CLOSE Skip in Skip x Embed x Share Sarah Palin is not laughing about the very NSFW Twitter rant Azealia Banks went on Monday in which she said that the former Alaska governor should be sexually assaulted. According to People, Palin is planning to sue. USA TODAY 
 
 Why are Sarah Palin and Azealia Banks fighting? (Photo: Cliff Owen/AP, Cassandra Hannagan, Getty Images) 
 
 This week's NSFW Twitter fight is brought to you by Sarah Palin and Azealia Banks. 
 
 Update: After Palin refused to accept Banks' apology and threatened to sue, the rapper fired back on Twitter with an incestuous trailer park joke about the Alaskan governor-turned-TV personality's family. 
 
 Why are they fighting, you ask? Let's rewind. 
 
 Their Twitter rumble all started with a satirical news article from Newslo.com on March 31 that Banks seems to have believed was real; it jokingly quoted Palin telling an Alaska newspaper that African Americans "enjoyed" being slaves. 
 
 That set Banks, an outspoken reparations advocate for African-Americans, off into a heated tweetstorm. The rapper issued missives that can't be reprinted here, but the implications included that Palin should be raped by a gang of black men. 
 
 Later, likely when Banks realized the original article was fake, she deleted the graphic tweets (Media Research Center captured them and Breitbart has them here), and said simply, "I can't." 
 
 Palin, 52, responded Tuesday morning on Twitter and Facebook. 
 
 "Hey Female Rapper," Palin addressed Banks in a post. "Listen up, little darling. No one has any idea what you're wigging out about in these bizarre, violent rants against me, but you're obviously not exercising enough intelligence to acknowledge you've been sucked into believing some fake interview in which I supposedly offered comments representing the antithesis of my truth." 
 
 Palin went on to encourage Banks to use her platform for social good, while promising to "go through my young daughter's playlist to make sure there hasn't been any inadvertent addition of any anti-woman, pro-rape garbage that you seem to endorse." 
 
 On Tuesday Banks was still tweeting about Palin, including this Saturday Night Live sketch starring Tina Fey. 
 
 Banks' latest rant joins a long list of feuds, fights and controversial statements begun by the young rapper, 24. Last fall she declared gay men are "like the KKK" before deleting the tweet, and was caught on video having a tantrum on a Delta airplane. In December she was arrested outside an NYC nightclub. 
 
 Recently, she declared she's voting for Donald Trump, because "Donald trump is evil like America is evil and in order for America to keep up with itself it needs him." Apparently voting for Trump is the one thing Banks and Palin have in common. 
 
 Update: Banks apologized to Palin – sort of – in an open letter via Tumblr later Tuesday. 
 
 "In my honest defense, i was completely kidding. I happen to have a really crass, New-York-City sense of humor," wrote Banks, in a meandering apology that attempted to define Palin's “je ne sais quoi," aimed for solidarity against "censorship" and clarified that her "joke" tweets referred to group sex "NOT" rape. 
 
 Then, in a kicker to her "sincerest" apology, Banks added: "If Bristol Palin listened to my music she probably wouldn’t have all those (expletive) kids!!!" 
 
 So, feud over? Doubtful. 
 
 The Sarah Palin page in history will be condensed to a footnote in the Azealia Banks chapter. Well behaved women seldom make history. — AZEALIABANKS (@AZEALIABANKS) April 5, 2016 
 
 For one thing, Palin isn't letting it go. She issued a statement to People that she will take legal action against Banks "on behalf of all reasonable women of every age, race and political leaning." 
 
 
 
 She said she's fed up with "unanswered threats and attacks against my family and me." 
 
 "So, for the first time I'm going to enjoy the only retribution some protected 'celebrities' seem to understand – I'm suing Azealia Banks and can't wait to share my winnings with others who have gone defenseless against lies and dangerous attacks far too long." 
 
 She said she was taking a stand against "problems like Azealia's mouth" and the "double standards that result in her actually being rewarded for her divisive tactics and aggressively inciting violence." 
 
