McCarthy makes fresh concessions to try to woo hard-right Republicans in speaker bid  —  Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has made fresh concessions to a group of 20 lawmakers in hopes of ending their blockade of his speakership ahead of votes Thursday, a stunning reversal that if adopted …

U.S. Moves to Bar Noncompete Agreements in Labor Contracts  —  A sweeping proposal by the Federal Trade Commission would block companies from limiting their employees' ability to work for a rival.  —  In a far-reaching move that could raise wages and increase competition among businesses …

Within hours of Debbie Stabenow announcing her retirement, Dems are scrambling to replace her  —  Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow's decision to not run for reelection jolted national Democrats on Thursday, setting off a mad scramble for a newly open battleground seat in 2024.

Jack Smith Obtains ‘Trove’ Of Communications With Trump Lawyers  —  Special Counsel Jack Smith, who's running two investigations at the U.S. Justice Department that directly involve former President Donald Trump, was provided a “trove” of records from local officials in Clark County, Nevada …

Connecticut lawmaker dies in wrong-way crash after attending his own swearing-in ceremony  —  Quentin Williams, a Democrat from Middletown known as “Q,” died in the crash on Route 9 in Cromwell.  He was 39.  —  CROMWELL, Conn. — A Connecticut state representative was killed overnight …

South Carolina Supreme Court strikes down state abortion ban  —  The South Carolina ban on abortions after cardiac activity is no more after the latest legal challenge to the state's 2021 law proved successful.  The state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the restrictions violate the state constitution's right to privacy.

N.H. Gov. Sununu targets ‘woke policy’ but criticizes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' culture war tactics  —  New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu says GOP should ‘move on’ from Donald Trump; says ‘a lot of folks want me to run’ for president in 2024  —  GOP Gov. Chris Sununu of New Hampshire …

Twitter said it fixed ‘verification.’ So I impersonated a senator (again).  —  Elon Musk said Twitter would begin authenticating users who pay $8 for Blue.  Our tech columnist was still able to get a checkmark for an impostor Sen. Ed Markey.  —  Elon Musk said he would fix Twitter's problem with impostors.

They Built the Wall.  Now Some in Texas Fear It May Fall Down.  —  A scandal-plagued private border fence is essentially orphaned, mostly redundant and, engineers found, at risk of floating away in a flood.  —  MISSION, Texas — Along a bend in the Rio Grande, shorn of all brush except …

Mexico captures Ovidio Guzmán, son of El Chapo and alleged fentanyl trafficker  —  MEXICO CITY — The Mexican army Thursday captured Ovidio Guzmán, an alleged major fentanyl trafficker and son of notorious kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, just days before President Biden …

Committee Appointment Threatens to Derail Criminal Justice Reforms in Colorado  —  The new make-up of the Colorado Senate Judiciary Committee could doom longtime progressive priorities like preventing police from lying to children.  —  Senator-elect Dylan Roberts was appointed …

This has officially been the longest fight for House speaker since before the Civil War  —  The U.S. House of Representatives is on track to attempt to elect a speaker for the 10th time — surpassing the amount of time it took in 1923, when a House leader was elected on the ninth ballot.

Cardi B rant about Bidenflation went viral on social media and it's perfect  —  When she's right, she's right.  Singer Cardi B is on a tear about Bidenflation, putting her thoughts on social media and she has the full support of lots of people, including conservatives.

Biden immigration plan would restrict illegal border crossings  —  President Biden announced new immigration restrictions Thursday, including the expansion of programs to remove people quickly without letting them seek asylum, in an attempt to address one of his administration's …

Democrats Push for Pro-Amnesty ‘Moderate’ GOP Speaker  —  Democrats are trying to sneak a pro-amnesty GOP legislator into the House Speaker's seat.  —  “I would consider the right Republican, someone I could trust,” said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Ca), a pro-migration Democrat close to California's Silicon Valley.

Joint Press Statement Following a Call between the President Joe Biden and the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Olaf Scholz  —  President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke by phone on January 5, 2023 to exchange views on the ongoing war of aggression waged by Russia against Ukraine.

First on CNN: Biden to honor 12 people with Presidential Citizens Medal on two-year anniversary of January 6 insurrection  —  President Joe Biden on Friday plans to mark the two-year anniversary of the January 6, 2021, insurrection by awarding for the first time in his presidency the Presidential Citizens Medal to 12 people.