The U.S. economy expanded at an annual rate of 2% in the first three months of 2026, slower than forecasters expected but a rebound from weak growth in the previous quarter, new government data shows.  Economists polled by FactSet had projected the nation's gross domestic product — the total value of goods and services produced in the U.S. — to rise at an annualized rate of 2.2% for the January to March quarter.  "The core of the economy remained solid in Q1, driven by the AI buildout and the