 If a white girl had said what Banks said, Palin charged, "the screams for the entire white population's head would be louder than the nonsensical rap that Azealia spews all the way to the bank." 
 
 So no more just accepting lies and threats, Palin stormed. 
 
 "I think this time I don't just sit back and swallow it, but put the fear of God in her by holding her accountable. As many of you have for years implored me to do, I'm finally going to sue." 
 
 Details about how and when and where are still up in the air. 
 
 Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1MQvd4b ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — Here are the latest developments from the 2016 race for president, one week out from the Iowa caucuses. All times local. 
 
 3:15 p.m. 
 
 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's campaign released a parody video based off singer Adele's 2015 hit song "Hello" ahead of Iowa's Feb. 1 leadoff caucus. 
 
 Huckabee's campaign released a 3.5 minute online video Wednesday entitled "Hello, Huck," with satirical lyrics sung over the Adele's hit, with direct jabs to Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. He doesn't mention any of his GOP rivals by name. 
 
 "Iowans are not for sale," the song says. "They're stubborn and picky. There's just no difference between Obama and Hillary." 
 
 "Hello from caucus night. If Bernie wins I'm gonna die. This crazy circus, it's gone coo-coo-ca-choo, and Huckabee is the guy who's long overdue." 
 
 Huckabee, who is lagging in the polls behind others in the crowded GOP field, previous ran for president in 2008. He won the Iowa caucus that year, but did not win his party's nomination. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:40 p.m. 
 
 An Iowa man has been arrested on charges that he threw tomatoes at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign stop at the University of Iowa. 
 
 Hayley Bruce, a University of Iowa spokeswoman, says 28-year-old Andrew Joseph Alemao was charged Tuesday with disorderly conduct after officers say they saw him throwing two tomatoes toward Trump during a speech. It wasn't clear whether the tomatoes hit anyone. 
 
 Secret Service and University of Iowa police officers arrested Alemao, and he was booked into the Johnson County Jail. 
 
 Johnson County Jail officials say Alemao was released Wednesday morning without bond. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:00 p.m. 
 
 Hillary Clinton says she wants the Democratic National Committee to add another presidential debate before the New Hampshire primary and urging Bernie Sanders to join her on stage. 
 
 Clinton says in a phone interview with MSNBC that she's "anxious" for another debate, adding, "let's try to make it happen." She says she wants DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the other campaigns to support another debate. 
 
 Sanders' campaign has said it has no plans to do so because the DNC hasn't sanctioned the debate. The Vermont senator's campaign has said it wouldn't want to jeopardize its participation in two debates planned for after the New Hampshire primary in Wisconsin and Florida. 
 
 The DNC has said it's sticking with its debate schedule. 
 
 Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley supports adding another debate. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:25 p.m. 
 
 Snow is being forecast in Iowa for early next week, but people gathering for the presidential caucuses likely won't be hindered. 
 
 Mindy Beerends, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Des Moines, says there could be rain and a little snow during the caucuses, set to begin at 7 p.m. Monday, but early projections show no accumulating snow until early Tuesday. 
 
 Weather is always an unpredictable factor of the caucuses, which typically draw hundreds of thousands of Iowans to precinct gatherings to choose presidential candidates and conduct political party business. 
 
 The bigger problem could be for the many campaign staffers and reporters in Iowa who want to leave after the caucuses. They could find their exit complicated by steadier snow Tuesday. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:00 p.m. 
 
 President Barack Obama will welcome Bernie Sanders to the White House Wednesday with days to go until the presidential hopeful takes on Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in the Iowa caucus. 
 
 Sanders and his wife arrived to the White House earlier Wednesday ahead of the scheduled meeting with the president. 
 
 The long-discussed meeting between the sitting president and his sometime critic is a moment for the president to display public neutrality in the heated and unexpectedly tight primary race to replace him — refuting suggestions that he's in the can for Clinton. 
 
