Washington — Joe Biden’s Republican rivals are pouncing on questions about his mental acuity, following a verbal slip by the U.S. president that has exacerbated Democrats’ anxiety about his age.

“Biden’s not going to be any sharper in November,” said Jason Miller, senior adviser to the Trump campaign in a statement to VOA. The Make America Great Again Political Action Committee released a statement saying, “Joe Biden isn’t just senile, he put our national security at risk.”

Former President Donald Trump has a commanding lead in the Republican primaries and is likely to become the party’s nominee, despite facing 91 felony indictments in various federal and state criminal cases.

The campaign of Nikki Haley, who is trailing Trump, released a statement that Biden “should take a mental competency test immediately” and make it public.

“Joe Biden can’t remember major events in his life, like when he was vice president or when his son died,” Nikki Haley said. “That is sad, but it will be even sadder if we have a person in the White House who is not mentally up to the most important job in the world.”

Biden’s verbal slip

Republicans launched their renewed attacks after the president made a verbal slip Thursday evening, mistakenly referring to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi as “the president of Mexico” while he was highlighting efforts he made to secure aid for the people of Gaza.

The gaffe happened while Biden was pushing back against reporters’ questioning on a special counsel’s report about his mishandling of classified documents that noted his lapses in memory, citing examples of him being unable to recall defining moments in his own life, such as when he served as vice president or when his son Beau passed away.

“My memory is fine,” a visibly angry Biden shot back as he denied forgetting when his son died. Beau Biden died of brain cancer in 2015 at the age of 46.

Three-quarters of voters, including half of Democrats, say they have concerns about Biden’s mental and physical health, according to an NBC News poll released this week.

Less than half of voters have concerns about Trump’s mental and physical health according to the same poll, despite his multiple flubs. During a campaign event earlier this month Trump appeared to mistakenly refer to his rival Haley as former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi when discussing the Jan. 6, 2021. He has previously mixed up Biden and former President Barack Obama.

No charges

Special Counsel Robert Hur has determined that Biden will not be charged for mishandling classified documents. However, Hur’s characterization of the president’s memory is likely to provide Biden’s Republican rivals ammunition in their messaging that he is unable to lead the country.

Trump, who is under federal indictment with 37 felony counts related to the mishandling of classified documents, obstructing justice and making false statements, sharpened his attack on Biden’s handling of the documents.

He called Biden’s case “100 times different and more severe than mine,” charging in a campaign statement Thursday that there is “a two-tiered system of justice and unconstitutional selective prosecution!” and “election interference.”

In his report, Hur pre-empted such assertions.

“Unlike the evidence involving Mr. Biden, the allegations set forth in the indictment of Mr. Trump, if proven, would present serious aggravating facts,” the report noted. “Most notably, after being given multiple chances to return classified documents and avoid prosecution, Mr. Trump allegedly did the opposite.”
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About 10,000 people born between 1946 and 1964 leave the workforce each day
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SAN FRANCISCO — A bounty of 10 African penguin chicks has hatched in just over a year at a San Francisco science museum as part of an effort to conserve the endangered bird.

The penguins began hatching in November 2022, ending a four-year period without any new chicks, and continued through January of this year, the California Academy of Sciences announced Wednesday.

African penguins have dwindled to 9,000 breeding pairs in the wild, the academy said in a statement.

Threats such as overfishing, habitat degradation and oil spills have reduced colonies of the charismatic black-and-white birds, said Brenda Melton, director of animal care and well-being at the museum’s Steinhart Aquarium.

“Every chick we welcome strengthens the genetics and overall population of the species in human care,” she said.

Chicks spend their first three weeks with their penguin parents in a nest box. They then attend “fish school,” where they learn to swim on their own and eat fish provided by biologists. Once ready, they are introduced to the colony.

The 21 penguins at the museum in Golden Gate Park have distinct personalities and are identifiable by their flipper bands, according to the academy’s website.

Opal is the oldest and, at age 36, has perfected the ability to catch fish in mid-air. Her partner, Pete, is a messy eater and a flirt.

