safe. it was a simple question for this top doctor wouldn t answer. why democrats walked out of his confirmation hearing and refused to vote. good morning, everyone. it is thursday, january 27th. it is 5:00 a.m. here in new york. thank you for getting an early start with us. i m laura jarrett. i m christine romans. good morning, everyone. welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. we begin here with a thunderbolt in washington, d.c. the retirement of supreme court justice stephen breyer. the liberal justice is expected to formally announce his decision at a white house event with president biden as early as today. more on that in just a moment. now, as for his replacement, the president has promised to make history here, naming the first black woman to the high court. such a move could serve as a political lifeline for democrats hoping to motivate the base before midterm elections this fall. but for now, many in the party are breathing a sigh
welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. it is thursday, january 27th. i m john berman with brianna keilar. just a few hours from now, the fight officially begins to fill the next vacancy on the nation s highest court. president biden and stephen breyer expected to officially announce breyer s retirement at the white house. obviously this has major historical and political implications. so here s a look at the supreme court vacancy by the numbers. 108 of the 115 u.s. justices have been white men. the other seven, two black men and five women. it s been 28 years since bill clinton and breyer showed off their running legs in short-shorts. just another reason to love the 90s. 28 years since then senator biden presided over briar s nomination. six years since former president obama announced now attorney general merrick garland to fill antonin scalia s seat. that didn t work out. 1,239 days since one of the most heated confirmation hearings i
has been on a serious diplomatic path forward. the question is will russia take it. stock futures turned lower overnight as investors digest news pointing to a likely interest rate hike next month, will the move from the head be enough to address raging inflation? it s way too early. good morning. welcome to way too early. the show that is lobbying for a new job on the supreme court. thursday, january 27th. let s start with the news. justice stephen breyer will step down from the supreme court at the end of the current term according to people familiar with his thinking. president joe biden and breyer are scheduled to appear together at the white house to announcement his retirement, sources familiar to the matter confirms to nbc news. breyer reportedly informed the white house of his plans last week but the president wasn t ready to break the news himself. every justice has the right and opportunity to decide when he or she is going to do and announce it on their own
quarter are fantastic, shows that the u.s. gross domestic product grew at a 6.9% annual rate at the end of 2021. that is significantly better than analysts expected. remember, omicron did not really hit until the end of the quarter, in december, meaning the report doesn t show the full scope of the economic picture right now. at the very same time, fed chairman jay powell says he s expecting to start raising interest rates in march, stressing the fact that the fed will need to be, quote, humble and nimble as it tries to bring down inflation. for everyday americans out there, here s the immediate problem raising interest rates will eventually bring down prices but not right away. and in the meantime, it s going to make things like credit cards and mortgages more expensive. it s probable going to take a chunk out of the market, meaning your 401(k) will be worth less, at least in the short term. but for savers out there, you may finally be making some money on your savings. le
us. we begin with the news that broke yesterday with the supreme court. justice breyer plans to step down at 28 years on the bench. his formal announcement could come as soon as today. his decision gives president biden a chance to name his replacement while democrats still control the senate. nbc news justice corner pete williams has the details. reporter: people close to justice breyer say he made the decision to step down within the past several weeks and prepared to formally notify the white house this week. at age 83, he is the court s oldest justice and appears to be in good health. he remains highly productive, writing last term as, some of last year s decisions. he knows how washington works. he was well aware some progressives said justice ruth bader ginsberg stayed on the court too long despite battles with cancer. he death allowed president trump to appoint amy comey barrett. he said last fall he knew of the pressure for him to step down. most of the considerat