 For Sanders, it's a chance to show he's got some sway with a president still popular among Democrats. 
 
 The president this week rebuffed suggestions that Sanders' upstart campaign is a reboot of his own battle against Clinton in 2008. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:00 a.m. 
 
 Republican presidential contender John Kasich is turning his attention to Iowa after a flurry of activity has signaled he may be headed toward the top-tier victory he seeks in New Hampshire. 
 
 The Ohio governor has planned town hall meetings in Davenport Wednesday and in Cedar Rapids Friday. He will also participate in the Republican presidential debate Thursday, which is in Des Moines. 
 
 The Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 1. 
 
 Kasich has focused most of his early attention on New Hampshire, where he's competing for votes from GOP moderates and independents against candidates including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio. 
 
 Kasich landed endorsements in that contest from the Concord Monitor and the Boston Globe and some polling placed him second among New Hampshire voters behind Donald Trump. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:45 a.m. 
 
 Ted Cruz is mocking Donald Trump's decision to skip Thursday's Fox News Republican presidential debate, taunting him on Twitter and creating an image of his face on the illustrated body of Disney tycoon Scrooge McDuck, sitting on top of bags of money. 
 
 Cruz on Tuesday responded to Trump's decision to skip the debate in Des Moines by challenging him to a one-on-one debate, "mano-a-mano." Cruz is following that up on Wednesday with a satirical message on Twitter, linking to a clip of the song "Brave Sir Robin Ran Away" from a film by the British comedy troupe Monty Python. 
 
 Cruz created an online petition showing a mock-up of Trump with the Disney character's body, sitting on bags of money, on top of a mountain of gold coins, encouraging supporters to "Tell Ducking Donald: Debate Ted Cruz." 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:20 a.m. 
 
 Donald Trump's presidential campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is accusing Fox News anchorwoman Megyn Kelly of being "completely obsessed" with his candidate, and says most people tuned in to the first FOX News Republican debate because Trump was on stage. 
 
 His comments to ABC's Good Morning America Wednesday follow a statement by Trump a day earlier that he would not participate in the upcoming FOX News GOP debate, scheduled for Thursday. 
 
 The feud between Trump and Kelly began during the first FOX News debate in August, when Kelly asked the candidate if previous, disparaging comments he has made against women reflect the temperament of a president. 
 
 On Tuesday, Trump called Kelly a "lightweight reporter." 
 
 Lewandowski said Wednesday that Trump will instead spend his time with wounded veterans in Des Moines, Iowa. The state hosts the country's lead-off presidential contest on Feb. 1. ||||| Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks to reporters at the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2016, following a meeting with President Barack Obama. (AP Photo/Manuel... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Here are the latest developments from the 2016 race for president, less than a week out from the Iowa caucuses. All times local. 
 
 9:40 p.m. 
 
 Two super PACs supporting Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign are offering to donate $1.5 million to charities that help veterans if Donald Trump will debate Cruz head-to-head before the Iowa caucuses. 
 
 The political action committees, Keep the Promise I and II, are proposing a one-hour debate to be held in Iowa on or before Jan. 31, the day before the caucuses, with a moderator chosen by the candidates. 
 
 Cruz himself sent a letter to Trump Wednesday inviting him to debate in Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday night. The Cruz campaign suggested conservative radio hosts Mark Levin, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh as possible moderators. 
 
 Trump dismissed Cruz's proposal earlier Wednesday. He is skipping Thursday's night's GOP debate amid a feud with debate host Fox News Channel. 
 
 ___ 
 
 9:25 p.m. 
 
 Bernie Sanders' campaign says it's willing to go along with Hillary Clinton and ask the Democratic National Committee to add another presidential debate before the New Hampshire primary. But there's a catch. 
 
 Sanders' campaign is requesting three additional debates in exchange for the proposed New Hampshire debate Feb. 4. The campaign wants one each in March, April and May and it doesn't want any debates to be held on a Friday, Saturday or holiday weekend. Sanders' campaign wants all three Democratic candidates to be invited. 
 
