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Former President Trump journeyed to Iowa Monday, delivering fiery remarks in the state that leads off the Republican primary process.

Trump’s trip came just three days after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) held two events in the Hawkeye State. DeSantis looks set to launch his own presidential bid, though he has not publicly said so, and his Iowa appearances were purported to be publicity stops on a book tour.

Still, the juxtaposition of the DeSantis and Trump trips underscored how much the GOP primary is heating up. 

The other major declared candidate besides Trump, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, has made two swings through Iowa. Other leading GOP figures including former Vice President Mike Pence and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are expected to decide soon whether they will enter the race.

Trump remains the biggest name in the party. But several significant questions swirl around him.

Here are some of the more important. How would an indictment affect Trump?

Former President Trump speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., on March 4, 2023. (Greg Nash)

The chances of Trump being indicted have risen precipitously within the past week.

The New York Times on Thursday revealed that the former president had been invited to testify to a grand jury in Manhattan. The case centers around “hush money” payments to adult actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The Times noted that “such offers almost always indicate an indictment is close; it would be unusual for the district attorney, Alvin L. Bragg, to notify a potential defendant without ultimately seeking charges against him.”

But on Monday morning, a Trump lawyer released a letter calling for an independent investigation into the D.A.’s office.

The lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, outlined a number of objections in the 12-page letter contending that the prosecutor’s office had been “weaponized” in what the lawyer characterized as “an effort to interfere with and disrupt [Trump’s] political ambitions.”

Separately, Tacopina told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday that Trump had “no plans” to testify.

An indictment would push Trump once again into uncharted waters, marking the first time any former president was hit with criminal charges.

It would also surely give pause to some in the GOP who are reluctant to invite back the chaos the former president brings in his wake.

That said, there is no guarantee such a development would seriously dent Trump’s fortunes in the primary.

Trump would be sure to intensify his claims that the probe is a witch-hunt.

And, notably, several polls taken after the FBI raided Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate last summer in an unrelated matter showed the former president’s popularity with GOP voters rising in the aftermath. How solid is his support?

The crowd waits for former President Donald Trump to speak at a campaign event Monday, March 13, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (AP Photo/Ron Johnson)

Trump had a bad midterm election last November, with many of his most high-profile endorsees losing. 

Those defeats, in tandem with other missteps such as a Mar-a-Lago dinner with antisemites Ye and Nick Fuentes, contributed to a sense that Trump’s power could finally be on the wane.

“Maybe by now Republicans are sick and tired of losing,” a Wall Street Journal editorial speculated in the immediate aftermath of the midterms.

But, as has often been the case before, reports of Trump’s political demise turned out to be greatly exaggerated.

The former president leads the vast majority of polls of Republican voters. A YouGov-Yahoo News poll late last month showed him 12 points clear of DeSantis in a hypothetical three-person contest, with Haley lagging far behind. 

Even in a one-on-one match-up with DeSantis, Trump led by 8 points. 

There are caveats, to be sure. DeSantis has room to grow, with more voters unsure about him than is the case with Trump. And it can certainly be argued that a single-digit lead for a former president in his own party’s primary is less than stellar.

There are also some intriguing tensions revealed in Republicans’ views of Trump. 

In the most recent Economist-YouGov poll, for example, 73 percent of Republican respondents had a positive opinion of Trump. But when asked whether he should run for president again, just 50 percent said yes. Thirty-one percent said no. How does the age factor play for Trump and Biden?

Although Trump frequently attacks Biden’s mental agility, he is set to face GOP opponents championing their youth and a new generation of leadership. (UPI)

President Biden would be 86 by the time he concluded a second term. If Trump were to become the first president since Grover Cleveland to win non-consecutive terms, he would be 82 when leaving office a second time.

Will voters balk at such a prospect?

Haley, at least, appears to be betting they will. 

She has proposed mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over the age of 75. Trump, somewhat unexpectedly, backed that proposal in principle but said it should apply to everyone, regardless of age.

Whatever comes of Haley’s proposal, there is a bigger question of whether voters will tire of two figures, Biden and Trump, who have been fixtures of American life for decades.

