Republican candidates criss-cross Iowa in final 10-day stretch to caucuses

On the eve of the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 riot, DeSantis said that Trump put his supporters “in jeopardy” by inviting them to “a hostile jurisdiction for Republicans.”

“But I think for him to invite all his supporters to DC, the belly of the beast, knowing that it’s a hostile jurisdiction for Republicans if anything would have gone wrong, whatever his intention was, you know, he put those people in jeopardy. And a lot of people have now gotten caught up in that,” DeSantis said in response to a call-in question today on Iowa radio station KCPS.

In the early days of his campaign, DeSantis criticized Trump for his inaction on Jan. 6, saying the former president “didn’t do anything” and “should’ve acted more forcefully.” A few weeks later, in an interview with British comedian Russell Brand, DeSantis said the attack was not an insurrection.

For the past three years, defense lawyers seeking leniency for Jan. 6 rioters have often struck a similar theme in trying to explain to federal judges and Washington juries how their clients fell for thoroughly debunked lies about the 2020 presidential election: They argued that their clients weren’t very smart or that they had conditions that made them vulnerable to disinformation.

In court filings and sentencing memos, lawyers defending Jan. 6 rioters have argued that their clients were duped and manipulated, that they were poorly educated, had low IQs and lacked critical thinking skills. They wanted former President Donald Trump’s “respect” and “approval” and thought they were “following presidential orders,” lawyers argued. Some Jan. 6 defendants have even called themselves idiots, lamenting that they were credulous enough to have fallen for what they now see as obvious lies.

The strategy appears to have had an impact in some cases, with judges agreeing to more lenient sentences, particularly in cases in which defendants appear genuinely remorseful for their conduct and regret that they were so gullible.

The Biden campaign tonight said that Trump was to blame for the Supreme Court's decision allowing Idaho to enforce a strict abortion law ahead of arguments in the case.

"Because of Donald Trump, women in Idaho no longer have the freedom to make their own health care decisions, even when their lives are in jeopardy. For Trump, overturning Roe is an accomplishment to brag about on the campaign trail — for women and doctors across America, it’s a nightmare that has become their reality," said campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez in a statement.

"This election will determine whether women, including those in states where abortion is currently legal, have more freedoms, or less — only Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will fight back against MAGA Republicans’ assault on women’s rights," she continued.

Democrats have garnered a string of electoral victories in states where abortion was placed on the ballot.

During town hall tonight in Keene, N.H., a voter told Christie he is worried that Trump will win the state's primary.

“What gives me a great deal of anxiety is that you and Gov. Haley appeal to the same people. And so my question to you is: Do you think that my anxiety about that is unfounded?”

Christie joked and said, “No, I have the same anxiety.” He then went on to say that while some of the same people are drawn to the two of them, “there are a lot of people who support me who wouldn’t support her because she is not speaking out against Donald Trump.”

Christie also said that if he decides to get out of the race it “has nothing to do with Nikki Haley.”

“I wouldn’t support her at the moment, even if I did get out, because of what she’s failed to do,” he said, including not saying that she would refuse to run as Trump's VP if he offered it to her.

Trump is again attacking Haley in New Hampshire with a mailer just weeks before the primary.

The mail flier, obtained by NBC News, attacks the former South Carolina governor on immigration and economic issues, arguing the Haley agenda consists of "open borders" and "empty wallets for New Hampshire seniors and working families." The mailer argues that Haley "will make America less safe" and that "New Hampshire can't afford" her.

The mailer comes on the heels of a Trump advertisement that targeted Haley over border issues on New Hampshire airwaves.

The Trump campaign's push against Haley, who had served in the Trump administration as ambassador to the United Nations, comes as Haley appears to be gaining momentum in polls of the Granite State.

Haley often addresses the Trump campaign's attacks as evidence that her rival is "nervous."

MAQUOKETA, Iowa — Ramaswamy missed an opportunity to put some easy points on the board tonight when he was quizzed about the University of Iowa’s star basketball player Caitlin Clark.

“Do you know the name of the Iowa women’s basketball player who has been setting records?” an audience member asked Ramaswamy in what she prefaced was a "fun" question.

“No, I don’t,” he responded, drawing gasps from the crowd. “I should, I learn something every day,” he added.

Ramaswamy is the second GOP presidential candidate to draw a foul on naming Clark. Haley took a lot of flack recently for calling her “Caitlin Collins.”

In a post on X today, Rep. Dean Phillips, who is running for president as a Democrat, said that Biden was exhibiting "Hypocrisy on democracy."

He also shared a photo referencing the Florida Democratic Party's decision to not hold a primary, in contrast with Biden's campaign focus on protecting democracy.

The Florida Democratic Party said in a statement that it had "voted unanimously to send one name, Joe Biden, to the Secretary of State as a candidate for the party’s nomination for president." The statement also noted that there wasn't a primary held in the state when former President Barack Obama was seeking re-election.

Phillips' criticism of Biden came shortly before the president delivered a speech on the importance of protecting democracy.

At an event in Sioux Center, Iowa, Trump delivered his first in-person remarks about yesterday’s deadly shooting at a high school in Perry, Iowa.

After extending his condolences, the former president said it’s time to “move forward.”

“I want to send our support and our deepest sympathies to the victims and families touched by the terrible school shooting yesterday in Perry, Iowa. To the entire community, we love you, we pray for you and we ask God to heal and comfort, really the whole, the whole state,” Trump said during a campaign rally.

He added, “It's just horrible, so surprising to see it here. But have to get over it, we have to move forward. We have to move forward, but to the relatives and to all of the people that are so devastated right now to a point they can’t breathe, they can’t live, we are with you all the way, we’re with you and we love you and cherish you.”

Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., gave a speech at Dartmouth today on the eve of the anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack emphasizing the dangers that she believes Trump poses to democracy calling him" depraved and derelict in his duty"

Cheney, an outspoken critic of Trump, was one of two Republicans who served on the House Jan. 6 committee.

When asked whether she would support Biden or as has widely been speculated, run as a third-party candidate herself, she declined to answer.

"I’m gonna do whatever is most effective to ensure that Donald Trump is not elected," she said, noting that she would "make a decision about what that is, in the coming months".