Kentucky Republicans are considering the race for the U.S. Senate seat being opened by Mitch McConnell's announcement he's retiring. McConnell is ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce populism of President Donald Trump. McConnell chose his 83rd birthday on Thursday to share his decision to retire when his current term ends in 2027. U.S. Rep. Andy Barr says he'll make a decision soon about his future. Former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron says "it's time for a new generation of leadership" in the Senate. Another looming GOP candidate is businessman Nate Morris. Barr, Cameron and Morris have professed loyalty to Trump.

House Republicans have filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Merrick Garland for the audio recording of President Joe Biden's interview with a special counsel in his classified documents case. The legal action Monday asks the courts to enforce their subpoena and reject the White House's effort to withhold the materials from Congress. The lawsuit filed by the House Judiciary Committee marks Republicans' latest broadside against the Justice Department as partisan conflict over the rule of law animates the 2024 presidential campaign. The legal action comes weeks after the White House blocked Garland from releasing the audio recording to Congress by asserting executive privilege.

Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon has been taken into custody after surrendering at a federal prison to begin a four-month sentence on contempt charges for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack. A judge had allowed Bannon to stay free for nearly two years while he appealed. But the judge ordered him to report to prison Monday after an appeals court panel upheld his contempt of Congress convictions. The Supreme Court rejected his emergency appeal to stave off the sentence. Bannon's appeal will continue to play out, and Republican House leaders have put their support behind stepping in to assert the Jan. 6 committee was improperly created.

The House is expected to vote on a resolution holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for refusing to turn over audio of President Joe Biden's interview in his classified documents case. It is a move that comes just weeks after the White House blocked release of the recording to lawmakers. The contempt action represents House Republicans' latest and strongest rebuke of the Justice Department and of Garland's leadership. And it's playing out against the backdrop of an extraordinary conflict over the rule of law that has animated the presidential campaign. But it remains uncertain if House Speaker Mike Johnson can garner enough support on the floor to pass the contempt resolution as Republicans have the slimmest of majorities.

The House Judiciary Committee voted to move forward with an effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress hours. This comes after the White House blocked access to an audio recording of President Joe Biden's interview with the special counsel who oversaw an investigation into his handling of classified documents. The House panel voted Thursday afternoon to advance the contempt maneuver. A similar vote is scheduled for later Thursday with the House oversight committee. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson accused Biden of suppressing the tape because he's afraid to have voters hear it during an election year. A transcript of the interview shows Biden struggling to recall some dates and occasionally confusing some details but having deep recall in other areas.

Virtually everything was going right for President Joe Biden to open the year. Biden's approval ratings were ticking up. Inflation was slowing. And Republicans were at war with themselves after a disappointing midterm season. But Biden's rosy political outlook veered into uncertainty Thursday after the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to investigate the Democratic president's handling of classified documents. Democrats concede the stunning development is at best an unwelcome distraction at an inopportune time that muddies the case against Donald Trump. The Republican former president faces a special counsel of his own and is under federal criminal investigation for his handling of classified documents and other potential transgressions.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to investigate the presence of documents with classified markings found at President Joe Biden's home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at an office in Washington. Earlier Thursday, Biden acknowledged that a document with classified markings from his time as vice president was found in his "personal library" at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, along with other classified documents found in his garage. Biden told reporters at the White House that he was "cooperating fully and completely" with a Justice Department investigation. Biden did not say when the latest documents were found, only that his lawyers' review of potential storage locations was completed Wednesday night.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's early announcement of his third White House bid won't shield the former president from the criminal investiga…