U.S. Economy Unexpectedly Contracts in Fourth Quarter  —  Private-Sector Hiring Rose by 192,000 in January, ADP Reports  —  WASHINGTON—U.S. economic momentum screeched to a halt in the final months of 2012, as businesses pared back inventories and government spending fell sharply …

Gabrielle Giffords' husband smacks down Wayne LaPierre  —  Perhaps the most important moment so far in today's Senate Judiciary hearing on guns came when astronaut Mark Kelly directly confronted NRA head Wayne LaPierre over the shooting of his wife, Gabrielle Giffords.

SYRIA CONFIRMS ISRAELI JETS BOMBED MILITARY SITE  —  You are here  —  Home » Israel » Syria confirms Israeli jets bombed military site  —  BEIRUT (AP) — Israel conducted a rare airstrike on a military target inside Syria, foreign officials and Syrian state TV said Wednesday …

White House Blames GDP Drop On Republicans  —  “It's not a game — it's the American economy,” Carney scolds.  —  Press Secretary Jay Carney briefs reporters at the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 28, 2013.  —  Image by Charles Dharapak / AP  —  WASHINGTON — White House Press …

Tennessee 'Don't Say Gay' Bill Now Requires Teachers To Inform Parents If Their Child Is Gay  —  Tennessee's so-called 'Don't Say Gay' bill died with the adjournment of the state assembly last year.  But now the measure is back — with new, harsher requirements.

William ‘Mo’ Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's pick to serve as interim US senator  —  William “Mo” Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's choice to serve as the interim US senator until the successor to John F. Kerry is chosen by the voters June 25, according to a source in the governor's office.

I Don't Like Marco Rubio's Plan  —  There.  I said it.  —  You'd be surprised how long it has taken to say this.  I've let multiple friends vet the various drafts of posts I've written on this and they all wind up arguing with each other over the details.  Is it amnesty or isn't it?

President Obama's popularity surges to three-year high  —  President Obama is riding a wave of personal popularity into his second term, with his highest favorability ratings since his first year in office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.  —  Fully 60 percent of Americans …

EXCLUSIVE: Actor Jim Nabors marries his longtime male partner  —  Jim Nabors, the Hawaii resident well known for his starring role in the 1960s television sitcom “Gomer Pyle, USMC,” married his longtime male partner early this month, he told Hawaii News Now Tuesday.

FBI wraps up raid at West Palm Beach office of doctor tied to U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez  —  Agents with the FBI and HHS continued their search Wednesday of a South Florida eye doctor who last year was accused of providing prostitutes to longtime ally Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat.

Girl who performed at Obama inaugural events slain on South Side  —  A 15-year-old girl who got the chance to perform in Washington for the President's inauguration was shot to death after leaving school yesterday.  —  After taking their exams Tuesday, Hadiya Pendleton and a group …

MSNBC ‘reviewing’ Newtown ‘heckled’ video  —  Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy  —  MSNBC is reviewing its portrayal of the testimony of Neil Heslin, the father of a Sandy Hook victim, at a legislative hearing in Hartford on Monday.

Brown/Markey would start out as toss up  —  A Scott Brown/Ed Markey race to replace John Kerry in Massachusetts would start out as a toss up, PPP's newest poll of the state finds.  Markey is a clear favorite over Stephen Lynch in a potential primary contest, and Brown would have an easier path …

Fox News ratings hit 12-year low  —  Fox News had its worst ratings since 2001 in January, according to the latest figures.  —  The network had a 12-year low in the coveted 25-54 demographic in primetime and fell to its lowest total day ratings since 2008, a press release from rival cable channel MSNBC stated on Tuesday.

Why I hate Twitter  —  The social sharing tool was once a vision.  Now it's a prison  —  S  —  oren Dayton and Rob Bluey — two conservative tech geniuses — talked me into joining Twitter during a lunch Ed Morrissey organized at an Iraqi restaurant in Minneapolis during the 2008 Republican convention.

Exclusive: Rep. Paul Broun Announces Candidacy for US Senate, Steals Karen Handel's Thunder  —  Former Secretary of State and gubernatorial candidate Karen Handel and Congressman Paul Broun in a playful exchange following his impromptu announcement for US Senate

CNN ‘Starting Point’ Staffers Brace Themselves  —  The announcement that CNN is totally revamping its morning show and scrapping Soledad O'Brien's “Starting Point” has sent shivers through her staff.  —  Insiders tell us Executive VP Ken Jautz and VP Bart Feder addressed the staff after the show went off the air today.

GOP electoral vote changes going nowhere  —  Republican proposals in swing states to change how electoral votes are allocated have set off alarms that the party is trying to rig future presidential elections.  —  But the plans are going nowhere fast.  —  In the majority of states …

Missouri Bill Would Require All First Graders To Take NRA-Sponsored Gun Class  —  Students in Missouri have no sexual education requirement, so there's a good chance they don't know how to properly protect themselves from STIs or unintended pregnancy.  Soon, though, they may be able to protect themselves from guns.