Nikki Haley to suspend campaign; 4 Super Tuesday takeaways : NPR

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Today’s top stories

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley will suspend her campaign for the White House today, according to sources familiar with her thinking. The campaign announced planned remarks from Haley in Charleston at 10 a.m. ET, which is when she is expected to withdraw from the race.

Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign event in Spring, Texas, on Monday, March 4.

David J. Phillip/AP

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David J. Phillip/AP

Republican presidential candidate former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at a campaign event in Spring, Texas, on Monday, March 4.

David J. Phillip/AP

• Republican strategist Sarah Longwell tells Morning Edition host Steve Inskeep that it now comes down to whether Haley plans to endorse Trump. Haley has won the support of college-educated, suburban voters by massive margins. “Those people are not going to vote for Trump,” Longwell says.
• Many leading Republicans are guests on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show. Speaking with Inskeep, he predicts that most of Nikki Haley’s supporters will eventually back Trump. He adds that Trump must work to appeal to suburban women. 

NPR’s senior political editor/correspondent Domenico Montanaro joins the newsletter with analysis of last night’s results:

One should always be prepared for a day of surprises in politics. Super Tuesday this year wasn’t one of them. Voting went pretty much as expected on the most expansive election day of the primaries. Both President Biden and former President Donald Trump are all but assured of a rematch against each other, however unpopular that may be with voters. Trump could clinch the GOP nomination as soon as next Tuesday. Here are four takeaways from the Super Tuesday results:

1. Barring something extraordinary from happening, it’s clear Trump is going to be the GOP nominee. 
2. Haley won independents who voted in the Republican primaries in state after state, but there weren’t enough of them.
3. The election feels like 2016 all over again — except instead of an open presidential race, one without an incumbent, there are essentially two incumbents running.
4. It’s going to be Trump and Biden. Many people don’t like them, and they’re old. But people are going to vote for what’s important to them.

Stay informed during the 2024 election season and beyond by subscribing to the NPR Politics newsletter and listening to the NPR Politics podcast.

On Up First, Montanaro and KQED’s Marisa Lagos look at the down-ballot races that stood out:

• In North Carolina, Republicans nominated Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson for governor. Montanaro says he could be a “lightning rod candidate” who could hurt the GOP’s chances due to some of his “bigoted, antisemitic and conspiratorial” comments. 
• California voters will decide this fall between Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff and Republican Steve Garvey, a former Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman, to fill the late Dianne Feinstein’s U.S. Senate seat. The overwhelmingly Democratic state has an open primary, meaning all candidates run on one ballot. Lagos reports that Schiff spent more than $10 million on attack ads against Garvey. They “served as an introduction” to Garvey for conservative voters. Porter notes Schiff will have a “much easier time” in November’s election because he won’t be running against another Democrat. 

Picture show

Evan Russel’s photo of Yosemite’s firefall in late February.

Evan Russel

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Evan Russel

Evan Russel’s photo of Yosemite’s firefall in late February.

Evan Russel

For a couple of weeks in winter, the sun hits the waters of Horsetail Fall in California’s Yosemite National Park just right. The water glows gold and yellow, like lava, leading many to call the phenomenon the “firefall.” It only lasts a few minutes — if certain conditions are met.

See photos of the phenomenon and read about the photographer and artist duo who captured the elusive firefall last month.

Life advice

This picture taken in March 2018 shows a technician working on the clock of the Lukaskirche church in Dresden, eastern Germany.

Sebastian Kahnert/DPA/AFP via Getty Images

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Sebastian Kahnert/DPA/AFP via Getty Images

This picture taken in March 2018 shows a technician working on the clock of the Lukaskirche church in Dresden, eastern Germany.

Sebastian Kahnert/DPA/AFP via Getty Images

Daylight saving time begins on Sunday. Are you prepared to spring forward one hour? Many studies show that the one-hour loss to daylight saving time can disrupt sleep rhythms for days, leading to cumulative sleep loss. Prepare yourself for this weekend’s time change now with these tips:

• Don’t start with sleep debt. Get in the habit of sleeping 7-9 hours every night.
• Start going to bed 15-20 minutes earlier every day leading up to Sunday. 
• Expose yourself to bright light upon waking and minimize exposure before bed to reset your internal clock. 

3 things to know before you go

Efi Chalikopoulou for NPR

Efi Chalikopoulou for NPR

1. Students in the U.S. begin taking the SAT entirely online this week. The revamped test aims to make cheating harder and grading easier. 
2. Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto has won the Pritzker Architecture Prize, dubbed the “Nobel of Architecture.” A jury member says Yamamoto designs buildings that add “dignity… and elegance to everyday life.”
3. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a new rule that caps credit card late fees at $8, down from the current average of $32.

This newsletter was edited by Olivia Hampton.