The Full Belmonte, 2/25/2024
South Carolina Primary
Donald Trump Travis Dove for The New York Times
“Donald Trump easily defeated Nikki Haley in her home state, South Carolina. See the results.” [New York Times]
“Haley pledged to continue her campaign and said the results — she won around 39 percent of the vote — demonstrated that ‘huge numbers of voters’ want an alternative to Trump and President Biden.” [New York Times]
“Trump’s victory makes clear that the Republican primary contest isn’t a competition so much as a coronation, Lisa Lerer writes.” [New York Times]
“Trump won nearly all the delegates in South Carolina, taking 60 percent of the vote. Delegate math helps explain why the Republican race might end quickly, Nate Cohn writes.” [New York Times]
Five takeaways from the South Carolina GOP primary
BY NIALL STANAGE
© AP
Former President Trump won an emphatic victory in the South Carolina primary Saturday, vanquishing rival Nikki Haley in her home state.
“The race was called for Trump within moments of polls closing at 7 p.m. EST. With 83 percent of returns in just before 10 p.m., the GOP front-runner's margin of victory stood at 21 points The Michigan primary is next up Tuesday — and then March 5 brings Super Tuesday, when more than a dozen states vote.
Here are the main takeaways from the Palmetto State primary.”
Read the full story here at The Hill
Wayne LaPierre Mark Abramson for The New York Times
“The trial of the former N.R.A. leader Wayne LaPierre underscored how the organization became as much about money as about guns during his tenure.” [New York Times]
Middle East
Cabins in the West Bank settlement of Homesh. Sergey Ponomarev for The New York Times
“Right-wing ministers in the Israeli government are agitating to settle more land in the occupied West Bank. Homesh, a re-established settlement, symbolizes their resolve.” [New York Times]
“The U.S. and Britain conducted large-scale military strikes against multiple Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen.” [New York Times]
“Biden’s support of Israel’s war in Gaza has caught him in a political bind.” [New York Times]
War in Ukraine
Kamianske, Ukraine. Lynsey Addario for The New York Times
“Independent polls found that a majority of Ukrainians — while weary of war — were optimistic about the future.” [New York Times]
“More than a decade ago, the U.S. began nurturing a secret intelligence relationship with Ukraine. It is now key for both nations to counter Russia.” [New York Times]
“Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Western leaders in Kyiv to mark two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, The A.P. reports.” [New York Times]
“A Russian soldier died in a strike in eastern Ukraine, but his remains were not found. A year later, his mother holds out a shred of hope for a miracle. Read her story.” [New York Times]
Renk, South Sudan. Joao Silva/The New York Times
“Rape, killing, torture: A U.N. report detailed abuses during the civil war in Sudan.” [New York Times]
“A giant fire that raged through a high-rise apartment complex in Valencia, Spain, killed at least 10 people.” [New York Times]
“Toronto is experiencing an epidemic of car thefts. Some residents are turning to creative deterrence methods.” [New York Times]
Culture
“Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” took home three SAG Awards, including for best ensemble. See the full list of winners.” [New York Times]
“The comedian Shane Gillis hosted “Saturday Night Live.” In 2019, he was fired before he ever appeared on the show. During his monologue, he asked viewers not to look up why.” [New York Times]
“Lives Lived: Henry Rono was a Kenyan distance runner who overcame a gruesome childhood leg injury to break four world records in just 81 days. He died at 72.” [New York Times]
THE WEEK AHEAD
What to Watch For
“Belarusian parliamentary elections are today, the first since Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Michigan primaries are Tuesday.
Thursday is Leap Day.
The deadline for Congress to avert a partial government shutdown is Friday.
Iranian parliamentary elections are Friday.
Idaho, Missouri and Michigan are holding Republican caucuses Saturday.” [New York Times]