Nikki Haley sharpens her focus on Trump before N.H. primary: Highlights

While speaking on the issue of racism in America, Haley said, “We’ve never been a racist country.” This comes as Haley has faced backlash over comments regarding the history of race in the U.S. while on the campaign trail.

After several successful state efforts to codify abortion access, Democrats are marking the 51st anniversary of the defunct Roe v. Wade ruling with an all-out reproductive freedom campaign — in an election year when abortion rights could once again help determine the balance of power in Washington.

Senate Democrats held a briefing on abortion access yesterday focusing on the impact of state abortion bans. More than half of the Democratic caucus, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, heard from and questioned medical professionals and experts.

Vice President Kamala Harris is gearing up for a national tour next week to champion the issue of abortion, a sign of how the Biden campaign plans to put a big focus on reproductive access and efforts to restrict abortion in Republican state legislatures.

And while Democrats in Washington are largely stuck on the issue in the face of a GOP-controlled House and a 60-vote threshold to overcome filibusters in the Senate, they are looking to the success of abortion-rights advocates in the states as a model for how they can better message, campaign and, they hope, eventually legislate on the issue.

Read the full story here.

Haley defended comments tonight that she made on Fox News earlier this week that America has "never" been a racist country.

Haley was repeatedly pressed about the comments during CNN's town hall and she responded by saying that the Founding Fathers had good intentions.

"I think the intent, the intent was to do the right thing," Haley said. "I don't think the intent was ever that we were going to be a racist country. The intent was—everybody was going to be created equally."

Haley also said that issues stemming from inequality continue to be worked out over time.

"But I truly believe our Founding Fathers had the best of intentions when they started, and we fixed it along the way," Haley said. "And we should always look at it that way."

Haley is facing new attacks over her border proposals as the New Hampshire primary looms. Meanwhile, Trump is promising to replace what he calls Biden’s lax border policies with a tougher approach.

The judge overseeing the federal election interference case against Trump has rejected his request to hold special counsel Jack Smith and his office in contempt.

Earlier this month, attorneys for Trump asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to hold Smith in contempt for filing motions while the case is stayed pending Trump’s appeal on presidential immunity grounds.

Read the full story here.

Haley said tonight that a president isn’t entitled to act with complete freedom and without accountability while in office.

The remark came when CNN's Jake Tapper asked Haley during tonight's town hall to weigh in on Trump's claims that he should have blanket immunity for his actions as president, including those related to Jan. 6.

"Common sense" should be used, Haley said.

"Obviously, if a president is doing something, and it's related to you know, whether it's terrorist threats, or something like that, and people die, that's one thing," she said. "But do you get just total freedom to do whatever you want? No, that's never the way it was intended to be. There needs to be accountability. No one is above the law."

As former Trump awaits a ruling from a federal appeals court on his broad claim of presidential immunity, he said early today that a U.S. president “must have complete and total presidential immunity.”

“A president of the United States must have full immunity, without which it would be impossible for him/her to properly function,” Trump said in a lengthy post on Truth Social in all caps. “Any mistake, even if well intended, would be met with almost certain indictment by the opposing party at term end. Even events that ‘cross the line’ must fall under total immunity, or it will be years of trauma trying to determine good from bad.”

Read the full story here.

During a CNN town hall in New Hampshire tonight, moderator Jake Tapper asked Haley about Trump pushing a birther conspiracy against her and misspelling her given first name, Nimarata, as "Nimrada," in a Truth Social post this week.

"I'm the proud daughter of Bamberg, South Carolina. So I love my sweet town and I'm proud to say I'm from there," Haley said.

She added that she doesn't take Trump's name-calling personally.

"I know President Trump well, that's what he does when he feels threatened. That's what he does when he feels insecure," Haley said. "I don't take these things personally. It doesn't bother me."

Two Republican-led House committees announced on Thursday that Hunter Biden will appear for a closed-door deposition on Feb. 28 as part of their impeachment inquiry efforts into his father.

“Hunter Biden will appear before our committees for a deposition on February 28, 2024. His deposition will come after several interviews with Biden family members and associates,” said Reps. James Comer and Jim Jordan in a statement. “We look forward to Hunter Biden’s testimony.”

Read the full story here.

