Hunter To Capitol Hill, Christie Suspends Campaign, GOP Debates & Town Hall, No Closing Argument For Trump Today

Today on America in the Morning    Hunter Biden On Capitol Hill   President Biden's son Hunter made a surprise visit to Capitol Hill as Republicans in the House take a first step to hold him in contempt of Congress.  Ed Donahue reports the House Oversight Committee wants testimony only in private, while the President’s son is demanding a public hearing.       Christie Suspends Presidential Campaign   With just four days until the Iowa Caucus, the Republican presidential field has gotten one candidate smaller. John Stolnis has more.  Trump Told No In NYC   Donald Trump will not make his own closing arguments today in his New York civil fraud trial. As correspondent Julie Walker reports, the judge rescinded permission for it after setting limits the former president would not agree to.        Parents Rights Legislation   A number of states have taken up bills and worked to create laws regarding the rights of parents.  Correspondent Clayton Neville reports that Republican-led legislation aimed at protecting parents' rights is now being filed on Capitol Hill.      Business News   There were job cuts a plenty within the past 24 hours. Fortune announced that Salesforce and its chat subsidiary Slack initiated a hiring freeze, Dish Network will jettison 157 workers in March, Blackrock will be cutting 3 percent of their global workforce, and Amazon will eliminate hundreds of jobs. Here’s CNBC’s Jessica Ettinger with Thursday business.        Trump Demanding Willis Off The Case   Former President Donald Trump is calling for the Georgia election interference case against him to be dropped after allegations of an improper relationship against District Attorney Fani Willis surfaced.  Pamela Furr has more.       Help Wanted – Alabama Football Coach   The most successful college football coach of the modern era is calling it a career. Correspondent Gethin Coolbaugh reports.          The GOP Debate & Town Hall   Just hours after Chris Christie suspended his GOP campaign for the White House, three Republican Presidential candidates were featured in two separate televised events last night. Correspondent Clayton Neville has the details.      An Arctic Caucus   As the candidates take their messages to the voters of Iowa, they will also face a new complication – getting out their vote as record breaking cold is threatening to create a deep freeze for Iowa's leadoff caucuses next week. Ed Donahue reports.      Latest In The Middle East   Antony Blinken met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to seek governance reforms as part of U.S. efforts to rally the region behind postwar plans for Gaza, but not without controversy. As correspondent Charles de Ledesma reports, this comes as a legal battle over whether Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza amounts to genocide opens today at the United Nations’ top court.     Update On The 737-MAX   Federal regulators are extending the grounding of some Boeing jets after an Alaska Airlines plane lost a door plug, used to cover optional emergency exits, which could have been catastrophic. Correspondent Julie Walker reports.       California’s Budget Problems   There’s going to be some belt tightening in California, after Governor Gavin Newsom told lawmakers in Sacramento they will have to make difficult choices to offset an expected $38 billion dollar deficit.      Tech News   In what is being called a watershed moment for crypto trading, 11 Spot Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds have been given the green light by the SEC.  Here’s Chuck Palm with today’s tech news.       Finally   The global music industry set a new single-year record for music streaming. Entertainment correspondent Margie Szaroleta reports.     The year is just beginning and more nominations and awards are coming this season. Kevin Carr has more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices