Powered by strong consumer spending, the U.S. economy grew at the fastest pace in two years from July through September, the government said Thursday in a slight upgrade rom its first estimate. The Commerce Department reported that America’s gross domestic product — the nation’s output of goods and services — rose at a 4,4% annual pace in the third quarter, up from 3.8% in the April-June quarter and from the 4.3% growth the department initially estimated. The economy hasn’t grown faster since third-quarter 2023. Consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of U.S. GDP, grew at a healthy 3.5% pace.

Crews spread salt on roads and readied snowplows as a storm threatened to bring snow, sleet and freezing rain to a broad section of the U.S. in the coming days. Meteorologists say ice may linger on roads and sidewalks because temperatures will be slow to warm in many areas. Ice could also weigh down trees and power lines, triggering widespread outages. Forecasters say the storm will hit much of the nation’s midsection starting Friday and then head toward the East Coast through Sunday. The National Weather Service said the coldest windchills may fall below minus 50 Fahrenheit across the Northern Plains.

The House is looking to pass this year’s final batch of spending bills. The effort on Thursday is being complicated by Democratic lawmakers’ concerns the measure funding the Department of Homeland Security inadequately addresses President Donald Trump’s mass deportation efforts. House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar announced in a closed-door meeting they would oppose the Homeland Security bill. With Republicans in charge of both chambers of Congress and the White House, Democrats have few good options to express their opposition. Speaker Mike Johnson voices confidence the funding bills will pass, including the Homeland Security measure.

Denmark’s prime minister is saying  after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he agreed a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security with the head of NATO that her country can’t negotiate on its sovereignty and she has been “informed that this has not been the case.” Trump on Wednesday abruptly scrapped the tariffs he had threatened to impose on eight European nations to press for U.S. control over Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. Trump offered few details, saying they were still being worked out. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Thursday that she had spoken with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte “on an ongoing basis,” including before and after he met Trump in Davos.

Giannis Antetokounmpo says chemistry issues may be contributing to the Milwaukee Bucks’ recent penchant for lopsided losses. The Bucks fell 122-102 on Wednesday night to an Oklahoma City team that was missing a handful of rotation players due to injuries. The Bucks have lost four of their last five. Each of their last three losses was decided by at least 18 points. Milwaukee’s string of nine straight playoff appearances is in jeopardy midway through the season. The Bucks are 11th in the Eastern Conference standings. They haven’t won more than two straight games at any point this season.

The Sundance Film Festival kicks off Thursday morning in Utah, marking the first year without founder Robert Redford. His daughter, Amy Redford, shared in an interview Wednesday with The Associated Press that her father believed everyone has a story, a principle guiding this year's festival. Over a dozen films will premiere on the opening day. They will include Amir Bar-Lev’s documentary on mountain climbing, Rachel Lambert’s drama “Carousel,” and Judd Apatow’s film about comedian Maria Bamford. Other highlights include a look at playwright Luis Valdez's legacy and a midnight movie by Casper Kelly. The festival runs through Feb. 1.

President Donald Trump is set to unveil his proposed Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum. It's an idea that was initially envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire. But it has morphed into something far more ambitious. The rollout of the board has been overshadowed by Trump’s pressure campaign over acquiring Greenland. Some European leaders have said they'll take a pass on the new panel that Trump has suggested could eventually make the United Nations obsolete. Trump wants to spotlight the proposed board on Thursday.

Joe Biden promised Europe that "America is back" early in his presidency, aiming to mend ties after Donald Trump's tenure. However, nearly five years later, Trump's influence over Europe has grown. Recently, Trump demanded Denmark cede Greenland to the U.S., causing turmoil within NATO. European leaders are responding by exploring alliances that exclude the U.S. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney highlighted a global shift, calling the rules-based order an "illusion." European leaders criticized Trump's approach, while some Republicans supported him. Democrats urged stronger responses, stressing the need for a lasting shift in U.S. politics to rebuild trust.

Horror films have traditionally been left out of the Oscars, but when nominations are announced for the 98th Academy Awards, Ryan Coogler’s vampire tale “Sinners” could make history. Nominations will read at 8:30 a.m. Eastern on Thursday. Viewers can tune in live on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the academy’s digital platforms and on ABC's “Good Morning America.” No movie has ever landed more than 14 nominations. But “Sinners” could top that mark with a heap of nominations. Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another" is also poised to score more than a dozen nominations. It could be a very good day for Warner Bros.

Millions of Americans are bracing for a potentially catastrophic ice storm from New Mexico to the Carolinas. Forecasters say it could crush trees, power lines, and cause power outages for days. Northern states up to New England might see enough snow to make travel nearly impossible. The National Weather Service says about 100 million people were under some type of winter weather watch, warning, or advisory on Wednesday. The storm is expected to begin Friday and continue through the weekend, as an atmospheric river of moisture could pull precipitation across Texas and other Gulf Coast states.

The U.S. Army has ordered several dozen additional active-duty soldiers to prepare for a possible deployment to Minneapolis if needed amid protests over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown. That's according to a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday. Members of an Army military police brigade stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina have been given prepare-to-deploy orders. But the official says such standby orders are issued regularly and they don't necessarily mean the troops would end up going. About 1,500 active-duty soldiers from the Army’s 11th Airborne Division based in Alaska also received similar standby orders. President Donald Trump has threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act before walking that back.

The astronauts evacuated last week from the International Space Station say a portable ultrasound machine came in “super handy" during the medical crisis. During their first public appearance since returning to Earth, the four astronauts refused Wednesday to say which one of them had been ailing or why. But NASA's Mike Fincke told reporters that the crew used the onboard ultrasound machine when the medical problem arose January 7, the day before a planned spacewalk.  The portable ultrasound was so useful that he says there should be one on all future spaceflights.

A former DEA agent has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for corruption. A jury convicted Joseph Bongiovanni of using his badge to protect childhood friends involved in drug trafficking in Buffalo, New York. On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo issued the sentence, which was less than the 15 years prosecutors sought. Bongiovanni was convicted of obstruction of justice and conspiracy charges. Prosecutors said his actions caused significant damage over 11 years. The case also highlighted corruption within the DEA, with at least 17 agents facing federal charges in the past decade.

Davante Adams reached the NFC championship game four times during his eight seasons with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Every single time, Green Bay came up just short of the Super Bowl. Adams still feels the pain, and he feels like the Super Bowl has become a “mythical thing” that he just can't quite reach. After an ensuing three years spent nowhere near a Super Bowl, Adams is back for his fifth shot when his Los Angeles Rams visit the Seattle Seahawks for another NFC title game. Adams clearly means it when he says team success is the only thing that still matters to him.

Business in Minnesota has taken a hit as President Donald Trump's administration carries out an immigration sweep that has spurred protests. Some staff and customers are staying home out of fear of immigration enforcement officers. And protesters are targeting businesses they see as aiding federal immigration enforcement. Countless stores have temporarily closed, canceled events or reduced hours. Some hotels that housed federal immigration officers and saw protests have stopped accepting reservations altogether. Minneapolis-based Target Corp. also has seen protests. The state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities cited devastating economic impacts in a lawsuit imploring a federal judge to halt the immigration operations.