Happy Friday! There are only four days until the New Hampshire primary and I am already chilled to the core. I'm ready to stick adhesive, disposable hand warmers all over myself. Here's what's happening today: - Today is the only day where GOP rivals Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis will all be in New Hampshire. That won't be the case this weekend.
- Ron DeSantis has said he regrets avoiding the media in the early days of his campaign.
- Congress averted yet another government shutdown that would have started at midnight tonight. But don't get too excited: Congress is facing another deadline in seven weeks.
Filing from MaryAnn's Diner in Amherst, N.H., where Nikki Haley just visited, I'm Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what's coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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🎿 On the ground in New Hampshire |
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Whoa, they're all here today:
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© GIPHY/ The Late Late Show with James Corden |
GOP rivals Donald Trump, Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis are all campaigning in New Hampshire today. That shouldn't be a big deal — the primary is four days away — but for this campaign cycle, it is. The week between the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary is usually a frenzy of activity — national media and strategists pour in, national TV networks host glitzy debates and campaigns schedules are packed. The media still showed up, but the rest of the usual circus did not. - Former President Trump spent a day in court this week.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) spent Thursday in Florida.
- Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who has been criticized for a relatively light campaign schedule, is the only major candidate with a full day of campaign events in New Hampshire.
What's happening today?: - Haley is canvasing southern New Hampshire today with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R). She has events scheduled in Newfields, Hampton, Manchester, Amherst and Milford. She will then host a campaign rally in Manchester in the evening.
- Trump is giving a speech in Concord tonight. Trump has never had a heavy campaign schedule packed with small meet-and-greets, so this schedule is pretty typical.
- DeSantis is holding two town hall events in New Hampshire: one in Nashua and the other in Dover. But then DeSantis is skipping town and flying to South Carolina for the weekend. He is polling in the single digits in the Granite State and looks to make a bigger play in the Palmetto State.
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➤ TIBDIT — DESANTIS'S CAMPAIGN REGRETS: |
Ron DeSantis told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt that he regrets avoiding the media in the early stages of his presidential campaign. DeSantis's reasoning: "I came in not really doing as much media. I should have just been blanketing. I should have gone on all the corporate shows. I should have gone on everything. I started doing that as we got into the end of the summer, and we did it. But we had an opportunity, I think, to come out of the gate and do that and reach a much broader folk." (The Hill) |
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➤ HEADLINES FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL: |
- ''You don't see the frenzy': The New Hampshire primary is a bust': Politico
- 'Inside the breakup of Haley and Trump's partnership over her U.N. role': The Washington Post
- 'Haley Under Pressure as She Tries to Dent Trump in New Hampshire': The New York Times
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New Hampshire takes its role as the first-in-the-nation primary very seriously — and local businesses often celebrate that. It's not unusual to see old campaign buttons, bumper stickers, lawn signs and autographed photos draped over the walls at businesses. The photo above is from Robie's Country Store in Hooksett: Haley made a campaign stop there Thursday. And the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester: There is a plaque at a seat that reads, "Sen. Amy Klobuchar [D-Minn.] Sat Here." Photo of the plaque, from NBC News's Allan Smith The boot 'hat' is back!: Vermin Supreme, a satirical presidential candidate who has been a part of every recent New Hampshire primary, is out and about. He is known for wearing a boot on his head and runs on a number of eccentric proposals that include zombies, free ponies and brushing your teeth. Photo of Vermin Supreme / A little history on Vermin Supreme Photos of Haley speaking in Hollis, N.H.: It's feels little weird covering these events as an adult at the venue of my high school semi-formal dances. Photos Tidbit: The New York Times's Shane Goldmacher posted: "[Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah)] did not give DeSantis a heads up before he announced that he was endorsing Mr. Trump…the DeSantis team saw the timing as a knife in the back…In another personal twist, Lee's wife, Sharon, had worked for the DeSantis super PAC, Never Back Down. |
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➤ FILING FROM MARYANN'S DINER: |
Nikki Haley just walked around meeting patrons of the Amherst, N.H. diner. The diner is adorable: Photos of the red and silver 1950s-style diner It was a madhouse: There was more media than patrons. At least the patrons know what they were getting into. The diner had a sign out front that read, "COME MEET NIKKI HALEY FRIDAY AT 11:30AM." Photos of the swarms of media
She told one table: "I don't want to be anybody's vice-president, that's off the table." Haley gaggled with reporters: She slammed former President Trump and addressed the canceled GOP presidential debates that she pulled out of. Her response: "I think the reason [Trump] gets behind a screen and hits me is because he doesn't want to get on a debate stage. He knows I know him very well. He knows I know what his lies are. He knows that I know when he says something, I know why he's saying it. I know when he's insecure. I know when he mouths off because he has nothing else to say. He's been doing all of that. So why would he want to get on a debate stage with me?" |
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The lights will … stay on!: |
I know I sound like a broken record, but another government shutdown has been averted! The House and Senate both voted to avert a partial government shutdown at midnight tonight, once again punting the funding deadlines by less than two months. The House voted 314-108 to approve the continuing resolution (CR). The Senate voted 77-18. What now?: Instead of government funding expiring Jan. 19 and Feb. 2, the deadlines will now be March 1 and March 8. Congrats, Mike Johnson! 🍻: Johnson negotiated the deal to avert a shutdown. But why is he not celebrating, you ask? Well, the Speaker had to lean on a lot of Democratic support to push the bill over the finish line. Conservatives in his own party were not thrilled about the lack of spending cuts. And the deadline was only delayed for a few weeks, so he can't relax. |
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And just in case Mike Johnson's week isn't stressful enough:
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Johnson is under enormous pressure from conservatives and former President Trump to oppose the deal negotiated between Senate Republicans and the White House to fund Ukraine in exchange for border reforms. Why?: Trump told Johnson to reject any deal that isn't "perfect." Keep in mind: This is a big political talking point for Republicans. "The Senate deal is expected to include changes to asylum policy, but negotiators have said that the issue of humanitarian parole is a major sticking point in the talks. And in a presidential election year, some Republicans say a deal could neutralize a potent political issue for their party." (The Hill) |
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➤ AH HA — IT'S HAPPENING: |
Hunter Biden has agreed to testify before the House Oversight and Judiciary committees behind closed doors (!) Feb. 28. (The Hill) Why this is big: Republicans have been wanting the president's son to testify for months. Hunter Biden said he would only testify for a public hearing and skipped the Dec. 13 deposition because they couldn't reach an agreement. Now he has agreed to closed-door deposition. |
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🍿 Celebrate: Today is National Popcorn Day! 🍦 Biden's ice cream stop: While in Raleigh, N.C., President Biden stopped at Cook Out to get a milkshake with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D). He ordered a "black & white" shake "triple-thick." (!) Cooper ordered an M&M shake. Video from C-SPAN's Howard Mortman ^ The fact that Biden's shake was ordered "triple-thick" kills me. 😂 ❄️ Wow, it is SO snowy in D.C.: Here's a clip of the snow falling in front of the U.S. Capitol early this morning. 🗺️ The new hotspots for businesses: Colorado, North Dakota and Iowa had the biggest increase in business applications in the past year. Axios published a map of which states have the highest number of new business applications. |
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The House and Senate are out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.. Harris has no public events scheduled. (all times Eastern) |
- 1:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby brief reporters. 💻 Livestream
- 3:45 p.m.: Bidens host a White House event for mayors attending the winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. 💻 Livestream
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To leave you feeling celebratory, here's a tortoise celebrating the opening of a science lab. |
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