, should have a larger and earlier role in determining its nominee.

New Hampshire’s Democrats, citing state laws dictating that their state hold the nation’s first primary after Iowa’s caucus, defied the revamped order and pushed ahead with their primary as scheduled.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-hampshire-democratic-party-biden-writein-phillips-ba0e883caf8402e853a72d775bb22293">Biden didn’t campaign here</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-new-hampshire-primary-delegates-2024-election-d2bad477a8505d9ae953bb4772f2161b">his name won’t be on the ballot</a>, meaning the state’s Democrats can vote for the president’s two little-known major primary challengers, Minnesota Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/phillips-2024-presidential-campaign-biden-democratic-challenger-0f38b80ba00566014a4d59fdb516d52c">Dean Phillips</a>&nbsp;and self-help author&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marianne-williamson-president-2024-biden-democratic-primary-14e59754bed9e0c54dad4fdfbbc1fa6b">Marianne Williamson</a>. Still, many of New Hampshire’s top Democrats backed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-2024-new-hampshire-ballot-primary-shakeup-1df2712ebf31ffecdaf2bceb4c74bb2f">write-in campaign that they expect Biden to handily win</a>.

Some voters who might otherwise back Democrats could also vote in the more-competitive Republican primary if they are undeclared.

Karen Padgett is an undeclared voter who saw Haley on Monday. She said she’d voted for Trump in the last two elections but didn’t plan to do so again but also is “really annoyed with Joe Biden that he kind of wrote New Hampshire off.”

“Her statement is everybody’s so old there, they’re so entrenched,” Padgett said of Haley’s promises to shake up Washington in ways that Trump pledged to, but never did. “Let’s get some new people in there.”

Instead of focusing on New Hampshire, Biden was joining Vice President Kamala in northern Virginia for a rally in defense of abortion rights, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-biden-abortion-reproductive-rights-election-3d184285cc6edbe733311b26445db2a0">Democrats see as a winning issue</a>&nbsp;for them across the country in November.

There's nonetheless a growing sense of inevitability around November being a reprisal of Biden versus Trump. Both men have been criticized by their opponents over age — Biden is 81, Trump 77 — and each has painted the other as woefully unfit for another White House term.

Public opinion polls suggest most Americans oppose a rematch. An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll in December found that 56% of U.S. adults would be very or somewhat dissatisfied with Biden as the Democratic nominee — and 58% felt the same about Trump as the GOP pick.

Some New Hampshire voters expressed similar frustration.