 Clinton said in a phone interview with MSNBC earlier Wednesday that she was "anxious" for another debate, adding, "Let's try to make it happen." 
 
 Sanders' campaign has been resistant to the Feb. 4 proposal because the DNC hasn't sanctioned the debate. 
 
 The DNC has said it's sticking with its debate schedule. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley supports adding another debate. 
 
 __ 
 
 9:15 p.m. 
 
 Bernie Sanders is taking a jab at Hillary Clinton, pointing out to his supporters that she is raising money at a Philadelphia investment firm on Wednesday night instead of campaigning in Iowa. He says, "Frankly, I would rather be here with you." 
 
 Clinton's campaign responds that the former secretary of state also met with nearly 50 black ministers during her stop in Philadelphia "to discuss the issues important to the African-American community." She held an event in Adel, Iowa, earlier in the day. 
 
 Clinton flew from Iowa to Pennsylvania on Wednesday to attend a fundraiser at the firm of Franklin Square Capital Partners. The event featured a performance by rocker Jon Bon Jovi. 
 
 Sanders was speaking to about 1,100 people in Mason City with five days remaining before the leadoff Iowa caucuses. He was introduced by actress Susan Sarandon, who said issues were more important than gender. She also took a swipe at Clinton, saying, "It's one thing to be for gay rights and marriage when everyone else is for it." 
 
 __ 
 
 8:50 p.m. 
 
 New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie says Donald Trump's decision to skip Thursday night's GOP debate reminds him of "a 13-year-old arguing." 
 
 The Republican presidential candidate says he didn't "whine and moan" when he was booted from the mainstage ahead of one debate, but "acted like a leader." 
 
 Christie says the next president should not be "a person that when one thing goes sideways, when one thing seems not fair, they're just going to walk away and take their marbles and go away." 
 
 Christie was holding a town hall event at a bar in Dubuque with five days left to the Iowa caucuses. 
 
 He is hoping to beat expectations in the state to build momentum heading into the friendlier state of New Hampshire. 
 
 __ 
 
 8:35 p.m. 
 
 Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is blasting Republican rival Donald Trump for a second night in a row over his decision to skip Thursday's presidential debate and again challenging him to a one-on-one contest. 
 
 Cruz on Wednesday challenged Trump to debate him Saturday night in Sioux City, Iowa. 
 
 Cruz says if he and Trump can't agree on a moderator for a debate, they should take questions directly from Iowans. 
 
 Cruz told gathered supporters that "it's not really that Donald is afraid of me. He's afraid of you. He doesn't want to answer questions from the men and women of Iowa about how his record doesn't match what he's selling." 
 
 Trump earlier Wednesday laughed off Cruz's call to debate, saying in a message on Twitter that if they did it the contest should be held in Canada. where Cruz was born. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:25 p.m. 
 
 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is defending his decision to skip Thursday's Fox News debate, saying he was "not treated well" by the network. 
 
 Trump said in a Wednesday interview on Fox that he doesn't mind debating, but "I just don't like being used." 
 
 He says television networks have made millions of dollars in advertising on debates he's participated in. 
 
 Trump disputed the notion that he is hurting his candidacy by not being on the debate stage. He says Republicans already have had debates and "at some point you've got to start doing other things." 
 
 Trump plans to instead headline a rally in Des Moines, Iowa, raising money for military veterans. He says the event will be "tremendous." 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:15 p.m. 
 
 Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump told a campaign rally in South Carolina that he has "not been treated fairly." 
 
 But he didn't get into details about his decision to skip Thursday's GOP debate amid an ongoing dispute with host network Fox News. 
 
 Trump is the only GOP contender who has left Iowa and New Hampshire this week to campaign in South Carolina. 
 
 The lead-off Iowa caucuses are Monday, followed by New Hampshire's primary Feb. 9 and South Carolina's Feb. 20. 
 