Partners Stanlee and Bernie, who both like to bray, produced four of the 10 chicks, including Fyn, named for a type of vegetation found on the southern tip of Africa. Fyn is the youngest on exhibit and older sister to Nelson and Alice, both hatched in November.

Fyn often runs up to biologists when they enter the habitat and shakes her head at them — typical courtship behavior that chicks and juveniles commonly display toward people who have cared for them since hatching.

The youngest chick hatched January 12, and its sex has not yet been determined.

African penguins can live to be 27 years old in the wild, and longer in captivity.
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white house — President Joe Biden on Thursday gave his sharpest criticism yet of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military campaign, which has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza.

“I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in Gaza, in the Gaza Strip, has been over the top,” Biden said in response to a reporter’s question at the White House.

Biden said he has been “pushing very hard” for a temporary cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas and freeing of Palestinians in Israeli jails. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the deal, calling the terms proposed by Hamas “delusional.”

“I’ve been working tirelessly in this deal,” Biden said, adding that he believes it could be extended to a “sustained pause in the fighting.”

He said he has been pushing to increase humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

“As you know, initially, the president of Mexico, Sissi, did not want to open up the gate to allow humanitarian material to get in,” Biden said, mistakenly referring to Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. “I talked to him. I convinced him to open the gate. And talked to Bibi [Netanyahu] to open the gate on Israeli side.”

Biden said this during hastily scheduled remarks in response to a special counsel report released Thursday. The report concluded he willfully retained and disclosed classified military and national security information and cited his memory lapses – a concern for American voters ahead of the November presidential election.

Three-quarters of voters, including half of Democrats, say they have concerns about Biden’s mental and physical health, according to an NBC News poll released this week.

“My memory is fine,” Biden said.

Warning on Rafah

Earlier Thursday, the White House issued a stern warning to Israel, cautioning the Netanyahu government against carrying its military campaign into the city of Rafah along the border with Egypt, where more than half of Gaza’s population of 2.2 million people have taken shelter.

“Absent any full consideration of protecting civilians at that scale in Gaza, military operations right now would be a disaster for those people, and it’s not something that we would support,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby during a White House briefing.

His comments echoed those of U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who warned earlier Thursday of the risk of a “gigantic tragedy” as the Palestinians crammed in Rafah “have nowhere to go.”

Kirby underscored the administration does not believe Israel is about to conduct imminent military operations in Rafah, saying it has not “seen any convincing plans” for such an advance.

This despite Netanyahu saying on Wednesday that his government had instructed the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to “operate also in Rafah,” as well as Khan Younis, the two places he identified as the “two last strongholds of Hamas.”

Israel is unlikely to swiftly move into Rafah as long as the IDF continues fighting in Khan Younis and around its tunnels, where it thinks that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a native of Khan Younis, is hiding, said David Makovsky, the Ziegler distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations.

“I think Netanyahu and [Israeli Defense Minister Yoav] Gallant want to signal that Israel is not afraid of going into Rafah,” he told VOA. “But I think we are still talking about the signaling phase.”

As Palestinians in Rafah shelter in fear of a more intensive campaign and ground assault, Israeli forces bombed areas of the city, killing at least 11 people.

Cairo concerned

Cairo is concerned that an Israeli advance into Rafah could lead to a mass effort by Gazans to escape across the border, a spokesperson for Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Washington also worries that the conflict could spread into Egypt, said Jonathan Rynhold, head of the Department of Political Studies at Bar-Ilan University.

“What could happen here with the relationship with Egypt? What will happen if the Palestinians try and rush into Egypt? How are you going to deal with that? Those are the kinds of questions that are being asked [by the U.S. to the Israelis],” Rynhold told VOA.

Despite its increasingly blunt public warnings to Israel, the U.S. remains a staunch supporter of Israel’s military campaign to eliminate Hamas.

So far Biden has refrained from using Washington’s considerable leverage, said Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace with experience in Middle East peace negotiations under various U.S. administrations.

