US Domestic News Roundup: Biden takes economic pitch to onetime industrial Pennsylvania hub; Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to tax fraud charges and more

Political candidates have larger advertising budgets, as polarized voters donate more to their picks and fundraising platforms make it easier to donate to multiple campaigns, said Peter Newman, forecasting director at Insider Intelligence. Analysis-Trump is on track to win in Iowa - but can he deliver a knockout punch? Donald Trump appears headed to victory in Iowa, but the size of the win matters if the former U.S. president wants to deliver a knockout blow to key rivals heading into Republican Party nominating contests in other states.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden takes economic pitch to onetime industrial Pennsylvania hub

U.S. President Joe Biden makes his second trip of the new year to the hotly contested 2024 campaign state of Pennsylvania on Friday, where he will try to sell policies he sees reviving faded manufacturing hubs. Biden is expected to use the backdrop of several small businesses in the onetime steel and manufacturing haven of the Lehigh Valley to make the case that middle-class entrepreneurs and workers are thriving, inflation is waning and that the 81-year-old Democrat deserves a second term in office.

Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to tax fraud charges

U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty on Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles to tax charges stemming from business dealings that have also prompted an impeachment probe of his father. Hunter Biden, 53, stands criminally accused of failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes between 2016 and 2019, while spending millions of dollars on drugs, escorts, exotic cars and other high-ticket items.

Anti-war activists in New York City, Washington protest U.S., UK strikes in Yemen

A few dozen anti-war activists gathered at Times Square in New York City and outside the White House late on Thursday to protest U.S. and British strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen, saying the step threatened to widen the war in Gaza. The United States and Britain launched the strikes from the air and sea in response to attacks by Houthis on ships in the Red Sea, which the movement says is a show of support for Palestinians under siege by Israel in Hamas-governed Gaza.

Conservative Trump challengers in Colorado see a threat to democracy

Norma Anderson remembers sitting transfixed in front of her television on Jan. 6, 2021, and crying as she watched a mob of Donald Trump's supporters storm the U.S. Capitol, wondering why the then-president had not called out the National Guard. "I am old enough to remember the Depression, World War Two, two other wars, recessions, good times, bad times, and lots of presidents. But never have I seen what happened on January 6th," the 91-year-old life-long Colorado Republican said. "I knew who was guilty immediately."

US Senate Democrats plan for stopgap to avert shutdown, House Republicans bicker

Top U.S. Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer on Thursday said he was taking the first procedural step toward passing a stopgap funding bill to avert a partial government shutdown starting late next week, as House Republicans again found themselves in the midst of a possible revolt over spending. Schumer's move came as Republican House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson faced opposition from within his own narrow majority to a deal reached with Schumer on a $1.59 trillion top-line spending number for government agencies in the fiscal year that began Oct. 1.

US political ad spending to grow 30% in 2024 amid digital boom

Spending on political advertising in the U.S. is expected to jump 30% this year from the last presidential election in 2020, partly driven by higher spending on digital platforms, research firm Insider Intelligence estimated on Thursday. Political candidates have larger advertising budgets, as polarized voters donate more to their picks and fundraising platforms make it easier to donate to multiple campaigns, said Peter Newman, forecasting director at Insider Intelligence.

Analysis-Trump is on track to win in Iowa - but can he deliver a knockout punch?

Donald Trump appears headed to victory in Iowa, but the size of the win matters if the former U.S. president wants to deliver a knockout blow to key rivals heading into Republican Party nominating contests in other states. With three days to go until the party's first contest in Iowa, opinion polls indicate former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley is closing the gap with Trump in New Hampshire, which holds its primary on Jan. 23. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has slipped in New Hampshire polls, but is banking on a breakout performance in Iowa to revive his campaign.

U.S. airlines cancel over 1,200 flights due to massive winterstorm

Airlines in the United States canceled more than 1,200 flights on Friday after a massive winter storm knocked out power and affected businesses in 12 states, with forecast of a brutal freeze over the weekend. A total of 1,243 flights were cancelled and 514 flights were delayed as of 7.14 a.m. ET, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware.

Trump town hall viewership on Fox News tops CNN's Republican debate audience

Roughly 4.4 million people watched former U.S. President Donald Trump's live town hall on Fox News on Wednesday, topping the roughly 2.6 million people who watched two of his Republican rivals debate on CNN, according to Nielsen ratings data released on Thursday. Trump opted to appear on Fox rather than participate in the evening's Republican debate between presidential contenders Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, which aired for two hours on CNN, overlapping with the town hall for one hour.

Trump tangles with judge as New York civil fraud trial wraps up

Donald Trump on Thursday accused the New York judge in his civil fraud trial of "having your own agenda" - and the judge told his lawyer to control his client - as a months-long case that could hobble the former U.S. president's business empire came to an end. During a contentious final day of the trial in Manhattan, Trump once again tangled with Justice Arthur Engoron, who is considering what penalties to impose after earlier finding that Trump's company inflated his net worth to win better financing terms. The judge, deciding the case without a jury, said he hoped to issue a ruling by Jan. 31.