Jeff Caira, 66, a Republican from Sanbornton, said he was undecided in the primary but that he wanted a candidate who will tackle “the issues, rather than address the baggage that the other two candidates seem to have.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705977175994.png" alt="In Oct. of 2018 Haley announced her resignation as UN Ambassador-image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>In Oct. of 2018 Haley announced her resignation as UN Ambassador-image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;is aiming for a commanding victory Tuesday in New Hampshire, securing a sweep of the first two Republican primary races that would make a November rematch with President Joe Biden look more likely than ever.The biggest question is whether Trump's last major rival, former U.N. Ambassador&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nikki-haley">Nikki Haley</a>, will be able to eat into his margin — or pull off an upset outright. Haley has dedicated significant time and financial resources to New Hampshire, hoping to appeal to its famously independent-minded electorate.In the first results released early Tuesday,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/dixville-notch-primary-voting-new-hampshire-tuesday-0f7f420054403510364469ad52255270">all six registered voters of tiny Dixville Notch</a>&nbsp;cast their ballots for Haley over Trump. The resort town is the only one in New Hampshire this year that opted to vote at midnight.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705958478983.png" alt="It's an uphill battle for the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor-photo courtesy Team Haley" />
 <figcaption>It's an uphill battle for the former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor-photo courtesy Team Haley</figcaption>
 </figure>Trump won New Hampshire's Republican primary big during his first run for president in 2016, but some of his allies lost key races during the midterms two years ago. Haley also has to contend with an opponent who has a deep bond with the GOP base and has concentrated on winning the state decisively enough that it would effectively end the competitive phase of the Republican primary.If successful, Trump would be the first Republican presidential candidate to win open races in Iowa and New Hampshire since both states began leading the election calendar in 1976 — a clear sign of his continued grip on the party's most-loyal voters.Trump’s allies are already pressuring Haley to leave the race and those calls will intensify if he wins New Hampshire easily. Were she to drop out, that would effectively decide the GOP primary on its second stop, well before the vast majority of Republican voters across the country have been able to vote.Haley has been campaigning with New Hampshire’s popular Republican governor, Chris Sununu, a Trump critic. She insists she’s in the race for the long run, telling supporters at a VFW hall in Franklin on Monday that “America does not do coronations.”“This is about, do you have more of the same, or do you want someone who’s going to take us forward with new solutions,” Haley told reporters, also saying that, “We can either do the whole thing that we’ve always done and live in that chaos world that we’ve had, or we can go forward with no drama, no vendettas and some results for the American people.”“This is a two-person race,” she added.Haley and Trump were both hoping to capitalize on high-profile recent departures from the race. Haley could get a lift from some supporters of former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who campaigned around decrying Trump but ended his bid shortly before&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-iowa-caucus-haley-desantis-cold-voting-begins-0af10f1ba21d488af54776b2c8d4028c">Iowa's caucus</a>&nbsp;last week. Trump, meanwhile, may be able to consolidate support from conservative voters who were supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/ron-desantis-250c8ed4b49843350e258f0c2754c8ba">who dropped his White House bid</a>&nbsp;on Sunday.Trump, who appeared at a pre-primary rally in Laconia with one of his former primary rivals, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, was already looking ahead to being the race's last Republican candidate. Asked during a Monday interview with Newsmax about Haley possibly abandoning her campaign after New Hampshire, the former president said he’d never call on her to do that but added, “Maybe she’ll be dropping out Tuesday.”Scot Stebbins Sr., who attended Trump's rally in a Make America Great Again baseball cap, called him “the greatest president we’ve had since Abraham Lincoln” adding that Trump “has done nothing but good for our nation.”Stebbins said he thought the&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">four criminal cases</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/trump-investigations-civil-criminal-tracker/index.html">91 felony counts</a>&nbsp;Trump is facing constituted “a witch hunt” and said Trump would “get rid of all the corrupt politicians who have been in there too long that are getting paid off.”“He can’t be bought,” Stebbins said. “He’s a true American. He always has been.”Democrats were also holding a primary Tuesday, but it was unlike any in recent memory.Biden championed new&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-2024-democrats-dnc-state-parties-ac8fba0ab1117ebf75cc16ebe0c735e4">Democratic National Committee</a>&nbsp;rules that have the party's&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/politics-georgia-2022-midterm-elections-south-carolina-83f6ea9bd64e567bb1ed55d734474b89">2024 primary process beginning on Feb. 3 in South Carolina</a>, rather than in Iowa or New Hampshire. He argued that Black voters, the party’s most reliable constituency and a critical part of his win in South Carolina that revived his 2020 primary campaign after three opening loses, should have a larger and earlier role in determining its nominee.New Hampshire’s Democrats, citing state laws dictating that their state hold the nation’s first primary after Iowa’s caucus, defied the revamped order and pushed ahead with their primary as scheduled.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-hampshire-democratic-party-biden-writein-phillips-ba0e883caf8402e853a72d775bb22293">Biden didn’t campaign here</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-new-hampshire-primary-delegates-2024-election-d2bad477a8505d9ae953bb4772f2161b">his name won’t be on the ballot</a>, meaning the state’s Democrats can vote for the president’s two little-known major primary challengers, Minnesota Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/phillips-2024-presidential-campaign-biden-democratic-challenger-0f38b80ba00566014a4d59fdb516d52c">Dean Phillips</a>&nbsp;and self-help author&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/marianne-williamson-president-2024-biden-democratic-primary-14e59754bed9e0c54dad4fdfbbc1fa6b">Marianne Williamson</a>. Still, many of New Hampshire’s top Democrats backed a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-2024-new-hampshire-ballot-primary-shakeup-1df2712ebf31ffecdaf2bceb4c74bb2f">write-in campaign that they expect Biden to handily win</a>.Some voters who might otherwise back Democrats could also vote in the more-competitive Republican primary if they are undeclared.Karen Padgett is an undeclared voter who saw Haley on Monday. She said she’d voted for Trump in the last two elections but didn’t plan to do so again but also is “really annoyed with Joe Biden that he kind of wrote New Hampshire off.”“Her statement is everybody’s so old there, they’re so entrenched,” Padgett said of Haley’s promises to shake up Washington in ways that Trump pledged to, but never did. “Let’s get some new people in there.”Instead of focusing on New Hampshire, Biden was joining Vice President Kamala in northern Virginia for a rally in defense of abortion rights, which&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/roe-biden-abortion-reproductive-rights-election-3d184285cc6edbe733311b26445db2a0">Democrats see as a winning issue</a>&nbsp;for them across the country in November.There's nonetheless a growing sense of inevitability around November being a reprisal of Biden versus Trump. Both men have been criticized by their opponents over age — Biden is 81, Trump 77 — and each has painted the other as woefully unfit for another White House term.Public opinion polls suggest most Americans oppose a rematch. An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll in December found that 56% of U.S. adults would be very or somewhat dissatisfied with Biden as the Democratic nominee — and 58% felt the same about Trump as the GOP pick.Some New Hampshire voters expressed similar frustration.Jeff Caira, 66, a Republican from Sanbornton, said he was undecided in the primary but that he wanted a candidate who will tackle “the issues, rather than address the baggage that the other two candidates seem to have.”

