House Democrats Move to Force a Debt-Limit Increase as Default Date Looms  —  House Democratic leaders who have been quietly planning a strategy to force a debt ceiling increase to avert default began taking steps on Tuesday to deploy their secret weapon.  —  Reporting from Washington

Is the Debt Limit Constitutional?  Biden Aides Are Debating It.  —  As the government heads toward a possible default on its debt as soon as next month, officials are entertaining a legal theory that previous administrations ruled out.  —  Reporting from Washington

How DeSantis accidentally handed Disney a potent weapon against him  —  When the Walt Disney Co. went looking for evidence to feature in its new lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, its lawyers found much of what they needed in DeSantis's own recently published memoir.

The ‘Woke Mind Virus’ Is Eating Away at Republicans' Brains  —  There are a few reasons to think that President Biden might lose his bid for re-election next year, even if Donald Trump is once more — for the third straight time — the Republican nominee.  —  There's the Electoral College …

Muslim NJ mayor demands answers after being turned away from White House Eid celebration  —  The longest-serving Muslim mayor in New Jersey said he was stunned after he got a call Monday afternoon disinviting him from an annual Eid al-Fitr celebration at the White House while he was in his car just miles away from the event.

CBS News poll on how 2024 GOP presidential primary race could be Donald Trump v. Trump fatigue  —  To the extent the Republican primary is a contest at all right now, it looks like it's one between Donald Trump and a sentiment one might call “Trump fatigue.”  —  And Trump is winning that matchup easily.

Leonard Leo used Federalist Society contact to obtain $1.6 billion donation  —  The society's close ties to Leo's network raise questions about its nonpartisan, non-political status.  —  Leonard Leo, who helped to choose judicial nominees for former President Donald Trump …

The Next Front in the GOP's War on Women: No-Fault Divorce  —  Steven Crowder is part of a growing right-wing chorus calling for an end to modern divorce laws  —  STEVEN CROWDER, THE right-wing podcaster, is getting a divorce.  “No, this was not my choice,” Crowder told his online audience last week.

Biden admin asks for 1,500 troops at US-Mexico border  —  The Biden administration has requested 1,500 troops for the U.S.-Mexico border amid an expected migrant surge following the end of pandemic-era restrictions, according to three administration officials.

GOP senators call on Supreme Court to ‘update’ ethics oversight  —  While Republicans at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing focused on the high court's ethics mostly called it a partisan spectacle, some acknowledged justices needed to take action.  —  Partisan cannon fire dominated …

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Calls For Dianne Feinstein To Resign  —  The ailing California Democrat has been absent since February.  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday called for ailing Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to resign, noting the senator's monthslong absence …

Who paid for Ron DeSantis' trip overseas?  No one will say.  —  Florida lawmakers are also poised to pass a bill that would shield DeSantis' travel records associated with taxpayer paid travel from scrutiny  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — In late February, a jet owned by the company associated …

Republican-controlled states target college students' voting power ahead of high-stakes 2024 elections  —  Republican-controlled legislatures around the country have moved to erect new barriers to voting for high school and college students in what state lawmakers describe as an effort to clamp down on potential voter fraud.

There Could Be a New Batch of Battleground States in 2024  —  Close presidential elections are a defining feature of our political era.  And thanks to the Electoral College system, that means each contest is really waged in a handful of battleground states, which draw the bulk of campaign spending and candidate elbow grease.

Late-Night Shows To Shut Down Immediately After Writers Guild Strike Called - Update  —  UPDATE (Original story May 1 at 9:06pm): Nightly talk shows including The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, are set to go dark starting on Tuesday after writers agreed to strike.

Vermont allows out-of-staters to use assisted suicide law  —  Vermont on Tuesday became the first state in the country to change its medically assisted suicide law to allow terminally ill people from out of state to take advantage of it to end their lives.  —  Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed …

Writers Guild of America Calls Strike, Effective Tuesday, May 2  —  LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK - Following the unanimous recommendation of the WGA Negotiating Committee, the Council of the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE), and the Board of Directors of the Writers Guild of America West …

FOXLEAKS: Tucker Carlson's creepy behind-the-scenes comments  —  Recently dismissed ex-Fox News host Tucker Carlson told a colleague preparing to interview him, “If we're going to talk about sex, I'd love to hit some of the fine points of technique,” in a new behind-the-scenes video obtained by Media Matters.

Officer who held back crowd during George Floyd's murder convicted of aiding and abetting manslaughter  —  A Minnesota judge found former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter for his role keeping bystanders back in the May 2020 killing of George Floyd …

Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigns  —  Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan resigned Tuesday less than a week after it came to light that she had taken a lucrative side job consulting for an embattled cannabis company at a time when her office was auditing the state's marijuana program.

What the Supreme Court Does in the Shadows  —  Unsigned, unexplained orders have reshaped American law.  —  Most Americans were introduced to the Supreme Court's “shadow docket” in 2021, when the majority declined to block a Texas law that banned abortion in the state after six weeks.

7 bodies found during search for missing Oklahoma teens  —  A woman said Tuesday that her daughter and three teenage grandchildren were among the seven people found shot to death at a rural Oklahoma property during a search for two missing teens and a convicted sex offender.

Children's online safety bill reintroduced with changes meant to win passage  —  A bipartisan pair of senators introduced an updated version of legislation to protect minors online that drops a controversial provision requiring social media platforms to verify a user's age …

Biden Isn't the Only Official Who Could Pardon Trump  —  If the former president is convicted, there are a range of ways that he might be pardoned for his crimes.  —  Now that the criminal justice system has begun bringing charges against former President Donald Trump …

The aggrieved Justice Alito points fingers but offers no proof  —  Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. just wants you to know: The leaker didn't come from the conservative wing of the court.  He's not saying who slipped his draft opinion in the abortion case to Politico, though he has “a pretty good idea” about the leaker's identity.