Your morning briefing. All the news you need to start your day

On today's podcast:

(1) Democratic lawmakers accused Attorney General Pam Bondi of using the US Justice Department to target enemies of President Donald Trump and bungling the release of files on disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein during a fiery hearing Wednesday.

(2) Donald Trump’s tariff policies suffered their strongest political blow yet with the Republican-led US House passing legislation aimed at ending the president’s levies on Canadian imports.

(3) The UK economy grew less than forecast in the fourth quarter as business investment shrank and services stagnated, adding to pressure on embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 

(4) Nuveen is buying Schroders Plc in a £9.9 billion ($13.5 billion) deal, creating one of the world’s largest active asset managers with nearly $2.5 trillion of assets.

(5) French President Emmanuel Macron returned to his “Made in Europe” push on the eve of a key European Union meeting, putting him at odds with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz over how best to tackle Europe’s economic woes.

Podcast Conversation: In Defense of Fakes: A Provocation