Decision Day: Haley hopes to stop Trump's march to nomination 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and British militaries bombed eight locations used by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">the Iranian-backed Houthis</a>&nbsp;in Yemen on Monday night, the second time the two allies have conducted coordinated retaliatory strikes on an array of the rebels' missile-launching capabilities.

According to officials, the U.S. and U.K. used warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets to take out Houthi missile storage sites and launchers. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a military operation, said Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands contributed to the mission, including with intelligence and surveillance.

In a joint statement, the six allied nations said the strikes specifically targeted a Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities. They added, “Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let us reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways in the face of continued threats.”

Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that four Royal Air Force Typhoon jets struck “multiple targets at two military sites in the vicinity of Sanaa airfield” with precision-guided bombs. The strikes, said Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, were “aimed at degrading Houthi capabilities” and would “deal another blow to their limited stockpiles and ability to threaten global trade.”

The joint operation comes about 10 days after U.S. and British warships and fighter jets struck more than 60 targets in 28 locations. That was the first U.S. military response to what has been a persistent campaign of Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.

The Houthis' media office said in an online statement that raids targeted Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. And Jamal Hassan, a resident from south Sanaa, told The Associated Press that two strikes landed near his home, setting off car alarms in the street. An Associated Press journalist in Sanaa also heard aircraft flying above the skies of Sanaa overnight Monday.

Al-Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, said there were multiple air raids on three areas of Sanaa: al-Dailami Air Base just north of the capital, Sarif, northeast of the city center, and al-Hafa, which is south of Sanaa.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke with President Joe Biden earlier Monday. Sunak’s office said the two leaders agreed to take “as needed, targeted military action to degrade Houthi capabilities.”

The latest barrage of allied attacks marks the eighth time the U.S. has conducted strikes on Houthi sites since Jan. 12. And it follows an almost-daily assault on Houthi missile launchers by U.S. fighter jets and ship-based Tomahawks over the past week. The rapid response missions, which officials said go after launchers that are armed and ready to fire, demonstrate the military’s increasing ability to watch, detect and strike militant activities in Yemen.

The chaotic wave of attacks and reprisals involving the United States, its allies and foes suggests that the retaliatory strikes haven’t deterred the Houthis from their campaign against Red Sea shipping, and that the broader regional war that the U.S. has spent months trying to avoid is becoming closer to reality.

For months, the Houthis have attacked ships in the region’s waterways that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. They say their attacks aim to end the Israeli air-and-ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel</a>. But any such links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue.

The U.S. and allies warned of retaliation for weeks, and the White House and a host of partner nations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-israel-hamas-houthis-red-sea-fef8d446852b6eae33d38ffd8f6b2d64">issued a final warning</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 3 to the Houthis to cease the attacks or face potential military action.

That threat, however, had little noticeable effect. The Houthis continued to attack ships in the region, including at times appearing to target U.S. Navy and U.S.-owned ships, in addition to the wide range of commercial vessels.

Of the eight strike missions on Yemen this month, all but the two with Britain were conducted by the U.S. military alone. Five of the latest strikes were labeled self-defense to take out missiles ready to fire. The most recent, on Saturday, struck and destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and was prepared to launch, according to Central Command.

The Biden administration has also put the Houthis back on its list of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/executive-order-13224/">specially designated global terrorists</a>. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing, while also allowing vital humanitarian aid to continue flowing to impoverished Yemenis.

U.S. defense officials have said they believe the strikes have degraded the Houthis’ weapons and strike capabilities. But Biden and others have acknowledged that the rebels are well-equipped by Iran and are likely to continue the attacks.

The Houthis, meanwhile, have made it clear that they have no intention of scaling back their assault. In the wake of the first U.S. and British joint attack, Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in their Foreign Ministry, said, “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression.”

