US Domestic News Roundup: Trump seeks knockout punch as Iowa delivers first verdict on Republican race; Biden campaign, allies raise $97 million in fourth quarter and more

The Biden campaign attributed the fundraising haul to "strong and growing grassroots enthusiasm;" his campaign has also courted big donors in Washington, Boston and California amid a year-end fundraising blitz. Factbox-Who is Ron DeSantis, 2024 US presidential candidate? Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once seen as Donald Trump's leading rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, needs a solid performance in Monday's Iowa caucus, the first party nominating contest, to save his struggling campaign.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden, Harris mark MLK day as Republicans caucus in Iowa

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day in early-voting South Carolina on Monday, wielding the civil-rights icon's legacy to convince Black voters to stick with Democrats in the 2024 election. Harris headlines an annual event sponsored by the NAACP, the nation's oldest civil rights group, which includes a prayer service and a march to the South Carolina State House in Columbia. There, Harris will press one of Democrats' central election messages - Biden and Democrats will protect all Americans' rights.

Explainer-What are the Iowa caucuses and why do they matter?

Republicans in Iowa will be the first to cast their votes in support of a presidential candidate in the 2024 election when they attend public gatherings on Monday known as caucuses. Former President Donald Trump is heavily favored to win the caucuses, but there have been last-minute surprises in the past.

Analysis-What's at stake for Trump, Haley and DeSantis in Monday's Iowa caucuses?

Donald Trump is looking to seal the deal. Three other Republicans are hoping to slow his march toward the Republican nomination. That's the set-up for Monday's Iowa caucuses, the first nominating contest of the 2024 election.

Factbox-The Republicans challenging Trump for the US presidential nomination

Four Republican candidates are seeking to challenge former President Donald Trump for the party's nomination in the November 2024 U.S. presidential contest to take on President Joe Biden, a Democrat who is running for reelection. Here is a list of the Republican Party's leading candidates:

US agency powers back on Supreme Court's hook in fishing dispute

The U.S. Supreme Court this week is set to hear a bid by commercial fishermen to avoid costs associated with a government-run fish conservation program in a dispute that gives its conservative justices another chance to curb the regulatory powers of federal agencies. The two cases being argued on Wednesday involve a challenge by fishing companies that argue that Congress did not authorize the National Marine Fisheries Service to establish an industry-funded program to monitor for overfishing of herring off New England's coast.

Love him or loathe him, voters agree: Trump looms large in Iowa

Inside a packed cafe in Iowa's capital Des Moines, Dave Brommel says he has been thinking about Monday night's Iowa caucuses ever since Democratic President Joe Biden won the 2020 election. Brommel, a retired U.S. Air Force veteran, blames Biden for the high costs of food and gasoline. He thinks Republicans do a better job of taking care of military veterans.

Biden campaign, allies raise $97 million in fourth quarter

President Joe Biden's 2024 re-election team and his Democratic party said on Monday they raised over $97 million in the last three months of 2023, amid polls showing voter concerns over his age, high prices and handling of the Israel-Hamas war. The Biden campaign attributed the fundraising haul to "strong and growing grassroots enthusiasm;" his campaign has also courted big donors in Washington, Boston and California amid a year-end fundraising blitz.

Factbox-Who is Ron DeSantis, 2024 US presidential candidate?

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, once seen as Donald Trump's leading rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, needs a solid performance in Monday's Iowa caucus, the first party nominating contest, to save his struggling campaign. DeSantis trails former President Trump by over 30 points and needs to place a strong second. A blowout loss or third-place finish behind former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley would raise questions about the future of his candidacy.

Factbox-Who are the candidates running in the 2024 US presidential election?

Five Republican candidates are jostling to be their party's presidential nominee for the 2024 general election, while President Joe Biden is the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee, and several third-party hopefuls have joined the fray. Here is a list of the candidates.

Trump seeks knockout punch as Iowa delivers first verdict on Republican race

Donald Trump is the overwhelming favorite to push past his rivals and stake an early claim to the Republican presidential nomination when Iowans brave bone-chilling temperatures on Monday to cast the first votes in the 2024 campaign. The former president's dominant position has turned Iowa's first-in-the-nation contest into a race for second place, as both Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are aiming for a clear runner-up finish to emerge as the chief alternative to Trump.