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 and Mark Kelly vs Wayne LaPierre of NRA at Gun Violence Hearing  —  Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will testify at a Senate hearing on gun violence alongside her husband Mark Kelly Wednesday morning.  —  Testimony given by the former congresswoman, who was shot by a gunman …

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 …

Mass. governor's former chief of staff to be appointed to Kerry's Senate seat  —  Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) has appointed William “Mo” Cowen, his former chief of staff, to fill former Sen. John Kerry's (D) seat until a special election is held this summer.

FBI raids West Palm Beach office of doctor tied to U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez  —  The FBI raided the office of a South Florida eye doctor who last year was accused of providing prostitutes to longtime ally Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat.  —  MCAPUTO@MIAMIHERALD.COM

Israel strikes at Syria-Lebanon border, sources say  —  Alleged airstrike comes day after Lebanon reported three separate overflights by IAF jets; Israel increasingly concerned over fate of Syrian chemical weapons.  —  A western diplomat and three regional security sources said Wednesday …

Schumer: My heart went pitter patter  —  Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that President Barack Obama was playing a “constructive role” in the immigration debate and called the idea he was jockeying with the Senate group “not true.”  —  “[Obama] cares about it, he knows how important …

GOP's Electoral Vote Scheme Already On Life Support  —  Four states down, and just two remain.  —  Key Republican officials in Virginia, Ohio, Florida, and Michigan are coming out against a RNC-backed scheme to rig the electoral vote in Democratic-leaning states in order to boost Republican presidential candidates.

Graham Says ‘Clinton Got Away With Murder’ On Benghazi, Will Hold Hagel Unless Panetta Testifies  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is still searching for the silver bullet, that one piece of testimony that will prove once and for all that the Obama administration lied during the aftermath of the Benghazi attack.

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.

Strict Gun Laws in Chicago Can't Stem Fatal Shots  —  CHICAGO — Not a single gun shop can be found in this city because they are outlawed.  Handguns were banned in Chicago for decades, too, until 2010, when the United States Supreme Court ruled that was going too far, leading city leaders …

Deep spending cuts are likely, lawmakers say, with no deal on sequester in sight  —  Alex Wong/Getty Images - “I think [the cuts are] more likely to happen.  And I'm ashamed of the Congress, I'm ashamed of the president, and I'm ashamed of being in this body, quite frankly,” said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham …

Unions, Hollywood open to bankrolling Obama's advocacy arm  —  Labor unions and Hollywood donors are open to bankrolling Organizing for Action, the outside group that has been formed in support of President Obama's second-term agenda.  —  Traditionally one of the biggest donors to Democrats …

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 …

North Carolina governor joins chorus of Republicans critical of liberal arts  —  By  —  North Carolinians might have seen this coming when they elected Patrick McCrory governor in November.  He's a Republican and the second half of his name is “Rick,” and these days …

That Cuddly Kitty Is Deadlier Than You Think  —  For all the adorable images of cats that play the piano, flush the toilet, mew melodiously and find their way back home over hundreds of miles, scientists have identified a shocking new truth: cats are far deadlier than anyone realized.