The continued harassment of the ships has driven the U.S. and international partners to take extraordinary steps to defend them through a joint mission named Operation Prosperity Guardian, in which they provide a protective umbrella for vessels traveling the critical waterway that runs from the Suez Canal down to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

About 400 commercial vessels transit the southern Red Sea at any given time. And the ongoing violence has prompted companies to reroute their ships, sending them around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope instead — a much longer and less efficient passage.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705969554059.png" alt="U.S. Central Command image shows F/A-18E “Super Hornets” with Carrier Air Wing 3 aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) launching to conduct Airstrikes against the Houthi Terrorist Group in Yemen" />
 <figcaption>U.S. Central Command image shows F/A-18E “Super Hornets” with Carrier Air Wing 3 aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) launching to conduct Airstrikes against the Houthi Terrorist Group in Yemen</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and British militaries bombed eight locations used by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/yemen-attacks-iran-ships-retaliation-houthis-d770a3fb0fab4c4b72e2459771833e11">the Iranian-backed Houthis</a>&nbsp;in Yemen on Monday night, the second time the two allies have conducted coordinated retaliatory strikes on an array of the rebels' missile-launching capabilities.According to officials, the U.S. and U.K. used warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets to take out Houthi missile storage sites and launchers. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a military operation, said Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands contributed to the mission, including with intelligence and surveillance.In a joint statement, the six allied nations said the strikes specifically targeted a Houthi underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis’ missile and air surveillance capabilities. They added, “Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let us reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways in the face of continued threats.”Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that four Royal Air Force Typhoon jets struck “multiple targets at two military sites in the vicinity of Sanaa airfield” with precision-guided bombs. The strikes, said Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, were “aimed at degrading Houthi capabilities” and would “deal another blow to their limited stockpiles and ability to threaten global trade.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705969629635.png" alt="-U.S. Central Command image shows F/A-18E “Super Hornets” with Carrier Air Wing 3 aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) launching to conduct Airstrikes against the Houthi Terrorist Group in Yemen" />
 <figcaption>-U.S. Central Command image shows F/A-18E “Super Hornets” with Carrier Air Wing 3 aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) launching to conduct Airstrikes against the Houthi Terrorist Group in Yemen</figcaption>
 </figure>The joint operation comes about 10 days after U.S. and British warships and fighter jets struck more than 60 targets in 28 locations. That was the first U.S. military response to what has been a persistent campaign of Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.The Houthis' media office said in an online statement that raids targeted Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. And Jamal Hassan, a resident from south Sanaa, told The Associated Press that two strikes landed near his home, setting off car alarms in the street. An Associated Press journalist in Sanaa also heard aircraft flying above the skies of Sanaa overnight Monday.Al-Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, said there were multiple air raids on three areas of Sanaa: al-Dailami Air Base just north of the capital, Sarif, northeast of the city center, and al-Hafa, which is south of Sanaa.British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke with President Joe Biden earlier Monday. Sunak’s office said the two leaders agreed to take “as needed, targeted military action to degrade Houthi capabilities.”The latest barrage of allied attacks marks the eighth time the U.S. has conducted strikes on Houthi sites since Jan. 12. And it follows an almost-daily assault on Houthi missile launchers by U.S. fighter jets and ship-based Tomahawks over the past week. The rapid response missions, which officials said go after launchers that are armed and ready to fire, demonstrate the military’s increasing ability to watch, detect and strike militant activities in Yemen.The chaotic wave of attacks and reprisals involving the United States, its allies and foes suggests that the retaliatory strikes haven’t deterred the Houthis from their campaign against Red Sea shipping, and that the broader regional war that the U.S. has spent months trying to avoid is becoming closer to reality.For months, the Houthis have attacked ships in the region’s waterways that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. They say their attacks aim to end the Israeli air-and-ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas’&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-rockets-airstrikes-tel-aviv-11fb98655c256d54ecb5329284fc37d2">Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel</a>. But any such links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue.The U.S. and allies warned of retaliation for weeks, and the White House and a host of partner nations&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-israel-hamas-houthis-red-sea-fef8d446852b6eae33d38ffd8f6b2d64">issued a final warning</a>&nbsp;on Jan. 3 to the Houthis to cease the attacks or face potential military action.That threat, however, had little noticeable effect. The Houthis continued to attack ships in the region, including at times appearing to target U.S. Navy and U.S.-owned ships, in addition to the wide range of commercial vessels.Of the eight strike missions on Yemen this month, all but the two with Britain were conducted by the U.S. military alone. Five of the latest strikes were labeled self-defense to take out missiles ready to fire. The most recent, on Saturday, struck and destroyed a Houthi anti-ship missile that was aimed into the Gulf of Aden and was prepared to launch, according to Central Command.The Biden administration has also put the Houthis back on its list of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.state.gov/executive-order-13224/">specially designated global terrorists</a>. The sanctions that come with the formal designation are meant to sever violent extremist groups from their sources of financing, while also allowing vital humanitarian aid to continue flowing to impoverished Yemenis.U.S. defense officials have said they believe the strikes have degraded the Houthis’ weapons and strike capabilities. But Biden and others have acknowledged that the rebels are well-equipped by Iran and are likely to continue the attacks.The Houthis, meanwhile, have made it clear that they have no intention of scaling back their assault. In the wake of the first U.S. and British joint attack, Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in their Foreign Ministry, said, “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression.”The continued harassment of the ships has driven the U.S. and international partners to take extraordinary steps to defend them through a joint mission named Operation Prosperity Guardian, in which they provide a protective umbrella for vessels traveling the critical waterway that runs from the Suez Canal down to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.About 400 commercial vessels transit the southern Red Sea at any given time. And the ongoing violence has prompted companies to reroute their ships, sending them around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope instead — a much longer and less efficient passage.___

