Iowa entrance polls show MAGA fans turned out for caucus: Live updates
Donald Trump holds commanding lead over challengers Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The 2024 Republican candidates are eagerly awaiting the results of the Iowa caucuses on Monday – though if polling tells us anything, it’s that Donald Trump has a predictable commanding lead over the other candidates.
In a survey, conducted by The Des Moines Register, NBC News and Medicom, 48 per cent of potential voters said the former president was their first choice of Republican presidential candidates.
Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley was behind Mr Trump with 20 per cent support followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 16 per cent.
Vivek Ramaswamy had just 8 per cent while only 5 per cent of potential voters said they were still unsure.
Of the survey respondents more than half said they had their minds made up regarding who they would cast their vote for.
But for the 32 per cent who could still be persuaded to support a candidate, the presidential candidates are fighting hard to convince them to join their teams.
Full story: Mitch McConnell to step down as Senate Republican leader after 16 years
Andrew Feinberg reports from Washington, DC:
Senator Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving party leader in the upper chamber’s history, will stand aside from his leadership post after the November general election.
Stay tuned for reactions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill...
Mitch McConnell to step down as Senate Republican leader after 16 years leading GOP
Kentucky Republican has led the Senate Republican Conference since 2007
Watch: Schumer says government funding deal ‘very close'
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that negotiators in both chambers of Congress working on the government funding package have made “very good progress on an agreement and we are very close to getting it done”.
What you need to know about the Trump-era gun bump stock ban as it goes before the Supreme Court
The debate around whether or not the federal government can ban “bump stocks” – devices that can be added to a semi-automatic firearm to make a gun fire faster – has now headed to the nation’s highest court.
On Wednesday 28 February, the Supreme Court justices are hearing oral arguments in the case of Garland v Cargill.
The case concerns a ban on bump stocks that the Trump administration imposed after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, where a gunman used a bump stock to fire more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition into a music festival crowd, killing 58 people initially (two other injured individuals died years later) in just 11 minutes.
Ariana Baio reports:
Supreme Court hears arguments on Trump-era gun bump stock ban
Legislation aimed at reducing gun violence is once again in the hands of the Supreme Court in a case challenging a ban on bump stocks
Per the Associated Press:
Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November.
McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, a place where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders.
“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”
His decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump.
McConnell said he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.” Aides said McConnell’s announcement about the leadership post was unrelated to his health. The Kentucky senator had a concussion from a fall last year and two public episodes where his face briefly froze while he was speaking.
“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work,” McConnell said in his prepared remarks. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”
Stay tuned for reaction and further developments from Capitol Hill...
BREAKING: Mitch McConnell to step down as GOP Senate leader in November
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will step down as the Senate’s Republican leader in November, ending a record run in the powerful post.
This is a developing story...
Biden departs Walter Reed following physical
President Joe Biden has departed Walter Reed National National Military Medical Center following his annual physical.
According to calculations by Danny Kemp of the AFP, he was inside for approximately two hours and thirty minutes.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments