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 …

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.

Gabby Giffords's Handwritten Notes for Her Testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee  —  The former U.S. representative wrote her speech in pen, and on binder paper.  —  Americans for Responsible Solutions  —  This morning, Gabby Giffords made an unannounced appearance at the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on gun violence.

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

Durbin Hits Back At NRA's LaPierre: ‘You Missed That Point Completely’ (VIDEO)  —  After National Rifle Association exectuive vice president Wayne LaPierre insisted during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence Wednesday that universal background checks on firearms purchases …

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Police: Hostage Taker in Alabama Standoff Has ‘Anti-America’ Views  —  The man who ignited a hostage standoff in southern Alabama when he shot a bus driver and took a child into an underground bunker is a “survivalist” who has ties to the antigovernment movement, an official …

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 …

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 …

President Obama's uncle ordered to face deportation hearing Dec. 3 by immigration judge  —  Obama leaving the John F. Kennedy Federal Building after the hearing  —  A Boston judge today set a Dec. 3 deportation hearing for President Obama's uncle, Onyango Obama, to determine whether he should be forced to return to his native Kenya.