That leverage includes the possibility of reducing military aid or diplomatic support at the United Nations, where more than 150 countries have called for a cease-fire.

“Those levers have been available since the beginning of this crisis, but he hasn’t pulled any of them,” he told VOA.

Kirby pushed back against questions about why Biden would not do more to rein in Netanyahu.

The notion that the administration has not tried to influence the way the Israelis have been prosecuting military operations is “just not true,” Kirby told VOA during Thursday’s briefing. “And they’ve been receptive to many of our lessons learned and perspectives we share.”

Rynhold said Biden is likely withholding U.S. leverage for when he may need to restrain Israel from broadening the conflict, particularly against Lebanon.

Hezbollah-led forces have been attacking Israeli communities and military posts along the Lebanon-Israel border on a near-daily basis since the October 7 attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people in Israel.

Cease-fire

The White House said it is optimistic that there is still a path toward a temporary cease-fire, despite Netanyahu’s public dismissal of the plan that highlighted the divide between the two allies.

Kirby said that “conversations are still happening” and Biden is “optimistic.” Biden is set to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah in Washington next week as part of his push for a deal.

The Carnegie Endowment’s Miller warned that a deal may be elusive because “neither Hamas nor the Israelis right now are really interested.”

“There’s no urgency for either of them in a comprehensive sort of cessation of hostilities,” he said. “The only people that appear to be in a hurry is the Biden administration.”

Biden is facing intense backlash from Arab and Muslim Americans. In an effort to repair relations, his aides met Thursday with Arab American and Muslim leaders in Michigan.

The state has a high percentage of Muslims, and their votes could determine whether the president can hold on to the crucial swing state in the November presidential election.

VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report.
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A hastily arranged all-expenses-paid trip to China for students from the Iowa town of Muscatine is the start of Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s effort to welcome as many as 50,000 U.S. students to his country. VOA’s Kane Farabaugh explores Muscatine’s historic connection to China’s leader.
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The 2024 U.S. presidential election may look a lot like the 2020 vote, with the two major party nominations likely going to the same men, Joe Biden and Donald Trump. One big difference will be the use of artificial intelligence, which is playing a growing role in American politics.
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U.S. State Department  — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed efforts to free hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza as he met Thursday with members of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war Cabinet.

At the start of his meeting with former military chiefs Benny Gantz and Gabi Eisenkot, Blinken said the focus would be on “the hostages and the strong desire that we both have to see them returned to their families, the work that’s being done to that end.”

Blinken said he would also provide updates from meetings he’s had elsewhere in the region on a trip that has included stops in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and the West Bank.

Gantz told Blinken that the most urgent issue is finding ways to bring back the hostages.

The meetings come as Israel and Hamas consider a proposal for a new temporary cease-fire that would include a pause in fighting and the release of hostages from Gaza.

A senior Hamas official said a Hamas delegation would travel to Cairo on Thursday to continue negotiations with Egyptian and Qatari officials. 

Blinken said Wednesday that the response from Hamas leaders to a plan drafted by U.S., Egyptian, Qatari and Israeli officials contained “clear nonstarters,” but that there was room for ongoing negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, rejected the plan offered by Hamas to end the war in Gaza, instead vowing to push forward with his nation’s attack on the militants until it achieves “absolute victory.” 

“We are on the way to an absolute victory. There is no other solution,” Netanyahu said at a news conference after meeting with Blinken. He said Israel’s war effort would take months, not years. 

In its proposal, Hamas called for three 45-day phases, first releasing all remaining women and children, as well as older and sick men, in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The Hamas plan calls for Israel to withdraw from populated areas and end its aerial bombardment while also allowing far more humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and permitting Palestinians to return to their homes, including in devastated northern Gaza.

The second phase, to be negotiated during the first, would include the release of all remaining hostages, mostly soldiers, in exchange for all Palestinian detainees over the age of 50, including senior militants, to be freed by Israel.

Israel would release an additional 1,500 prisoners, 500 of whom would be specified by Hamas, and complete its withdrawal from Gaza.

