It's like 2020 all over again

Laura L. Davis, USA TODAY
·4 min read
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With Super Tuesday over, the presidential ballots are probably going to look a little familiar in November. Hopes for a cease-fire in Gaza are growing dim. Thousands of cattle died when wildfires ripped through the Texas Panhandle.

👋 Hiiii! Laura Davis here. I’ve been dodging "Love is Blind" season finale spoilers all day. Fortunately, there’s been a bunch of news to keep me busy! Here’s what’s been happening Wednesday.

But first: Whale, hey there! 🐳 It's been over 200 years since gray whales became extinct in the Atlantic. One was just spotted off the Massachusetts coast.

Super Tuesday solidifies a rematch for the White House

Barring asteroids hitting the Earth before then, the presidential ballot in November is set to feature Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump. Again. With Super Tuesday over, the rematch now seems all but certain. But the 2024 campaign isn't just a rerun of the original. Changes in the candidates – and the world – are defining a different political landscape and creating a whole new set of challenges. 🔎 Here's what's different this time around.

Former President Donald Trump defeated Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor, in more than a dozen states, taking his most significant step yet toward the Republican nomination. Haley did defeat Trump in one contest: Vermont's Republican primary.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden easily fended off his challengers as he tried to build momentum for a second term. The president only faced one strange loss to entrepreneur Jason Palmer in American Samoa.

👉 Catch up on all the Super Tuesday news with our recap.

After disappointing losses across the country, Haley announced she was suspending her campaign. Here's a look at how the last woman standing defied the odds.

A big endorsement: Despite a long-running enmity between the two, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell formally endorsed Trump.

'Dismay and disbelief': U.S. allies around the world steel themselves for the possibility of another Trump presidency.

✍️ Some Super Tuesday takes from our Opinion writers:

🗳️📱 Text with USA TODAY politics: Elections news right on your phone. Text 301-888-6791 to sign up.

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Hopes for Gaza cease-fire dim

The Gaza cease-fire negotiations aren't going great. Hamas appeared to reject a plan Wednesday, saying it fails to meet crucial demands that Israel withdraw troops. A statement said Hamas was showing "flexibility" and would continue to work with mediators to reach an agreement.

What was the plan? The latest proposal calls for a six-week cease-fire, a sharp increase in humanitarian aid, release of the sick, wounded, elderly and female hostages as well as hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails. The U.S., Egypt and Qatar have scrambled to broker a deal ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which will start in a few days. 👉 More live updates from the conflict.

'A ghastly sight'

Thousands of livestock have been killed in the wildfires that have ripped across the Texas Panhandle over the past week, inflicting unprecedented damage upon the largest cattle region in the nation.

Wildfire devastation: More than 3,600 cattle have died since the fires – some of which are still burning – spread through multiple counties and into Oklahoma, destroying hundreds of homes and killing at least two people, officials said. The number of dead cattle is expected to double or triple in the coming days as land is inspected and animals are euthanized because of burn injuries and trauma. The largest of the blazes, the Smokehouse Creek fire, burned more than 1 million acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, and is the largest wildfire in state history. 📍 A closer look at the destruction.

🗣️ Local voices: "It's a ghastly sight. We've never seen anything like this." – Sid Miller, Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner, who recounted hundreds of cows lying dead on smoldering fields.

A break from the news

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com.  Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2024 Elections, Texas wildfires, Israel-Hamas war: Wednesday's news