Even though Trump regularly impugns Biden’s mental agility, he must contend with rivals much younger than him.

DeSantis, 44, and Haley, 51, are younger than Trump by 32 and 25 years, respectively. Can Trump ease concerns about his electability in a general election?

Former President Donald Trump pauses as he speaks at a campaign event Monday, March 13, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. (AP Photo/Ron Johnson)

The early days of Trump’s campaign have been surprisingly conventional in some ways: Trump has begun hiring staff in Iowa, has issued policy proclamations on a variety of topics and, as Monday showed, he is already trekking to the early voting states.

But the former president is still bedeviled by doubts about whether he is a weight dragging down his party’s political fortunes.

Trump lost the popular vote in both presidential elections he contested. 

Then there is the bigger question of whether voters in the center have any appetite for Trump’s endless relitigation of the 2020 election, replete with false claims of fraud.

The poor performance of Trump-like figures last November, such as Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, would suggest otherwise.

Internal critics like former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie have highlighted Trump’s poor electoral record several times in recent months.

Trump will need to rebut the charge in a way that appeals to Republicans beyond his most devoted base. Will DeSantis live up to expectations?

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis answers questions from the media in the Florida Cabinet following his State of the State address during a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives Tuesday, March 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Phil Sears, File)

There is little doubt right now that DeSantis will seek the White House in 2024.

He is Trump’s most serious rival — and has begun taking thinly veiled digs at the former president. 

In Iowa, he talked up his administration for a lack of leaks to the media, adding, “We don’t have palace intrigue, we don’t have any drama. It’s just execution every single day.”

Whereas doubts surround Trump’s electability with the general public, DeSantis can brag of a 19-point reelection win last November in a state that had been a battleground until recently. 

The Florida governor has also portrayed his state as a conservative beacon standing up against what he sees as liberal overreach on everything from the COVID-19 pandemic to “wokeness.” Another house collapses into the ocean on North Carolina’s Outer Banks Fighting in Bakhmut ‘very tough,’ Zelensky says

Still, the recent past is littered with plenty of presidential candidates who failed to live up to expectations.

Trump and his allies have recently been trying to muddy up DeSantis’s record on everything from Social Security to his battle with Disney.

How DeSantis actually performs if and when he enters the race is one of the biggest unknowns in the coming campaign.

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Farage has ‘grabbed the mic’ to dominate media agenda, says Harman

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Farage has 'grabbed the mic' to dominate media agenda, says Harman

Nigel Farage has successfully exploited the Commons recess to “grab the mic” and “dominate” the agenda, Harriet Harman has said.

Speaking on Sky News’ Electoral Dysfunction podcast, the Labour peer said that the Reform UK leader has been able to “get his voice heard” while government was not in “full swing”.

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Mr Farage used a speech this week to set himself, rather than Kemi Badenoch’s Tories, up as the main opposition to Sir Keir Starmer at the next election.

The prime minister responded on Thursday with a speech attacking the Clacton MP.

Baroness Harman said: “It’s slightly different between opposition and government because in government, the ministers have to be there the whole time.

“They’ve got to be putting legislation through and they kind of hold the mic.

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“They can dominate the news media with the announcements they’re making and with the bills they’re introducing, and it’s quite hard for the opposition to get a hearing whilst the government is in full swing.

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‘Big cuts’ to fund other Reform UK policies

“What we used to do when we were in opposition before 1997 is that as soon as there was a bank holiday and the House was not sitting, as soon as the half-term or the summer recess, we would be on an absolute war footing and dominate the airwaves because that was our opportunity.

“And I think that’s a bit of what Farage has done this week,” Harman added.

“Basically, Farage can dominate the media agenda.”

She went on: “He’s kind of stepped forward, and he’s using this moment of the House not sitting in order to actually get his voice heard.

“It’s sensible for the opposition to take the opportunity of when the House is not sitting to kind of grab the mic and that is what Nigel Farage has done.”

But Baroness Harman said it “doesn’t seem to be what Kemi Badenoch’s doing”.

She explained that the embattled leader “doesn’t seem to be grabbing the mic like Nigel Farage has” during recess, and added that “there’s greater opportunity for the opposition”.