Trump is escalating his attacks on Haley ahead of Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire, but DeSantis appears to be shifting his focus to the next state of South Carolina — Haley’s home state.

U.S. Capitol Police investigated 8,008 threats against members of Congress last year, according to new case numbers released today.

Last year’s tally marked an increase from a figure released for 2022, but it’s below the 9,625 cases the agency investigated in 2021 when the Jan. 6 riot occurred. Figures in recent years have remained largely elevated when contrasted with the 5,206 cases Capitol Police investigated just five years ago in 2018.

In today's release, Capitol Police said that “a wide range of threats and concerning statements” had been directed at lawmakers from both political parties through various modes of communication including phone, social media, email, and others.

With the upcoming campaign season, the department is expecting 2024 to be “a very busy year for our special agents,” USCP Assistant Chief of Protective and Intelligence Operations Ashan M. Benedict said in a statement.

Read the full story here.

Trump today pleaded with the Supreme Court to allow him to remain on the Republican primary ballot in Colorado in seeking to overturn a ruling that found him ineligible because of his role leading up to the Jan. 6. attack on the Capitol.

Trump’s lawyers filed a brief laying out his arguments ahead of oral arguments taking place on Feb. 8.

In Thursday’s filing, Trump’s lawyers said that the president is not an “officer of the United States,” that Trump did not “engage in insurrection” and that only Congress can enforce the provision in question.

Read the full story here.

Andrew Yang endorsed Dean Phillips’ presidential campaign tonight during an event in Hanover, N.H.

“In this time of need, only one person decided to place his country above his professional aspirations. Put his conviction among the chattering class,” Yang said. “And that is the man I am proud to endorse tonight as the next president of the United States, three-term congressman from Minnesota Dean Phillips.”

Yang also encouraged Marianne Williamson, whom he ran against in 2020, to drop out of the race and back Phillips.

“Marianne, Dean is our best chance to change things. I am looking forward to serving in his administration and I hope that you will join us.”

A Washington judge on Thursday dismissed an effort to remove Trump's name from the state's primary ballot.

In a ruling Thursday, Thurston County Superior Court Judge Mary Sue Wilson said that Secretary of State Steve Hobbs had "acted consistent with his duties” when he included Trump's name on the ballot.

“An order directing the secretary of state to take different action, an order from this court, is simply not supported by the statutes and not supported by the affidavit of the electors,” Wilson wrote.

Hobbs said in a statement that his office would "continue working with our partners in county elections offices to get all the necessary materials for this election to every Washington voter.”

Washington state is set to hold its primary on March 12.

Trump attended the funeral today of his mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, who died this month at age 78.

"Her nurturing spirit had no limits, creating a legacy that will last for generations," Melania Trump said in the eulogy for her mother.

"She embodied the best mother, wife, grandmother, mother-in-law. A true beacon of love and luxury in our lives," she said.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump referred to Knavs on Truth Social as a "great woman."

Trump's presence at the funeral meant that he was off the campaign trail for the day. It also meant that he was not in New York at the damages trial in E. Jean Carroll's defamation case against him, which was a point of contention at yesterday's proceedings.

HOOKSETT, N.H. — Haley’s campaign says she will have conducted approximately 30 stops here in New Hampshire between Tuesday and the state’s first-in-the-nation primary the following week — easily surpassing the total set to be held by Trump and DeSantis.

After some New Hampshire Republicans told NBC News they felt she was not fighting as hard as she could in the final week of an election that is most critical to her primary bid, criticizing her for not debating DeSantis or taking voter questions, her campaign has posted more of her events publicly to dispel the notion that she is not sufficiently traversing the state. Additionally, Haley on Thursday took questions from voters and the traveling press for the first time in more than a week.

A majority of the House Republican conference has endorsed Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, with at least 114 lawmakers backing the former president.

Trump captured endorsements from a majority of GOP senators (25) on Tuesday, when Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, announced he was endorsing the former president.

Trump has been gaining momentum in the endorsements race ever since his decisive Iowa caucuses victory on Monday. Some elected officials acknowledged the momentum shift in announcing their support for Trump, with Nevada GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo saying that he's now backing Trump because "the race is over."