U.S.  bombed more Iranian-backed terrorist sites 

WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed Border Patrol agents to cut&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-border-buoys-wire-abbott-5f138e354e88fc319f46c55344d7335c">razor wire that Texas installed</a>&nbsp;on the U.S.-Mexico border, while a lawsuit over the wire continues.

The justices, by a 5-4 vote, granted an emergency appeal from the Biden administration, which has been in an escalating standoff at the border with Texas and had objected to an appellate ruling in favor of the state.

The concertina wire along roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) of the Rio Grande near the border city of Eagle Pass is part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's broader fight with the administration over immigration enforcement.

Abbott also has authorized installing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-buoys-border-immigration-12bc8abddef1c9384b25222b92d0840b">floating barriers in the Rio Grande</a>&nbsp;near Eagle Pass and allowed troopers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-texas-immigration-c33939110eff92670d1d2b5488181bb0">to arrest and jail thousands of migrants</a>&nbsp;on trespassing charges. The administration also is challenging those actions in federal court.

A federal appeals court last month forced federal agents to stop cutting the concertina wire.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-california-border-asylum-seekers-314698bfb5644be8f8f6085ebe9b9b98">Large numbers of migrants have crossed</a>&nbsp;at Eagle Pass in recent months.

In court papers, the administration said the wire impedes Border Patrol agents from reaching migrants as they cross the river and that, in any case, federal immigration law trumps Texas’ own efforts to stem the flow of migrants into the country.

Texas officials have argued that federal agents cut the wire to help groups crossing illegally through the river before taking them in for processing.

Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor sided with the administration. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas voted with Texas.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/5/1683770770241.png" alt="photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales" />
 <figcaption>photo courtesy Rep. Tony Gonzales</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed Border Patrol agents to cut&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-border-buoys-wire-abbott-5f138e354e88fc319f46c55344d7335c">razor wire that Texas installed</a>&nbsp;on the U.S.-Mexico border, while a lawsuit over the wire continues.The justices, by a 5-4 vote, granted an emergency appeal from the Biden administration, which has been in an escalating standoff at the border with Texas and had objected to an appellate ruling in favor of the state.The concertina wire along roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) of the Rio Grande near the border city of Eagle Pass is part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's broader fight with the administration over immigration enforcement.Abbott also has authorized installing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/texas-buoys-border-immigration-12bc8abddef1c9384b25222b92d0840b">floating barriers in the Rio Grande</a>&nbsp;near Eagle Pass and allowed troopers&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-texas-immigration-c33939110eff92670d1d2b5488181bb0">to arrest and jail thousands of migrants</a>&nbsp;on trespassing charges. The administration also is challenging those actions in federal court.A federal appeals court last month forced federal agents to stop cutting the concertina wire.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/immigration-texas-california-border-asylum-seekers-314698bfb5644be8f8f6085ebe9b9b98">Large numbers of migrants have crossed</a>&nbsp;at Eagle Pass in recent months.In court papers, the administration said the wire impedes Border Patrol agents from reaching migrants as they cross the river and that, in any case, federal immigration law trumps Texas’ own efforts to stem the flow of migrants into the country.Texas officials have argued that federal agents cut the wire to help groups crossing illegally through the river before taking them in for processing.Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor sided with the administration. Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas voted with Texas.

