point lead, and nikki haley and ron desantis in a battle for second place. also, subzero temperatures could make it the coldest caucus day in iowa on record. plus, our very own steve kornacki at the big board tracking the story lines to watch, and how the result tonight could impact next week s new hampshire primary. meanwhile, new accusations, texas officials blocked border agents from saving a migrant woman is and two children from drowning at the southern border. the white house calling it imhumane. another attack on american forces in the red sea, we have details on how the u.s. responded. the u.s. responded. we begin this hour with the very first contest of the 2024 race for the white house. iowa caucus goers are braving some of the bitterest temperatures, plunging a low as minus 18 overnight. and a new media com poll giving us a closer look at the enthusiasm gap going into tonight s caucuses. nearly nine in ten trump supporters say they are very enthusiastic about
it is 4:00 here in new york, 3:00 p.m. in des moines where in just a few hours, the doors will open at caucus locations across the state. and the first votes will be cast in the 2024 election. voters going to the polls today in 1600 precincts across all of iowa s 99 counties will do it in some of the most brutal conditions imaginable. tonight could be the coldest iowa caucus ever. windchills could gets a low as 45 degrees farenheit, that is freezing. that brutal cold is putting a damper on what is normally a frenzy of campaigning. trump campaign and haley campaign canceled three events, but it doesn t mean candidates aren t asking people to get out and vote. ex-president said even if you vote and then pass away, it is worth it. yes? he really said that. there is no early voting and no mail-in ballot, so all of it comes to turnout tonight. the last nbc des moines register poll released last night shows trump with a commanding 28 point lead. if he wins by anything close to th
florida governor desantis, former self gone governor nikki haley and entrepreneur transcend making final pitches to voters while former president donald trump scaled back his in person rallies across the hawkeye state this weekend for it he continues to dominate the polling there. good evening i am jon scott and this is the fox report. we have team coverage for you on the ground in iowa. grady trimble will look at tom s campaign, aisha has more on nikki haley but first bill melugin is live in west des moines it is a bitter negative . bill? john, the weather outside is absolute brutal. that s why we decided to come indoors take it a look right here we are showing a negative eight where we are at that is without any wind chill. when you go outside with the wind it s a feels like temperature of more than at negative 30 degrees. remarkable. even with that photo governor ron desantis has held multiple campaign events here in iowa today. his supporters have been canvassing th
on that list. and voters in this notoriously independent state tell me they are just waiting for her to prove that she can do it. so can she? if you add chris christie s support to hers here in new hampshire, the math is close. we have the narrow paths you could follow out of the granite state with the atlantic s mark leibovich, but before she goes anywhere, she s got to make it through tonight s caucus where it is 0 degrees and getting colder. joining us now from des moines, iowa, is nbc news correspondent ali vitali, staff writer at the atlantic and msnbc political contributor, mark leibovich, and here on set with me is nbc news correspondent shaquille brewster. ali, i m so happy to see you inside on this very very cold day. tell me what nikki haley is doing in the last moments before this caucus tonight? she s making the rounds still, katy. on the campaign trail circuit. specifically in the area that sort of makes a doughnut around des moines. and that s because her focu
coverage of the iowa caucus will continue. see you sunday morning. happening now, u.s.-led air strikes inseed yemen trigger a vow of retaliation by iran-backed militants. mass protests erupt in yemen and fears of a full scale regional war intensify. also this hour, a potential blizzard and bitter cold are disrupting the final push to the iowa caucuses. we re tracking the candidates and severe weather with only three days to go before the first presidential votes of 2024. welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world. i m wolf blitzer, you re in the situation room. let s get to our top story tonight. iran-backed houthi militants vowing to hit back after a u.s. led coalition struck their position faze yemen. the national what is president biden saying as the u.s. braces for retaliation? wolf, the president spoke briefly earlier today reiterating that the united states stand as poised to respond to any additional houthi action including missile an