Rep. Dean Phillips, joined by former 2020 presidential candidate and New York mayoral candidate Andrew Yang, held a small campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire, today, where he touted his age and bipartisan record while arguing he would be better positioned than Biden to handle issues like artificial intelligence.

Phillips during the event furthered a core theme of his candidacy: that his age makes him better positioned than Biden and Trump to “prepare for the future.”

Phillips did not spend too much time discussing specific policy stances beyond AI, which he argued should be better regulated in Washington while proposing the creation of the “Department of Artificial Intelligence.”

"Men in their 80s frankly, even good men, good women, are not in a position to anticipate and prepare us for the future," he said. "We had 100 years to prepare for climate change. We knew 100 years ago what would happen by burning fossil fuels, and what did we do? Nothing. AI, my friends, we don’t have 100 years. We have months, if not just a couple years at the most. I anticipate it. I’m prepared for it. And I will be our first AI president."

Haley is sharpening her attacks on Trump, saying he is now her main target after the Iowa caucuses.

“It’s Trump in New Hampshire and Trump in South Carolina,” she told a group of reporters in Hollis, New Hampshire, with Gov. Chris Sununu by her side.

The former South Carolina governor said that while she viewed DeSantis as a serious rival in Iowa, "We’re no longer focused on him" in the other early-voting states.

"He’s closer to zero than he is to me. I mean, he’s invisible in New Hampshire. He’s invisible in South Carolina," she said. "We’re focused on Trump. That’s the key."

Former Rep. Justin Amash, a Republican-turned-independent who voted to impeach Trump in 2019, is considering running for Senate this year in Michigan's already jumbled GOP field.

"I’ve been humbled in recent weeks by the many people who have urged me to run for Senate in Michigan and to do so by joining the Republican primary," Amash wrote in a post on X. "They see what I see: contenders for the seat who are uninspired, unserious, and unprepared to tackle the chief impediment to liberty and economic prosperity—an overgrown and abusive government that strives to centralize power and snuff out individualism. The people of Michigan and our country deserve better."

Amash added in the post that he is forming an exploratory committee as he weighs a bid. The seat will be open with the retirement of longtime Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Nevada GOP Gov. Joe Lombardo told The Nevada Independent that he plans to caucus for Trump, saying in part that Trump “has the ability to move us out of the doldrums associated with President [Joe] Biden.”

Trump had endorsed Lombardo's 2022 campaign, but Lombardo had previously said he would stay out of the GOP presidential race. However, Lombardo told The Nevada Independent that he is now publicly backing Trump because “the race is over.”

The Nevada GOP caucus is set for Feb. 8.

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., said he is endorsing Democratic Rep. Andy Kim's primary campaign against New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez.

In his statement, Fetterman called the three-term congressman “a man of integrity and deep honor,” citing Kim’s service in former President Barack Obama’s administration and his work to clean up the Capitol Rotunda after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot. He also took a swipe at Menendez, who Fetterman has said should resign after he was indicted on bribery and corruption charges.

“I am incredibly proud to endorse Andy Kim for Senate,” Fetterman said. Referencing Menendez’s indictment, Fetterman added, “And I feel very secure knowing that he has no gold bars underneath his mattress and won’t ever be accused of being a foreign agent for Egypt or Qatar.”

A coalition of reproductive and civil rights groups formally launched an effort Thursday to advance an amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution.

Missourians for Constitutional Freedom began collecting signatures throughout the state after they selected one proposed constitutional amendment to attempt to place on the 2024 ballot from an original field of 11 possible options.

The campaign makes Missouri the latest state where abortion-rights groups have sought to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022. In the 19 months since that ruling, abortion-rights advocates have won every race in which the issue has appeared directly on the ballot.

Hours before participating in a series of meet-and-greet events with Haley in New Hampshire, state Gov. Chris Sununu defended her recent comments asserting that the U.S. has “never been a racist country” in an interview with CNN this morning.

Appearing on CNN on Thursday morning, Sununu argued that she was “trying to say we have to find those elements of racism.”

“We have to be vigilant on them, we have to put spotlights on them, we have to learn from them and we have to be better about it. And it’s all about moving forward in the future,” he said.

Two campaign officials told NBC News that Trump’s bloody hand seen in photographs in New York yesterday was the result of a small cut — possibly a paper cut — that he failed to wipe off properly.

