A year-end memo by White House senior adviser Anita Dunn and National Economic Council director Brian Deese says the U.S. "ends 2022 in a stronger position than many major global economies."
"The unemployment rate remains near record lows, many measures of household balance sheets are stronger than before the pandemic, gas prices are down more than $1.75 from the summer, and we are seeing more signs of inflation moderating," they write.
"[S]tarting in January, American consumers will receive additional cost savings on prescription drugs, health care, and clean energy, thanks to legislation President Biden signed into law earlier this year."
Reality check: The memo notes there's "more work to do, and we may see setbacks along the way."
The Arizona Court of Appeals issued a ruling Friday saying abortion doctors can't be prosecuted under an 1864 law that criminalizes nearly all abortions.
Driving the news: But the court declined to repeal the pre-statehood law, which has been barred from being enforced for nearly 50 years.
The social media app TikTok was banned Friday from electronic devices managed by the House of Representatives, per CNN.
Driving the news: Those who install the app on official House devices will be asked to remove it, according to an internal notice sent to House staff and obtained by CNN.
The North Carolina Department of Justice announced Friday that they won't pursue charges against former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.
Driving the news: The department said there is not sufficient evidence to bring voter fraud charges against Meadows and his wife,Debra Meadows, over the 2020 election.
The House Ways and Means Committee on Friday released six yearsof former President Trump's tax returns, uncloaking a complex web of businesses and other sources of income.
Why it matters: The release comes after the committee's yearslong effort to obtain Trump's tax returns as part of a probe into the IRS' mandatory presidential audit program — and as he vies for a second White House term while facing other investigations and legal defeats.
Conservative activist Ginni Thomas spoke about her post-2020 election activity and interactions with Trump officialsin her interview with the Jan. 6 committee, according to her testimony, which was made publicly available Friday.
Driving the news: Thomas said she hoped that Trump's White House would "challenge the election until the truth could be found out if there was evidence of state problems in the election."
Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportations remained low in fiscal year 2022 while arrests nearly doubled from last year — largely driven by people who recently crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, according to new end-of-year ICE data.
Why it matters: Large numbers of migrants and asylum seekers arriving at the border and continued rapid expulsions under Title 42 has forced ICE to spend more time assisting border officials rather than internal arrests and deportations.
The big picture: The release comes after House Democrats spent years trying to obtain Trump's tax returns. The committee voted to release the returns earlier in December.
The House Jan. 6 select committee has released dozens of transcripts — along with its long-awaited final report — making public witness testimony gathered from its 18-month investigation into the Capitol riot.
The big picture: The panel previously shared findings during public hearings and issued a slate of subpoenas to people in former President Trump's orbit — as well as approved criminal referrals. The committee is set to resolve on Jan. 3, 2023 at the start of the new Congress, which will see Republicans take control of the House.
The 2024 election will be fought on a very different battlefield than the last one, with old reliably swing states no longer in play — and new ones taking center stage.
Why it matters: It's revealing how fast swing states are changing — a vivid crystallization of America's volatile politics.
The Biden administration plans to send national security adviser Jake Sullivan to Israel in mid-January for talks with newly sworn-in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his government's policies, according to five Israeli and U.S. officials.
Why it matters: The White House is concerned about the new Israeli government's policies on the occupied West Bank — including plans to expand settlements and legalize outposts.
A Myanmar military court found Aung San Suu Kyi guilty of five counts of corruption on Friday, per AP.
The big picture: It's the final of a series of cases that the court has convicted Suu Kyi of in closed-door trials denounced as shams by rights groups since the military overthrew her democratically elected government in February 2021.
American forces and their allies killed a total of 686 ISIS suspects operating in Syria and Iraq this year, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Thursday.
The death toll from the Buffalo blizzard over Christmas weekend rose to 39 Thursday, according to numbers from Erie County's chief executive.
Why it matters: The toll makes this the deadliest lake effect snowstorm on record and the most lethal blizzard in Buffalo since at least 1950. It calls into question how a city so used to snow could be endangered to such an extent.