Supreme Court allows federal agents to cut razor wire at Texas border

Preventing spread of pathogen a challenge, especially in backyard poultry flocks

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Agriculture confirmed Monday the 15th case of avian influenza since Dec. 1 amid a national outbreak that began in 2022 and spread to all but three states and more than 450 commercial flocks across the country.

Agriculture Secretary Mike Beam said proliferation of the pathogen was concentrated in Kansas at egg-laying facilities in McPherson and Rice counties and in gamebird facilities in Mitchell County. The most recent case in Kansas was identified Friday, Beam said.

Unlike an outbreak in 2015 that was driven by farm-to-farm transmission, he said, this round of avian flu appeared to be transmitted primarily by wild birds interacting with flocks. In most cases, entire commercial and backyard flocks at an infected location must be euthanized.

“The industry has taken significant action to attempt to slow the ongoing spread of this disease to protect the rest of the nation’s flock,” Beam said. “Until this winter, Kansas hadn’t had any positive cases since the spring of 2023. The fall brought a resurgence nationwide, including in our neighboring states, so we expected to see positive cases in Kansas.”

Beam said the state Department of Agriculture had a role in euthanizing infected flocks through “approved, humane methods” and in the safe disposal of carcasses to curtail spread to other flocks. Pace of that slaughter was a key to reducing loss of animals and minimizing disruption of poultry farms, he said.

“Quickly eliminating infected birds reduces the amount of virus in the environment, minimizes the risk of the disease spreading to and killing other birds, and reduces amount of time that birds suffer the effects of the disease,” Beam said.

In testimony to the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, the agriculture secretary said a contributing factor in spread of avian influenza was the presence of backyard flocks in which birds were allowed to roam property and more easily came in contact with migratory birds.

Small residential operations were less likely to adopt biosecurity methods typical of commercial facilities invested in limiting movement of pathogens from farm to farm, Beam said.

“We’re most vulnerable in what we call backyard flocks,” he said. “There’s a lot of backyard flocks that we probably don’t know about that’s had the disease.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture characterized Highly Pathogenic Avian influenza, or PHAI, as a “serious disease and requires rapid response because it is highly contagious and often fatal to chickens.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705959960045.png" alt=" The Kansas Department of Agriculture confirmed the 15th case of avian influenza since Dec. 1 in a nationwide outbreak hitting 47 states and diminishing commercial and backyard flocks. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of image provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture)" />
 <figcaption> The Kansas Department of Agriculture confirmed the 15th case of avian influenza since Dec. 1 in a nationwide outbreak hitting 47 states and diminishing commercial and backyard flocks. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of image provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Preventing spread of pathogen a challenge, especially in backyard poultry flocks</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a>&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Agriculture confirmed Monday the 15th case of avian influenza since Dec. 1 amid a national outbreak that began in 2022 and spread to all but three states and more than 450 commercial flocks across the country.Agriculture Secretary Mike Beam said proliferation of the pathogen was concentrated in Kansas at egg-laying facilities in McPherson and Rice counties and in gamebird facilities in Mitchell County. The most recent case in Kansas was identified Friday, Beam said.Unlike an outbreak in 2015 that was driven by farm-to-farm transmission, he said, this round of avian flu appeared to be transmitted primarily by wild birds interacting with flocks. In most cases, entire commercial and backyard flocks at an infected location must be euthanized.“The industry has taken significant action to attempt to slow the ongoing spread of this disease to protect the rest of the nation’s flock,” Beam said. “Until this winter, Kansas hadn’t had any positive cases since the spring of 2023. The fall brought a resurgence nationwide, including in our neighboring states, so we expected to see positive cases in Kansas.”Beam said the state Department of Agriculture had a role in euthanizing infected flocks through “approved, humane methods” and in the safe disposal of carcasses to curtail spread to other flocks. Pace of that slaughter was a key to reducing loss of animals and minimizing disruption of poultry farms, he said.“Quickly eliminating infected birds reduces the amount of virus in the environment, minimizes the risk of the disease spreading to and killing other birds, and reduces amount of time that birds suffer the effects of the disease,” Beam said.In testimony to the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee, the agriculture secretary said a contributing factor in spread of avian influenza was the presence of backyard flocks in which birds were allowed to roam property and more easily came in contact with migratory birds.Small residential operations were less likely to adopt biosecurity methods typical of commercial facilities invested in limiting movement of pathogens from farm to farm, Beam said.“We’re most vulnerable in what we call backyard flocks,” he said. “There’s a lot of backyard flocks that we probably don’t know about that’s had the disease.”The U.S. Department of Agriculture characterized Highly Pathogenic Avian influenza, or PHAI, as a “serious disease and requires rapid response because it is highly contagious and often fatal to chickens.”