In the third phase, the sides would exchange the remains of hostages and prisoners. Israel says it believes more than two dozen of the remaining 130 or so hostages in Gaza have already died or been killed.

The Hamas offer also called for the militants to retain governing control of the narrow territory along the Mediterranean Sea and the right to rebuild its military capability.

Blinken is on his fifth round of talks with Mideast leaders in a so-far fruitless effort to end the warfare that erupted with the October 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people. Hamas health officials in Gaza say Israel’s counteroffensive has killed more than 27,500 and displaced about 2 million Palestinians in Gaza from their homes.

Blinken held talks Wednesday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah and with senior Israeli national security leaders, including Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Blinken reiterated U.S. support for the establishment of a Palestinian state as the best way to ensure lasting peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians alike, and greater integration for the region. According to the State Department, Blinken also emphasized the urgent need to lower tensions in the West Bank and prevent the conflict from expanding.

Netanyahu has rejected any arrangement that would leave Hamas in full or partial control of Gaza. He also said Israel is the “only power” capable of guaranteeing security in the long term. The U.S. has called for a revitalized Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which Netanyahu has also rejected.

Martin Griffiths, United Nations undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said that more than half of Gaza’s population is currently crammed in Rafah, a town originally home to 250,000 people situated right at Egypt’s border.

“Their living conditions are abysmal — they lack the basic necessities to survive, stalked by hunger, disease and death,” said the U.N. humanitarian chief.

VOA U.N. Correspondent Margaret Besheer and White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report. Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.  
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LOS ANGELES — Las Vegas will be flooded with so many pre- Super Bowl events that Shaquille O’Neal lowered the prices to his popular carnival-themed “Shaq’s Fun House.”

Instead of raising the rate, O’Neal decided to offer potential attendees more bang for their buck to the NBA legend’s sixth annual event planned for Friday in Sin City. He made the decision to lower the rates after purchasing an expensive suite at the Formula One that cost nearly five times more than normal to watch the racing event in Las Vegas last year.

“We’re not going to do that to the people,” said O’Neal, who said the going rate for Fun House starts at $99 but will increase as the event nears. He’ll bring back Lil Wayne, Diplo and himself under his name DJ Diesel to perform during his over-the-top festival — which features several attractions including a Ferris wheel, circus performers and premium bar.

“We could’ve done $200, $250 or $300,” said O’Neal whose event will take place XS Nightclub at the Wynn — a hotel that will host Rob Gronkowski ‘s Gronk Beach in Encore on Saturday afternoon and Sports Illustrated’s The Party in XS Nightclub later that night. “But I don’t like taking advantage of people. We want to have the best party with the best rides, performers and just hanging out.”

Along with O’Neal’s event, the days leading up to the Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will include concerts from some of the biggest stars including Travis Scott, Green Day, Killer Mike, Kelly Clarkson, Ice Spice, Future and David Guetta. The week will include some comedy too.

Here’s a look at some of the invite-only and public events during a busy Super Bowl week:

Fanatics Party

Michael Rubin is known for his exclusive summer bashes in the Hamptons — which bring out stars like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck and Kendall Jenner.

Now, Rubin, the founder and CEO of Fanatics, will host his invite-only daytime event at Marquee Dayclub at the Cosmopolitan the day before the Super Bowl. His event will feature performances by Travis Scott, The Chainsmokers, Ice Spice, A$AP Ferg, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Fabolous, Ludacris, Ne-Yo and Kid Laroi.

Madden Bowl

After Killer Mike collected three Grammys during his arrest-shortened night, the Atlanta-based rapper is expected to be one of the performers at the EA Sports’ The Madden Bowl.

Rock group Green Day will headline the Friday night event at House of Blues. It will also feature Big Boi of OutKast and Breland.

“Las Vegas isn’t ready for the show we’re about to bring,” Big Boi said.

In addition to the music performances, the event will include the Madden NFL 24 Championship Series in front of a live audience — where two of the world’s best players will travel to Las Vegas for their share of the $1 million prize pool and title of Ultimate Madden Bowl champion.

