U.S. GDP rose 2.9% in the fourth quarter, more than expected even as recession fears loom  —  The U.S. economy finished 2022 in solid shape even as questions persist over whether growth will turn negative in the year ahead.  —  Fourth-quarter gross domestic product, the sum of all goods …

Barr Pressed Durham to Find Flaws in the Russia Investigation.  It Didn't Go Well.  —  The review by John Durham at one point veered into a criminal investigation related to Donald Trump himself, even as it failed to find wrongdoing in the origins of the Russia inquiry.

McCarthy may regret kicking Schiff off House Intelligence Committee  —  It tells you much about the priorities of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that he has seated serial fabulist George Santos (R-N.Y.) on multiple House committees while removing Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) from the Intelligence panel he led the past four years.

Potential Biden challenger Marianne Williamson heads to New Hampshire  —  The visit comes as state Democrats warn the ongoing showdown over primary dates “will create an opening for an insurgent candidate” that could embarrass the president  —  Author and activist Marianne Williamson …

Exclusive: Sen. Dianne Feinstein won't announce her plans for 2024 — until 2024  —  WASHINGTON— Countless Democrats just hit a California-sized snag: Sen. Dianne Feinstein may not retire after all.  —  In an exclusive interview with Raw Story, California's senior senator announced she's not not running.

First on CNN: National Archives asks former presidents and vice presidents to check for classified and presidential documents  —  The National Archives is formally asking former presidents and vice presidents to re-check their personal records for any classified documents or other presidential records …

Virginia Democrats Defeat 15-Week Abortion Ban And Glenn Youngkin's Anti-Choice Agenda  —  The Virginia governor introduced the idea of a 15-week ban last year, likely to bolster his anti-abortion record before a 2024 presidential run.  —  Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's (R) …

BuzzFeed to Use ChatGPT Creator OpenAI to Help Create Some of Its Content  —  CEO Jonah Peretti said publisher would use the technology to make more comprehensive quizzes, interactive content  —  Cheating With ChatGPT: Can an AI Chatbot Pass AP Lit?  —  YOU MAY ALSO LIKE  —  Created with sketchtool.

Trump Support Is Eroding in an Republican National Committee He Remade  —  Interviews with more than a third of the Republican National Committee's members point to a desire for an alternative presidential nominee to emerge from a competitive primary.  —  As Donald J. Trump prepares …

California Rep. Adam Schiff enters marquee Senate race  —  Rep. Adam B. Schiff, a decades-long fixture in San Fernando Valley politics who rose to national prominence as a top Democratic foe to then-President Trump, is joining a contest for U.S. Senate that is quickly shaping up to be highly competitive, he announced Thursday.

Republicans demand spending cuts to lift the debt limit.  They won't say what to cut.  —  WASHINGTON — Republicans, newly empowered with a House majority, are demanding spending cuts as a price for lifting the debt ceiling and averting a catastrophic default on U.S. debt.

Backlash grows against DeSantis decision to block AP African American studies class  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing mounting backlash regarding his administration's decision to prohibit an Advanced Placement high school course on African American studies, with Black leaders rallying in the capital …

FairTax, the GOP plan for a 30 percent national sales tax, explained  —  Why Kevin McCarthy agreed to put a radical plan to remake the tax code up for a vote.  —  Kevin McCarthy had a hell of a time getting elected as House speaker, and a list of all the concessions he made to the most conservative members …

CNN Poll: Nearly three-quarters of Americans think House GOP leaders haven't paid enough attention to most important problems  —  Fewer than one-third of Americans believe that House GOP leaders are prioritizing the country's most important issues, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.

Biden's next 2 years: A brutal war and a rough campaign  —  President Joe Biden's decision to send tanks to Ukraine marked a new chapter in the United States' commitment to Kyiv, one reflecting a growing belief that the war could stretch years and require extraordinary measures to hold an alliance together to repel Russia.

Sen. Kennedy stumps Biden nominee with basic questions about the Constitution  —  Judge Charnelle Bjelkengren could not recall what certain parts of US Constitution do  —  Sen. John Kennedy grills Biden judicial nominees on the Constitution, originalism  —  A Biden judicial nominee …

Giving Four Months' Notice or Paying to Quit Has These Workers Feeling Trapped  —  Last spring, a doctor for Concentra Inc., the leading US occupational health-care company, told his boss he wanted to quit.  The workload of as many as 40 patients a day was too great, and the breaks were too short, he says.

Sen. Rick Scott is running for re-election pushing his controversial tax plan  —  Sen. Rick Scott of Florida is running for re-election, he said in an announcement first shared with NBC News.  —  Scott released his campaign staff hires and made it clear he's not planning to run for president, as some have speculated.

1/26/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM  —  Something unusual is happening in the Capitol: Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries are getting along. … And these two will be at each other's throats for the foreseeable future over politics, policy, personnel and morals.

Asteroid 2023 BU: Space rock to pass closer than some satellites  —  You definitely shouldn't panic but there is a biggish asteroid about to pass by Earth in the coming hours.  —  About the size of a minibus, the space rock, known as 2023 BU, will whip over the southern tip of South America just after midnight GMT.

Legislature votes to exempt self from state records laws  —  PHOENIX — The Arizona Legislature will exempt itself from state public records law and destroy all email correspondence sent or received by lawmakers or staff after 90 days under new rules adopted by majority Republicans over vigorous opposition from minority Democrats.

Why Street Prostitution Is Skyrocketing in California  —  “Nine to 21 times a day with different guys?  The body is not made for that.”  —  Writes The Truth Fairy  · Subscribe  —  The following is excerpted from “Predator's Paradise” at City Journal.

DirecTV Signs Another Right-Wing Channel After Dumping Newsmax  —  The TV provider added a network starring firebrands like Dana Loesch and Bill O'Reilly, flying in the face of right-wing claims that DirecTV “silences” conservatives.  —  Amid cries from Republicans that DirecTV …

U.S. sanctions Paraguay VP, former president for corruption  —  The United States issued sanctions against Paraguay's former President Horacio Cartes Jara and current Vice President Hugo Velázquez Moreno, unveiling explosive accusations on Thursday that they participated in widespread schemes …

Biden Administration Cements Mining Ban Near Minnesota's Boundary Waters  —  The order establishes a 20-year mining ban on 225,000 acres next to the Minnesota wilderness, further crippling a Chilean firm's plans for a copper mine.  —  The Biden administration imposed a 20-year ban …

A Millennial Right-Wing Media War  —  The messy, $50 million battle between The Daily Wire and Steven Crowder highlights the embiggening financial stakes pitting MAGA cancelation jockeys against “Big Con.”  —  Last week, perhaps the most fraught and fascinating political media scandal …