Kansas ag secretary confirms state’s 15th case of deadly avian influenza since Dec. 1

Editors notes: Press release updated to include Governor Parson from Missouri

LINCOLN, NE –&nbsp;Governor Jim Pillen has taken the lead on a letter to President Joe Biden requesting reconsideration of an “unrealistic, costly and expensive” mandate requiring that two-thirds of all new vehicles be battery electric by 2032. Gov. Pillen was joined by 15 other Republican governors in urging the President to allow consumers and the marketplace to guide growth for electric vehicles.

“There are a number of reasons why consumers are leaving these cars on dealership lots – the cost, the infrastructure required, and the battery content requirements are untenable for today’s car buyers. Even if consumers determine over time that battery electric vehicles are appealing,&nbsp;the reality is that the lack of a strong, domestic marketplace makes electric vehicles prohibitively expensive for the American consumer. While battery electric vehicles are a promising technology, we believe it will take time to develop the marketplace, to address consumer access and concerns, and to build out the necessary infrastructure.”

Governors who signed onto the letter include:&nbsp;Sarah Sanders (Arkansas), Brad Little (Idaho), Kim Reynolds (Iowa), Jeff Landry (Louisiana),&nbsp;Mike Parson&nbsp;(Missouri), Greg Gianforte (Montana), Joe Lombardo (Nevada), Chris Sununu (New Hampshire), Doug Burgum (North Dakota), Kevin Stitt (Oklahoma), Kristi Noem (South Dakota), Greg Abbott (Texas), Spencer Cox (Utah), Glenn Youngkin (Virginia), and Mark Gordon (Wyoming).

<a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/sites/governor.nebraska.gov/files/doc/press/Joint-Governors-Letter-on-Biden-EV-Mandates-1.22.24-2.pdf">Joint Governors Letter on Biden EV Mandates</a>

Editors notes: Press release updated to include Governor Parson from MissouriLINCOLN, NE –&nbsp;Governor Jim Pillen has taken the lead on a letter to President Joe Biden requesting reconsideration of an “unrealistic, costly and expensive” mandate requiring that two-thirds of all new vehicles be battery electric by 2032. Gov. Pillen was joined by 15 other Republican governors in urging the President to allow consumers and the marketplace to guide growth for electric vehicles.The letter reads in part:&nbsp;“There are a number of reasons why consumers are leaving these cars on dealership lots – the cost, the infrastructure required, and the battery content requirements are untenable for today’s car buyers. Even if consumers determine over time that battery electric vehicles are appealing,&nbsp;the reality is that the lack of a strong, domestic marketplace makes electric vehicles prohibitively expensive for the American consumer. While battery electric vehicles are a promising technology, we believe it will take time to develop the marketplace, to address consumer access and concerns, and to build out the necessary infrastructure.”Governors who signed onto the letter include:&nbsp;Sarah Sanders (Arkansas), Brad Little (Idaho), Kim Reynolds (Iowa), Jeff Landry (Louisiana),&nbsp;Mike Parson&nbsp;(Missouri), Greg Gianforte (Montana), Joe Lombardo (Nevada), Chris Sununu (New Hampshire), Doug Burgum (North Dakota), Kevin Stitt (Oklahoma), Kristi Noem (South Dakota), Greg Abbott (Texas), Spencer Cox (Utah), Glenn Youngkin (Virginia), and Mark Gordon (Wyoming).<a href="https://governor.nebraska.gov/sites/governor.nebraska.gov/files/doc/press/Joint-Governors-Letter-on-Biden-EV-Mandates-1.22.24-2.pdf">Joint Governors Letter on Biden EV Mandates</a>

Gov. Pillen Leads Letter to Biden Calling Out Federal EV Mandate

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration recommends that airlines inspect the door plugs on certain Boeing 737s that are older than the Max 9 jetliner that suffered a blowout of a similar panel during a flight this month.

The FAA said door plugs on one older version of the 737, called the 737-900ER, are identical in design to those on the Max 9, and some airlines “have noted findings with bolts during the maintenance inspections.”

The FAA issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.faa.gov/media/74751">safety alert</a>&nbsp;late Sunday. As soon as possible, airlines should visually inspect four places where a bolt, nut and pin secure the door plug to the plane, the agency said.

