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 …

Ex-Trump adviser Peter Navarro sentenced to 4 months for contempt of Congress  —  Former Trump White House official Peter Navarro was sentenced Thursday to four months in prison for contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack.

1/25/24 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM … Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell did four extraordinary things Wednesday afternoon, all of which we scooped in our PM edition Wednesday night. … McConnell told GOP senators that before border security talks began, immigration policy united Republicans and Ukraine aid divided them.

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 …

‘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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Alabama GOP congressman disagrees with Nikki Haley: ‘Everyone has some racist in them’  —  Rep. Jerry Carl, R-Ala., said that in his experience, the GOP presidential candidate's comments that America is “not a racist country” was not true.  —  An Alabama Republican congressman said on Wednesday that …

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.

Intimidation of State and Local Officeholders  —  Left unchecked, abuse harms not only elected officials but also the public they serve.  —  The January 6 insurrection at the Capitol seemed to mark a new peak in extremist intimidation targeting public officials.

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 …

Putin Sends US Signal on Ukraine Talks, Sensing Advantage in War  — Russia may be open to talks on Ukraine security, sources say  — US officials skeptical, see no sign Putin wants to end the war  —  Vladimir Putin is testing the waters on whether the US is ready to engage in talks for ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

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.

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 …

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 …

U.S. Department of Education opens Title VI investigation into Northwestern's handling of alleged antisemitism  —  The U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation Tuesday into Northwestern's compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act …

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 …

White House stressing safe gun storage in new initiative  —  The White House on Thursday announced a series of actions emphasizing the importance of safe storage of weapons, the latest step in the Biden administration's efforts to curtail gun violence.  —  The Department of Justice is releasing …

How life is going for this former McCarthy deputy: Not great  —  Republicans in the Bayou State are privately speculating if Garret Graves made too many enemies, both in Washington and back home.  —  Louisiana is enjoying outsized control over House GOP leadership these days …