Behind the Curtain: Trump's exponential power surge  —  Something shocking — and telling — has unfolded beyond Donald Trump's onstage, online and courtroom theatrics: He's running a professional, well-managed, disciplined presidential campaign.  — His 2024 operation is more sophisticated …

‘A Warning Shot’: Maggie Haberman Explains Why Trump Attacked Kayleigh McEnany  —  The New York Times reporter shared her analysis after Trump lashed out at his former press secretary over her comments on Fox News.  —  LOADING  —  New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman said Donald Trump's outburst …

Playbook: Conservatives take aim at tax deal  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  THE MAGA CASH MACHINE — “Trump's super PAC raised $46 million in 6 months,” by Alex Isenstadt: “The rise in donations reflects the growing belief among …

Biden to deploy CIA director to help broker major Gaza deal  —  William Burns is looking to close gaps between Israel and Hamas on a deal that includes the release of all hostages in Gaza and a two-month cease-fire  —  President Biden plans to dispatch CIA Director William J. Burns …

U.S. economy booms with 3.3% growth in final quarter of 2023 … - The economy moderated in the September-December period compared to the previous quarter's 4.9% growth, which got a notable boost from companies building up inventories. … - That dynamic continued in the fourth quarter …

Tea with salt?  American scientist's “outrageous proposal” leaves U.S.-U.K. relations in “hot water,” embassy says  —  How do you take your tea?  One lump of sugar, two or maybe some milk?  Unless you're adding salt, one U.S. scientist says, your cup won't be perfect …

Who are No Labels' donors?  Democratic groups file complaints in an attempt to find out  —  For months, the centrist group No Labels has stockpiled cash and diligently worked to secure ballot access for a potential third-party presidential bid, striking fear among allies of President Joe Biden …

Penn Jillette Wants to Talk It All Out  —  Penn Jillette has a large, framed French-language poster of Renaldo and Clara behind him.  Most people wouldn't know what that is, but as a Bob Dylan fan, I do — it's his largely forgotten, widely panned 1978 film that he wrote, directed and starred in.

Housing is now unaffordable for a record half of all U.S. renters, study finds  —  Over the past two years, Genuine Campbell was shocked at how rent for her two-bedroom apartment in Philadelphia just kept going up — from $1,300 a month to $1,600.  She's a single mom of four …

An Iowa bill would make students sing the national anthem every day.  One lawmaker sang it  —  When it came time for her closing comments at Wednesday's Iowa House subcommittee meeting, Rep. Sue Cahill stood — and began singing the national anthem.  —  “O say can you see, by the dawn's early light …

MoMA Sued by Artist Who Performed Nude in Marina Abramovic Work  —  The artist, John Bonafede, says museum officials failed to prevent visitors from sexually assaulting performers in the 2010 show.  —  A performance artist has sued the Museum of Modern Art, saying that officials neglected …

64K women and girls became pregnant due to rape in states with abortion bans, study estimates  —  The research letter, published by JAMA Internal Medicine, estimated that nearly 520,000 rapes were associated with 64,565 pregnancies across 14 states.  —  More than 64,000 women and girls became pregnant …

Outrage as New Restaurant Opens Called ‘October 7’  —  “We expect the Jordanian government to condemn this publicly and unequivocally,” wrote Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid.  —  A new restaurant apparently named after the brutal massacre of Israelis by Hamas militants on Oct. 7 has opened in Jordan, sparking outrage in Israel.

U.S. Secretly Alerted Iran Ahead of Islamic State Terrorist Attack  —  Washington passed actionable intelligence to Tehran about the plot that killed 84 and wounded many more  —  WASHINGTON—The U.S. secretly warned Iran that Islamic State was preparing to carry out the terrorist attack early …

Democrats Are Having a Blast Making a Circus of the GOP's Hunter Biden Probe  —  “We're calling out their bullshit like every single time, and I think they're surprised by it,” one Democrat on the Oversight Committee said. … When Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) arrived at the Hunter Biden contempt hearing …

SCOTUS is poised to take a sledgehammer to federal agencies  —  Why overturning the Chevron precedent would be very big (and bad) deal.  —  ∙ Paid … Since conservatives fully captured the US Supreme Court during the Trump administration, right-wingers have been racking up wins.

Sen. Barrasso's wife dies after 2-year battle with brain cancer  —  Sen. Barrasso announces wife's death  —  Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wy., announced on Thursday that his wife, Bobbi, died after a two-year battle with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer.  —  “After a courageous battle with cancer …