 Trump reminded the hundreds of supporters gathered a farm Wednesday night outside Columbia that he'll return to Iowa on Thursday to host a fundraiser for veterans groups. 
 
 It will be held at the same time as the debate just two miles away. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:30 p.m. 
 
 Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is calling billionaire Donald Trump's decision to skip Thursday night's Republican debate, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's subsequent one-on-one challenge an "interesting sideshow." 
 
 But he told an audience of mostly young people and families with children at a West Des Moines sports bar Wednesday evening that "this is serious. We cannot lose this election." 
 
 Rubio is trying to refocus the discussion in the intensifying race ahead of Monday's Iowa caucuses, with jabs at the two rivals seen to be vying for first place. 
 
 He spoke to the gathering of about 400 supporters after a day spent largely cooped up in his hotel preparing for Thursday's debate. 
 
 The debate preparation Thursday marks a detour from what has been a torrid pre-caucus tromp through the state. 
 
 He'll resume a bus tour Friday and plans to fly around the state for appearances Saturday and Sunday. 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:10 p.m. 
 
 Bernie Sanders says he has no intention of going negative on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton even as the two remain in an increasingly tight race just days head of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucuses. 
 
 Sanders was on Capitol Hill Wednesday after a meeting with President Barack Obama earlier in the day. He told reporters he has "never run a negative ad" in his life and will not do so against Clinton. 
 
 He says he's proud of running a positive campaign. 
 
 Sanders also was asked about GOP front-runner Donald Trump's decision to skip Thursday night's Republican debate on Fox News, but did not respond as he walked away from reporters. 
 
 ___ 
 
 6:15 p.m. 
 
 Donald Trump's campaign has formally announced plans to host a special event at the same time as Thursday's presidential debate. 
 
 The move follows the Republican front-runner's promise to boycott the Fox News debate. He's been upset with Fox over what he calls unfair treatment from debate moderator Megyn Kelly and a sarcastic tweet from the network. 
 
 The campaign issued an advisory Wednesday night with details for what it's calling a special event. 
 
 Just as the prime-time debate begins Thursday at 9 p.m. EST, Trump is scheduled to appear at Drake University in Des Moines at an event the campaign says will benefit veterans. 
 
 The appearance will be just two miles from where his Republican rivals gather for the debate. 
 
 ___ 
 
 6 p.m. 
 
 Aides to Donald Trump say South Carolina Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster will introduce and endorse the billionaire businessman at a Wednesday rally outside Columbia. 
 
 McMaster's nod gives Trump the backing of a longtime South Carolina politician widely viewed as an establishment Republican. 
 
 He previously served as state GOP chairman and has been an ally of Sen. Lindsey Graham — a failed 2016 White House hopeful and fierce Trump critic. 
 
 Polls conducted by Fox News and Winthrop University in early December showed Trump with a strong lead in the first Southern primary state. 
 
 ___ 
 
 4:20 p.m. 
 
 Bernie Sanders says he and President Barack Obama talked foreign policy, the economy and "a little bit of politics," during their first extended sit-down since the Vermont senator's presidential campaign jolted the race for the Democratic nomination. 
 
 Sanders spoke to reporters in the White House driveway after the 45-minute meeting Wednesday. 
 
 The White House said the president considered the 45-minute meeting a chance to discuss ways the two could work together, to reminisce about the thrill of campaigning in Iowa and to talk broadly about the state of the 2016 race. 
 
 The long-discussed meeting between Obama and his sometime critic was a moment for the president to display public neutrality in the heated and unexpectedly tight primary race to replace him. And rebut suggestions he's in the can for Sanders' rival Hillary Clinton. 
 
 Sanders says the president has been "even handed" in his treatment of the candidates. 
 
 ___ 
 
 4 p.m. 
 
 Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid and Republican counterpart Mitch McConnell aren't in Iowa or New Hampshire, but can't avoid questions about the presidential race. 
 
 The two leaders gave lighthearted responses Wednesday when asked by Capitol Hill reporters to discuss the campaigns. 
 