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Oilers win West, book Cup rematch vs. Panthers

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Oilers win West, book Cup rematch vs. Panthers

DALLAS — Connor McDavid had the breakaway goal that swung the momentum back to the Edmonton Oilers, and their captain happily touched the trophy they got after wrapping up another Western Conference title.

McDavid got that big goal in the second period after an earlier assist, 40-year-old Corey Perry scored again and the Oilers are going to their second Stanley Cup Final in a row after beating the Dallas Stars 6-3 on Thursday night in Game 5 to wrap up the West finals.

When McDavid accepted the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, he gladly put his hands on it this time.

“It’s pretty obvious I think,” McDavid said about what was different from the end of last year’s West finals. “Don’t touch it last year; you don’t win. Touch it this year; hopefully we win.”

Edmonton scored on its first two shots and jumped ahead 3-0 in the first 8:07 on way to eliminating the Stars in the West finals for the second year in a row.

The Oilers get another rematch, against defending Stanley Cup champion Florida after their series last June went seven games after the Panthers had won the first three games. Game 1 is Wednesday night in Edmonton.

It’s the 12th rematch in Stanley Cup playoff history and the first since 2009 (Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Detroit Red Wings). Oddsmakers made the title odds a toss-up, with the Panthers and Oilers each listed at -110 to win the Cup on Thursday at ESPN BET.

Dallas was within a goal when Thomas Harley had a one-timer blocked by Mattias Ekholm, the Oilers defenseman playing for the first time this postseason. McDavid gathered the long ricochet well past center ice, stayed ahead of speedy Roope Hintz and beat goalie Casey DeSmith with 5:32 left in the second period.

“That’s a Connor McDavid kind of play and that’s just the player he is,” Perry said.

Mattias Janmark, Jeff Skinner, Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen also scored for Edmonton, the last an empty-netter in the closing seconds. Leon Draisaitl and Jake Walman each had two assists.

Jason Robertson scored twice and Hintz had a goal for the Stars, who ended their season in the West finals for the third year in a row. Wyatt Johnston and Harley each had two assists.

“You’ve got to keep knocking on the door,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We chased every single game in this series and that’s a tough way to play hockey against that team. It was the story of the entire series, but the fourth goal, Connor’s goal … puck bounces into the neutral zone, he’s coming off the bench, he’s not missing that. It’s game over.”

DeSmith had taken over in net after starting goalie Jake Oettinger was pulled following Janmark’s goal that made it 2-0 only 7:09 into the game.

Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner had 14 saves. DeSmith, who hadn’t played since April 26 in Game 1 of the first round against Colorado, stopped 17 of 20 shots.

Perry scored on a power play, assisted by McDavid and Draisaitl, only 2:31 in the game. His seven goals are the most by any player age 39 or older in a single postseason, and the 2007 Stanley Cup champion with Anaheim when he was 22 is now going to his fifth Final in the past six seasons.

That was McDavid’s 100th assist in 90 playoff games, making him the second-fastest player in NHL history to reach that mark. Wayne Gretzky had 100 assists in his first 70 playoff games, and no other player has reached the mark in fewer than 125 games.

Robertson scored a minute into the third period to get the Stars within a goal again. Kane then scored on a shot that went off the skate of Dallas defenseman Esa Lindell and past DeSmith.

Jeff Skinner, the 33-year-old forward who has played 1,078 regular-season games over 15 years with three teams, scored his first career postseason goal for the 3-0 lead. His playoff debut was in the first-round opener against Los Angeles on April 21, but he didn’t play again until Thursday, when the Oilers were without injured forwards Zach Hyman and Connor Brown.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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Stars’ DeBoer defends call to pull Oettinger early

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Stars' DeBoer defends call to pull Oettinger early

DALLAS — Jake Oettinger is one reason the Stars are in a championship window, yet his Game 5 performance Thursday night was instrumental in Dallas’ third straight Western Conference finals exit.

Oettinger allowed two goals on Edmonton‘s first two shots, leading Stars coach Peter DeBoer to pull his star goaltender, hoping it would spark a change. It did, as Dallas pulled within a goal twice only to watch its season end in a 6-3 loss to the Oilers.