Kevin Hart and O’Neal’s production companies will hold a star-studded, stand-up comedy showcase.

Actor Deon Cole will host the two-night show called the All Star Comedy Jam with performances by D.L. Hughley, Earthquake, Desi Banks and Aida Rodriguez. The event will be held inside the Resorts World Theatre’ 5,000-capacity venue on Friday and Saturday night.

Gospel Celebration

Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold will help bring the gospel to Sin City.

The stars of the CBS show The Neighborhood will host the Super Bowl Soulful Celebration at the Palms Casino Resort on Wednesday night. The lineup includes some of gospel’s best from Earth, Wind & Fire, Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin, Robin Thicke and the NFL Players Choir including Tully Banta-Cain and Bryan Scott, who played in the league.

“I want people to feel empowered walking away from this show,” Arnold said. “You should never walk way feeling drained. You should walk way feeling loved.”

CBS Mornings co-host Nate Burleson, a former NFL player, will receive the Lifetime of Inspiration award. He will be the sixth person to receive the honor the show’s 25-year history.

Previous recipients include Tony Dungy, Ray Lewis, Tim Brown, Troy Vincent and Deion Sanders.

Gronk Beach

Despite being retired, Rob Gronkowski keeps making his presence felt during the NFL’s championship week. 

The four-time Super Bowl winner — who views himself the “MVP of Fun” — will host a music festival called “Gronk Beach” the day before the big game. The beach-themed party will feature a performance by DJ Afrojack.

“It’s all about going there and having a good time. Just losing your mind in a great and positive way,” Gronkowski said. “You can dance free, be yourself freely and just enjoy yourself with great company around you.”

Gronkowski placed his tickets starting at $74.

Billy Idol

Instead of riding his motorcycle on Super Bowl Sunday, Billy Idol will be strolling on stage a few hours before kick off to perform during a pre-game concert.

The legendary British rocker will perform Sunday just outside Allegiant Stadium, where the NFL’s two best teams face off. He’s expected to perform a 35-minute set on two different stages at On Location’s Club 67 and Touchdown Club in front of nearly 9,000 guests.

Idol said he’s stoked about the setup being arranged by One Location — a premium hospitality provider of the NFL. The hospitality company offers various packages including Idol’s performance, attendance at NFL Honors and postgame field access.

Maluma & SiriusXM

Colombian superstar Maluma will take his vibrant Latin music vibes into Las Vegas with the help of SiriusXM.

Maluma will headline a special concert at The Theater at Virgin Hotels on Thursday night for SiriusXM subscribers and Pandora listeners. He’s expected to perform songs from his latest album Don Juan including Según Quién and COCO LOCO along with other fan favorites such as Hawái.

Future and David Guetta are expected to perform at the invite-only h.wood Homecoming Weekend pop up bash on Friday followed by another show with Jack Harlow and Kaytranada performer the next night at a custom venue on the Las Vegas Strip across from the Wynn.

On Saturday night, Zach Bryan will headline the Bud Light Backyard Tour.

Tiësto will headline a show at LIV at Fontainebleau on Saturday while 21 Savage and 50 Cent are expected to perform the same night.

Lil Wayne will hit the stage once again but this time with T-Pain as a co-headliner at the Alex Morgan and Dan Marino-hosted Michelob ULTRA Country Club at Topgolf on Saturday night. Bryan and Leon Bridges will perform at The Chelsea in The Cosmopolitan on Friday.

On Sunday, Guy Fieri will host his Guy’s Flavortown Tailgate, a free and family-friendly event that he expects will draw more than 10,000. Diplo will perform.

GQ will hold Super Bowl party Friday at the The Nomad Library and sports agent Leigh Steinberg will host an event Saturday morning at Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel. 
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LAS VEGAS — Nikki Haley was swamped Tuesday in Nevada’s symbolic Republican presidential primary as GOP voters resoundingly picked the “none of these candidates” option on the ballot in a repudiation of the former U.N. ambassador who is the last remaining major rival to front-runner Donald Trump.

Trump, the former president, didn’t compete in the primary, which doesn’t award any delegates needed to win the GOP nomination. He’s instead focused on caucuses that will be held Thursday and will help him move closer to becoming the Republican standard-bearer.

That leaves the Republican results on Tuesday technically meaningless. But they still amount to an embarrassment for Haley, who has sought to position herself as a candidate who can genuinely compete against Trump. Instead, she became the first presidential candidate from either party to lose a race to “none of these candidates” since that option was introduced in Nevada in 1975.

Haley had said beforehand she was going to “focus on the states that are fair” and did not campaign in the western state in the weeks leading up to the caucuses. Her campaign wrote off the primary results with a reference to Nevada’s famous casino industry.

“Even Donald Trump knows that when you play penny slots the house wins,” spokeswoman Olivia Perez-Cubas said. “We didn’t bother to play a game rigged for Trump. We’re full steam ahead in South Carolina and beyond.”

Trump joked on his social media network, “Watch, she’ll soon claim Victory!”

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, had announced beforehand that he would vote for “none of these candidates” on Tuesday. Several Republicans interviewed heading to the polls said they intended to do the same.

Washoe County Republican Party Chair Bruce Parks, who pushed for the GOP to hold caucuses, said that he told voters who called his office — and Trump supporters — to participate in the primary by voting for “none of these candidates” over Haley.

“They basically told us they don’t care about us,” Parks said in an interview after the race was called. “By marking ‘none of these candidates,’ we respond in kind — we don’t care about you either.”

The Associated Press declared “None of these candidates” the winner at 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday based on initial vote results that showed it with a significant lead over Haley in seven counties across the state, including in the two most populous counties.

There was also a Democratic primary on Tuesday that President Joe Biden easily won against author Marianne Williamson and a handful of less-known challengers. Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota was not on the ballot.

Biden issued a statement thanking Nevada voters for their support and, with an eye toward an expected matchup in November, warned that Trump is trying to divide America.

“I want to thank the voters of Nevada for sending me and Kamala Harris to the White House four years ago, and for setting us one step further on that same path again tonight. We must organize, mobilize, and vote. Because one day, when we look back, we’ll be able to say, when American democracy was a risk, we saved it — together,” Biden said.

Nevada lawmakers added “none of these candidates” as an option in all statewide races as a way post-Watergate for voters to participate but express dissatisfaction with their choices. “None” can’t win an elected office, but it came in first in primary congressional contests in 1976 and 1978. It also finished ahead of both George Bush and Edward Kennedy in Nevada’s 1980 presidential primaries.

The caucuses on Thursday are the only Nevada contest that count toward the GOP’s presidential nomination. But they were seen as especially skewed in favor of Trump because of the intense grassroots support they require from candidates and new state party rules that benefitted him further.

Trump is expected to handily win the caucuses, which should deliver him all 26 of the state’s delegates. Delegates are party members, activists and elected officials who vote at the national party conventions to formally select the party’s nominee.

“If your goal is to win the Republican nomination for president, you go where the delegates are. And it baffles me that Nikki Haley chose not to participate,” Trump’s senior campaign adviser Chris LaCivita said in an interview before the primary.

Nevada, the third state in the field after Iowa and New Hampshire, was set to hold a state-run primary election instead of party-run caucuses after Democrats controlling the Legislature changed the law to try to boost participation.

Caucuses typically require voters to show up for an in-person meeting at a certain day or time, while elections can offer more flexibility to participate, with polls open for most of the day on Election Day, along with absentee or early voting.

But Nevada Republicans chose to hold party-run caucuses instead, saying they wanted certain rules in place, like a requirement that participants show a government-issued ID.

The caucuses require a candidate to intensely organize supporters around the state to be competitive, a feat that Trump, the former president and prohibitive front-runner, was easily positioned to do.

The Nevada GOP also restricted the involvement of super PACs like the one Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was relying on to boost his now-suspended campaign. And the party barred candidates from appearing both on the primary ballot and in the caucuses.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott also signed up to compete in Nevada’s primary instead of the caucuses before ending their presidential campaigns.
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