 Reid joked that he's "kind of pulling for Donald Trump," while McConnell avoided discussion of the White House contest altogether. McConnell said he wouldn't start talking about it because "there'd be no place to end the discussion." 
 
 When asked if the Senate GOP could work with a President Trump, McConnell answered "good try," adding that they're "anxious to have a Republican president but not at all sure who that's going to be yet." 
 
 Reid told reporters he's "watching with pleasure the Republicans fumbling around," but later stood on the Senate floor and proclaimed in a more serious tone that "the danger of a Donald Trump candidacy to our country is not a joke." 
 
 ___ 
 
 3:15 p.m. 
 
 Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee's campaign released a parody video based off singer Adele's 2015 hit song "Hello" ahead of Iowa's Feb. 1 leadoff caucus. 
 
 Huckabee's campaign released a 3.5 minute online video Wednesday entitled "Hello, Huck," with satirical lyrics sung over the Adele's hit, with direct jabs to Democratic contenders Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. He doesn't mention any of his GOP rivals by name. 
 
 "Iowans are not for sale," the song says. "They're stubborn and picky. There's just no difference between Obama and Hillary." 
 
 "Hello from caucus night. If Bernie wins I'm gonna die. This crazy circus, it's gone coo-coo-ca-choo, and Huckabee is the guy who's long overdue." 
 
 Huckabee, who is lagging in the polls behind others in the crowded GOP field, previous ran for president in 2008. He won the Iowa caucus that year, but did not win his party's nomination. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:40 p.m. 
 
 An Iowa man has been arrested on charges that he threw tomatoes at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump during a campaign stop at the University of Iowa. 
 
 Hayley Bruce, a University of Iowa spokeswoman, says 28-year-old Andrew Joseph Alemao was charged Tuesday with disorderly conduct after officers say they saw him throwing two tomatoes toward Trump during a speech. It wasn't clear whether the tomatoes hit anyone. 
 
 Secret Service and University of Iowa police officers arrested Alemao, and he was booked into the Johnson County Jail. 
 
 Johnson County Jail officials say Alemao was released Wednesday morning without bond. 
 
 ___ 
 
 1:00 p.m. 
 
 Hillary Clinton says she wants the Democratic National Committee to add another presidential debate before the New Hampshire primary and urging Bernie Sanders to join her on stage. 
 
 Clinton says in a phone interview with MSNBC that she's "anxious" for another debate, adding, "let's try to make it happen." She says she wants DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the other campaigns to support another debate. 
 
 Sanders' campaign has said it has no plans to do so because the DNC hasn't sanctioned the debate. The Vermont senator's campaign has said it wouldn't want to jeopardize its participation in two debates planned for after the New Hampshire primary in Wisconsin and Florida. 
 
 The DNC has said it's sticking with its debate schedule. 
 
 Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley supports adding another debate. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:25 p.m. 
 
 Snow is being forecast in Iowa for early next week, but people gathering for the presidential caucuses likely won't be hindered. 
 
 Mindy Beerends, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Des Moines, says there could be rain and a little snow during the caucuses, set to begin at 7 p.m. Monday, but early projections show no accumulating snow until early Tuesday. 
 
 Weather is always an unpredictable factor of the caucuses, which typically draw hundreds of thousands of Iowans to precinct gatherings to choose presidential candidates and conduct political party business. 
 
 The bigger problem could be for the many campaign staffers and reporters in Iowa who want to leave after the caucuses. They could find their exit complicated by steadier snow Tuesday. 
 
 ___ 
 
 12:00 p.m. 
 
 President Barack Obama will welcome Bernie Sanders to the White House Wednesday with days to go until the presidential hopeful takes on Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination in the Iowa caucus. 
 
 Sanders and his wife arrived to the White House earlier Wednesday ahead of the scheduled meeting with the president. 
 