By the time he arrived for his rally in Portsmouth, N.H., last night, he had no visible injury to speak of.

No Labels, the nonprofit group seeking ballot access for a potential third-party presidential ticket, sent a letter to the Department of Justice calling efforts to stop its 2024 campaign an alleged racketeering conspiracy and asking for an investigation.

The complaint stems, in part, from meetings Democratic-aligned groups and individuals have had to try to organize opposition to No Labels’ 2024 efforts, which they argue would boost Trump over Biden.

“There is a group of activists and artists and party officials who are participated in alleged illegal conspiracy to use intimidation, harassment and fear against representatives and No Labels, its donors, and as potential candidates,” No Labels volunteer Dan Webb said during a press conference.

No Labels currently has ballot access in 14 states, but there has been no announcement of a potential candidate yet. Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, a founding chair of No Labels, said the group is currently talking to potential candidates and looking at April as a time to roll out a ticket. He added that No Labels would give Haley "serious consideration" if she were interested.

In New Hampshire, independent/undeclared voters make up 39% of the total electorate — more than registered Democrats (30%) and registered Republicans (31%).

And in their TV ads and campaign messaging, both Haley and Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., have been fighting over these same independent/undeclared voters, who can choose either a Republican presidential primary ballot or a Democratic one.

Here’s Haley on the campaign trail: “Seventy-five percent of Americans don’t want a Trump-Biden rematch. The majority of Americans don’t want either one of them. I mean, are we really at the point that we’re going to put two 80-year-olds as our options?”

 Here’s Phillips: “But I can tell you this: The two leading candidates right now — on both the left and the right for the U.S. presidency — are absolutely not in positions to understand it, prepare us for it, anticipate it and lead us into the next century.”

The latest Suffolk University/NBC10 Boston/Boston Globe tracking poll of the New Hampshire Republican primary shows Trump leading Haley 50% to 36% among likely voters, with DeSantis at 6%.

The poll of 500 likely New Hampshire GOP primary voters was conducted Jan. 16-17 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

Those numbers are essentially unchanged from Wednesday’s tracking poll (conducted Jan. 15-16), which had Trump at 50%, Haley at 34% and DeSantis at 5%.

Former Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, filed paperwork yesterday to run as an independent against Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio.

Kucinich, who represented an area in Ohio similar to Miller's current district from from 1997 to 2013, missed the deadline last month to run in the Democratic primary. The deadline to file as an independent candidate is in March.

Kucinich, who served as Cleveland’s mayor in the 1970s, ran unsuccessful Democratic campaigns for president in 2004 and 2008. He also lost his bids for Ohio governor in 2018 and Cleveland mayor in 2021.

Kucinich previously managed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Democratic presidential campaign, but left after Kennedy switched to running as an independent candidate.

The Brennan Center for Justice is out with a new report this morning analyzing the new restrictions facing Americans heading to the polls this year.

Voters in at least 18 states, including Texas, Florida and North Carolina, will face new voting restrictions in the 2024 election, according to the center, which advocates against such restrictions.

Nearly all of the states are controlled by Republican legislatures, and many of the restrictions include changes to the mail voting process, such as requiring additional information on ballot applications.

E. Jean Carroll will be back on the witness stand Thursday to testify in her damages trial as part of her defamation case against Trump, but the former president won’t be in attendance this time.

Trump, who was admonished by the judge Wednesday for his commentary on Carroll’s testimony, instead will be attending the funeral of his mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, in Florida.

Cross-examination of Carroll by Trump attorney Alina Habba will continue Thursday. Trump was previously found liable for defaming Carroll after she accused him of sexually abusing her in 2019.

“I am here because Donald Trump assaulted me, and when I wrote about it he lied and he shattered my reputation,” Carroll, 80, told the jury Wednesday.

Read the full story here.

Haley is holding three events with New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu in the Granite State ahead of a televised town hall tonight on CNN.

Her two main GOP primary opponents are off the campaign trail today. Trump is attending the funeral of his mother-in-law, Amalija Knavs, in Florida. DeSantis is also in his home state of Florida today.

Biden will be in the battleground state of North Carolina for a White House event promoting "Bidenomics."

Meanwhile, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., will appear with 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang in Hanover, N.H., today.