The door plugs are panels that seal holes left for extra doors when the number of seats is not enough to trigger a requirement for more emergency-evacuation exits. From inside the plane, they look like a regular window.

The FAA said that 737-900ERs have logged 3.9 million flights without any known issues involving the door plugs. By contrast, the Max 9 that suffered the blowout had made only 145 flights.

One of the two door plugs on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 flew off the plane in midflight on Jan. 5. Passengers and investigators have described a violent decompression as air rushed out of the pressured cabin at 16,000 feet over Oregon.

The plane made an emergency landing with a hole in its side, and no serious injuries were reported. On a mostly full plane, no one was sitting in the two seats nearest the panel that blew out.

The FAA has grounded all Max 9s with door plugs instead of regular doors in the back of the cabin. Alaska and United Airlines are the only U.S. carriers to use the plane.

Besides grounding 171 Max 9 jets, the FAA is investigating quality-control measures at Boeing and its suppliers and has increased its oversight of the aircraft maker. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the Oregon incident.

“We fully support the FAA and our customers in this action,” a Boeing spokeswoman said in a statement Monday.

Boeing delivered about 500 737-900ERs between 2007 and 2019 – mostly to three U.S. airlines -- and about 380 have door plugs instead of exits.

Alaska said Monday that it began inspecting its 737-900ERs “several days ago” and has turned up no issues. The Seattle-based airline, which has canceled hundreds of flights because of the Max 9 grounding, said it expects no disruption from the inspections of its 737-900ERs.

United said it began inspecting the earlier Boeing model last week and expects to finish the reviews this week with no disruptions for passengers.

Delta Air Lines did not respond to a request for comment about its 737-900ERs.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/1/1705012450283.png" alt="This image taken Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, and released by the National Transportation Safety Board, shows a section of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 that is missing panel on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in Portland, Ore. Federal officials are investigating Boeing's oversight of production of a panel that blew off a jetliner in midflight last week. (NTSB via AP)" />
 <figcaption>This image taken Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024, and released by the National Transportation Safety Board, shows a section of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 that is missing panel on a Boeing 737-9 MAX in Portland, Ore. Federal officials are investigating Boeing's oversight of production of a panel that blew off a jetliner in midflight last week. (NTSB via AP)</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration recommends that airlines inspect the door plugs on certain Boeing 737s that are older than the Max 9 jetliner that suffered a blowout of a similar panel during a flight this month.The FAA said door plugs on one older version of the 737, called the 737-900ER, are identical in design to those on the Max 9, and some airlines “have noted findings with bolts during the maintenance inspections.”The FAA issued a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.faa.gov/media/74751">safety alert</a>&nbsp;late Sunday. As soon as possible, airlines should visually inspect four places where a bolt, nut and pin secure the door plug to the plane, the agency said.The door plugs are panels that seal holes left for extra doors when the number of seats is not enough to trigger a requirement for more emergency-evacuation exits. From inside the plane, they look like a regular window.The FAA said that 737-900ERs have logged 3.9 million flights without any known issues involving the door plugs. By contrast, the Max 9 that suffered the blowout had made only 145 flights.One of the two door plugs on an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 flew off the plane in midflight on Jan. 5. Passengers and investigators have described a violent decompression as air rushed out of the pressured cabin at 16,000 feet over Oregon.The plane made an emergency landing with a hole in its side, and no serious injuries were reported. On a mostly full plane, no one was sitting in the two seats nearest the panel that blew out.The FAA has grounded all Max 9s with door plugs instead of regular doors in the back of the cabin. Alaska and United Airlines are the only U.S. carriers to use the plane.Besides grounding 171 Max 9 jets, the FAA is investigating quality-control measures at Boeing and its suppliers and has increased its oversight of the aircraft maker. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the Oregon incident.“We fully support the FAA and our customers in this action,” a Boeing spokeswoman said in a statement Monday.Boeing delivered about 500 737-900ERs between 2007 and 2019 – mostly to three U.S. airlines -- and about 380 have door plugs instead of exits.Alaska said Monday that it began inspecting its 737-900ERs “several days ago” and has turned up no issues. The Seattle-based airline, which has canceled hundreds of flights because of the Max 9 grounding, said it expects no disruption from the inspections of its 737-900ERs.United said it began inspecting the earlier Boeing model last week and expects to finish the reviews this week with no disruptions for passengers.Delta Air Lines did not respond to a request for comment about its 737-900ERs.