Trump lead grows in NH, while DeSantis loses ground and new candidates see increase in support

Former President Donald Trump is extending his lead over Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in New Hampshire, with newcomers in the 2024 Republican primary for president also earning support from voters in the state, according to a new poll.

The Saint Anselm College Survey Center poll, released Tuesday, gathered responses from 1,065 registered Granite State voters from June 21 - 23 and found that Trump sits at 47% support from voters in the state.

Following Trump, DeSantis received 19% support, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie received six percent support, former United Nations Ambassador Gov. Nikki Haley garnered five percent support, and South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott received four percent support.

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Other contenders for the Republican presidential nomination — including entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former Vice President Mike Pence, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson — received two percent support from survey respondents.

Compared to a similar poll from Saint Anselm College earlier this year, support for DeSantis in New Hampshire has dropped 10 points and support for Trump has increased seven points. The poll from March found Trump to have 42% support, followed by DeSantis at 29%, Haley at 4%, and Ramaswamy at 3%.

If an election rematch between Trump and President Biden was held today, New Hampshire voters who took part in the poll said they would vote for Biden over Trump 49% to 40%. DeSantis is in the same boat, with voters in the state still saying they would support Biden over the Florida governor 49% to 40% among general election voters.

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But Granite State voters said they believe a Biden-Trump matchup in 2024 signals that the system is broken. Fourteen percent of Republicans surveyed said they are somewhat more inclined than Democrats (6%) to believe such a match-up represents the best that each political party has to offer, but 83% disagreed overall.

As for age, 70% of respondents to the survey — including 50% of Democrats — expressed concern about the 80-year-old incumbent, while only 34% said they are concerned about the age of the 77-year-old former president.

Despite his polling numbers against Republicans, Biden remains in the clear among Democrats despite his primary challengers. Robert Kennedy Jr. received 9% support in the latest survey, while Marianne Williamson, who sought the party's nomination for president in 2020, picked up 8% support.

The Saint Anselm College Survey Center poll — conducted via online surveys — has a margin of error of +/- 3.0% with a confidence interval of 95%.

Joran van der Sloot case: Trial pushed back for prime Natalee Holloway suspect

A federal judge on Tuesday pushed back the possible trial for Natalee Holloway suspect Joran van der Sloot to fall.

The order comes after Joran van der Sloot filed a waiver of his right to a speedy trial on Tuesday. Van der Sloot is the prime suspect in the May 2005 disappearance of Natalee Holloway in Aruba during a Mountain Brook High School, Alabama, senior trip.

He's being charged with extortion and wire fraud after allegedly attempting to sell Natalee's mother, Beth Holloway, information regarding the location of her daughter's body.

Federal prosecutors allege that the Dutch national asked for $250,000 — $25,000 upfront for the information, and the rest to be paid out when the body of Natalee Holloway was positively identified.

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Prosecutors say that van der Sloot lied to Beth Holloway's lawyer, John Q. Kelly, about where her daughter's remains were located.

During a June 9 arraignment, van der Sloot pleaded not guilty to the charges.

According to prosecutors, the alleged extortion scheme took place between March 29, 2010, and May 17, 2010.

He was temporarily transferred from a Peruvian prison to American custody on June 8 by FBI agents.

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Van der Sloot walked into the Birmingham courtroom confidently with a smirk on his face, with Beth Holloway's eyes on him for most of the arraignment.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gray Borden said in the ruling that the deadline for pretrial motions is extended to Sept. 11.

A specific trial date will be set by a federal judge, Borden wrote.

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"Given the defendant’s need to adequately prepare his defense and to make an informed decision on whether to enter a guilty plea or proceed to trial, the court finds that the ends of justice served by extending the pretrial deadlines and granting a continuance outweigh the best interest of the public and the defendant in a speedy trial," Borden wrote.

Following van der Sloot's first appearance in federal court, Beth Holloway said in a statement that the "wheels of justice have finally begun to turn for our family and we are getting our long-awaited day in court."

"With the felony arraignment complete, prosecution of this criminal case has officially begun. Joran van der Sloot’s not guilty plea is not disheartening to us, it simply means that his legal team is going to try to make the state prove the case against him. We are confident the U.S. Attorney’s office in Birmingham, Alabama will succeed in getting a conviction, and we are very grateful to them for their hard work on this case," Beth Holloway said.

"As I’ve said before, I was blessed to have had Natalee in my life for 18 years, and as of this summer, I have been without her for exactly 18 years. She would be 36 years old now. It has been a very long and painful journey, but we are finally getting justice for Natalee," she added.

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