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.

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.

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 …

US changes to Turkey's preferred spelling at ally's request  —  The State Department said Thursday it has adopted Turkey's preferred spelling for the name of the country, Turkiye, acceding to a request from the NATO ally after several months of hesitation.  The department has instructed …

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 …

California's ban on around 70,000 vehicles takes effect this week  —  The final rule in a set of regulations adopted 15 years ago takes effect this week, banning some 70,000 big rigs from California roads.  —  A set of clean air regulations implemented by the California Air Resources Board …

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 …

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 …

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.