 The long-discussed meeting between the sitting president and his sometime critic is a moment for the president to display public neutrality in the heated and unexpectedly tight primary race to replace him — refuting suggestions that he's in the can for Clinton. 
 
 For Sanders, it's a chance to show he's got some sway with a president still popular among Democrats. 
 
 The president this week rebuffed suggestions that Sanders' upstart campaign is a reboot of his own battle against Clinton in 2008. 
 
 ___ 
 
 10:00 a.m. 
 
 Republican presidential contender John Kasich is turning his attention to Iowa after a flurry of activity has signaled he may be headed toward the top-tier victory he seeks in New Hampshire. 
 
 The Ohio governor has planned town hall meetings in Davenport Wednesday and in Cedar Rapids Friday. He will also participate in the Republican presidential debate Thursday, which is in Des Moines. 
 
 The Iowa caucuses are scheduled for Feb. 1. 
 
 Kasich has focused most of his early attention on New Hampshire, where he's competing for votes from GOP moderates and independents against candidates including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio. 
 
 Kasich landed endorsements in that contest from the Concord Monitor and the Boston Globe and some polling placed him second among New Hampshire voters behind Donald Trump. 
 
 ___ 
 
 8:45 a.m. 
 
 Ted Cruz is mocking Donald Trump's decision to skip Thursday's Fox News Republican presidential debate, taunting him on Twitter and creating an image of his face on the illustrated body of Disney tycoon Scrooge McDuck, sitting on top of bags of money. 
 
 Cruz on Tuesday responded to Trump's decision to skip the debate in Des Moines by challenging him to a one-on-one debate, "mano-a-mano." Cruz is following that up on Wednesday with a satirical message on Twitter, linking to a clip of the song "Brave Sir Robin Ran Away" from a film by the British comedy troupe Monty Python. 
 
 Cruz created an online petition showing a mock-up of Trump with the Disney character's body, sitting on bags of money, on top of a mountain of gold coins, encouraging supporters to "Tell Ducking Donald: Debate Ted Cruz." 
 
 ___ 
 
 7:20 a.m. 
 
 Donald Trump's presidential campaign manager Corey Lewandowski is accusing Fox News anchorwoman Megyn Kelly of being "completely obsessed" with his candidate, and says most people tuned in to the first FOX News Republican debate because Trump was on stage. 
 
 His comments to ABC's Good Morning America Wednesday follow a statement by Trump a day earlier that he would not participate in the upcoming FOX News GOP debate, scheduled for Thursday. 
 
 The feud between Trump and Kelly began during the first FOX News debate in August, when Kelly asked the candidate if previous, disparaging comments he has made against women reflect the temperament of a president. 
 
 On Tuesday, Trump called Kelly a "lightweight reporter." 
 
 Lewandowski said Wednesday that Trump will instead spend his time with wounded veterans in Des Moines, Iowa. The state hosts the country's lead-off presidential contest on Feb. 1.
– Three celebrities have weighed in on the 2016 presidential candidates ... well, mostly Donald Trump: Azealia Banks went on quite a rant Sunday night on Twitter, and though the rapper started off by saying she'd be voting Trump, the whole thing ended up being satire, Salon reports. Sample tweets: "I only trust this country to be what it is: full of s---. takes s--- to know s--- so we may as well, put a piece of s--- in the White House." And: "In conclusion, I think Donald trump is evil like America is evil and in order for America to keep up with itself it needs him." Kid Rock, though, appears to actually like The Donald. "I'm digging Trump," the rocker, who once campaigned for Mitt Romney, tells Rolling Stone. "My feeling: Let the motherf---ing business guy run it like a f---ing business. And his campaign has been entertaining as s---." Add Adele to the list of musicians not in favor of Trump, however—or at least not in favor of him using her music. After Trump played "Rolling in the Deep" at some of his Iowa rallies and Mike Huckabee released a parody of her new single, "Hello" (yes, really), Adele's spokesperson issued a statement noting that "Adele has not given permission for her music to be used for any political campaigning," per the Raw Story.