The US economy had a great 4th quarter

Plus, an Israel raid kills 9 Palestinians in the West Bank. The US economy dodged a recession in 2022; Israel launches a deadly West Bank raid. Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.   TOP NEWS No recession... for now Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images - The US economy grew faster than expected in the final months of 2022 despite inflation and rising interest rates, according to Commerce Department [figures]( released Thursday. [[Reuters / Lucia Mutikani](] - US gross domestic product — a broad measure of economic activity — increased at a 2.9 percent annualized rate from October through December, fueled by strong consumer spending and growing factory inventories. [[Associated Press / Paul Wiseman](] - The Federal Reserve has aggressively hiked interest rates to tamp down near-record inflation, leading to concerns over an economic slowdown, but GDP remained sturdy, at 2.1 percent overall for all of 2022. [[Axios / Courtenay Brown](] - However, the hikes have slowed the housing market, which faces a tough year due to rising construction costs. [[NPR / Scott Horsley](] - To calm markets and encourage further growth, economists say Congress should negotiate the debt ceiling, and the Federal Reserve should carefully navigate further interest rate hikes. [[New York Times / Ben Casselman](]  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( A deadly raid in Jenin - Thursday, the Israeli military raided a Palestinian refugee camp in Jenin, killing at least nine people including a 61-year-old woman, and wounding 20 others. [[Washington Post / Sufian Taha, Victoria Bisset, and Miriam Berger](] - The violence marks the deadliest Israeli attack in the West Bank in years and comes amid increased Israel-Palestine tensions. [[NPR / Daniel Estrin](] - Israel claims it was carrying out anti-terrorism operations against militants who were planning an imminent attack. [[CNN / Abeer Salman, Celine Alkhaldi, and Hadas Gold](] - The Palestinian government suspended security cooperation with Israeli police over the deaths. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with leaders of both communities next week. [[Axios / Barak Ravid](]   Support our work Reader gifts help keep Vox and newsletters like Sentences free for all. Support our work with a gift today. [Give](   MISCELLANEOUS Vox’s Dylan Matthews explains the FairTax — the Republican plan to replace federal taxes with a 30 percent sales tax on everything. [[Vox / Dylan Matthews](] - The FBI on Thursday announced it had hacked ransomware group Hive and prevented the theft of $130 million from 300 victims. [[Reuters / Sarah N. Lynch and Raphael Satter](] - Five former Memphis police officers were charged with second-degree murder Thursday in connection with the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols following a traffic stop. [[ABC News / Nakylah Carter and Mark Osborne](] - Wednesday, Meta lifted the two-year ban on Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts after deciding he no longer poses a threat to public safety. [[Vox / Shirin Ghaffary](] VERBATIM “The US economy isn’t falling off a cliff, but it is losing stamina and risks contracting early this year. That should limit the Fed to just two more small rate increases in coming months.″ [[Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Economics, on the latest economic data / AP](]   LISTEN TO THIS Your creepy, crawly roommates Our houses are homes to hidden worlds of bugs. And the more ecologists explore those worlds, the more they realize that some of our tiny roommates actually have a lot to teach us. [Listen now ▶](   Read more from Vox The glories of dining out alone]( [TikTok’s master plan to win over Washington]( [Asian Americans are reeling from California’s back-to-back mass shootings]( [Microsoft is beating Google at its own game]( [When you can’t speak to the manager — or anyone](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=sentences). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Notice]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2023. All rights reserved.