“Any time you pull a goalie the reasoning is to always try and spark your group,” DeBoer said. “So that’s your No. 1 reason. We had talked endlessly in this series about trying to play with the lead, and obviously, we’re in a 2-0 hole right away. I didn’t take that lightly, and I didn’t blame it all on Jake.

“But the reality is, if you go back to last year’s playoffs, he’s lost six of seven games to Edmonton.”

Dallas’ downfall began when rookie forward Mavrik Bourque was called for high-sticking with 18:13 left in the first period. The Oilers needed less than a minute for Corey Perry to score on the man advantage for a 1-0 lead. Mattias Janmark then scored nearly five minutes later for a 2-0 lead.

The early deficit continued a trend for the Stars, who allowed the first goal in their past seven playoff games going back to Game 5 of their semifinal series against the Winnipeg Jets.

Casey DeSmith relieved Oettinger, who logged 7:09 in ice time in his second appearance this postseason. His first came in the Stars’ 4-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 4 of the quarterfinals, when he played 19:50.

DeSmith stopped the first two shots he faced, but the Oilers took a 3-0 lead on the third via Jeff Skinner, who entered the lineup after Zach Hyman suffered an injury in Game 4 that is expected to keep him out throughout the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers.

The Stars twice cut the deficit to one goal. Jason Robertson scored the first of his two goals with 8:20 left in the opening period before Roope Hintz scored on a power-play goal with 7:33 remaining in the second, trimming the lead to 3-2.

Oilers superstar captain Connor McDavid countered on a breakaway, maneuvering past Hintz and scoring for a 4-2 edge with 5:32 left in the second.

Robertson’s second goal just 38 seconds into the third brought it to within one again, but Evander Kane‘s attempt to throw a pass into the slot was redirected off Esa Lindell‘s skate and into the net for a 5-3 lead less than three minutes later.

That effectively ended the Stars’ comeback before Kasperi Kapanen‘s empty-netter pushed it to 6-3 with 11 seconds left.

“I don’t know the timing of it, but I think they scored pretty quickly both times,” Robertson said of the Stars coming within a goal. “It’s disappointing.”

Robertson was then asked about the message sent by DeBoer regarding the decision to pull Oettinger.

“We gotta step up,” he said. “It’s unacceptable for us to let him hang him out like that. The whole playoffs, he’s been our guy. The whole season. It’s unacceptable.”

Oettinger, who won more than 30 regular-season games for a fourth straight season, began last year’s Western Conference finals with a 2.08 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage through the first three games as the Stars took a 2-1 lead. But he then lost the next three games while posting a 3.09 GAA and a .847 save percentage with the Stars falling in Game 6 despite allowing only 10 shots on goal.

Dallas opened this series with a comeback 6-3 win as Oettinger gave up three goals on 24 shots. Game 4 was the only time this series in which his save percentage exceeded .900 (.935 after stopping 29 of 31 shots).

“So, it was to partly spark our team and wake them up,” DeBoer said. “And partly knowing [the] status quo had not been working, and that’s a pretty big sample size.”

Oettinger’s early exit adds to what will be an offseason of intrigue for a Stars team that has several financial decisions to make in what is expected to be an active offseason in the Western Conference.

PuckPedia projects the team will have a little more than $4.96 million remaining in cap space because it traded for Mikko Rantanen and signed him to an eight-year deal worth $12 million annually, in addition to the pay bumps players such as Wyatt Johnston and Oettinger will receive starting next season.

Dallas will have a seven-player class of unrestricted free agents led by captain Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene. Benn told ESPN in late March that he didn’t envision playing for any other team.

Along with reconfiguring parts of their roster, the Stars also will use the offseason to reconcile what it means to be the first team in NHL history to reach three straight conference finals and not advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

“The examples are endless in this league,” DeBoer said. “You know, the Washington Capitals, a decade of knocking on the door. You know, on and on. It’s a really, really hard league to win in. And when you get down to the end of the final four here, it gets exponentially tougher.”

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