Biden aides see major risks in circumventing Congress on debt ceiling  —  White House officials have discussed invoking the 14th Amendment to dodge the limit, but they see it as highly risky  —  Senior White House officials see enormous risks in trying to resolve the debt ceiling impasse without Congress …

Texas congressman criticized for prayers comment after mall shooting  —  The Texas congressman who represents the latest community reeling from a mass killing has pushed back against Americans who say more than prayers are needed to curb the violence, labeling them “people that don't believe in an almighty God.”

Marge Greene, Worst of the Worst, Mass Shooting Edition  —  THE BACKCHANNEL  —  A small detail in the context of the latest mass shooting, this time in Allen, Texas.  Eight people dead, including children.  (The gunman was also shot to death a police office who happened to be at the mall for reasons unrelated to the shooting.)

Exclusive: McConnell details GOP efforts to not ‘screw this up’ in 2024 Senate battle  —  Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell should be brimming with confidence.  —  Republicans are in the driver's seat to take the Senate majority: with 23 seats held by Democrats, compared to just 11 for Republicans.

Kamala Harris Is Finding Her Stride as Team Biden's Voice to Black Voters  —  Kamala Harris began finding her footing last year with a rousing, impromptu eulogy for a Black matriarch that drew a mostly African-American audience to its feet — a task she must now replicate on a wide scale to secure President Joe Biden's reelection.

‘Really weak option’: Wall Street sours on DeSantis as Trump challenger  —  Ron DeSantis' gubernatorial reelection campaign is still loaded with cash, giving him big advantages over possible competitors.  But many now say he no longer seems so formidable — at least on Wall Street.

REVEALED: These ten books are considered pornography in Ron DeSantis' Florida  —  On March 8, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) conducted a press conference in which he purported to debunk the “book ban hoax.”  During the event, DeSantis claimed that Florida schools, under his leadership, were not banning educational materials.

Republicans want Manchin to bow out, fearful that he may have one more trick up his sleeve  —  Democrats are on the verge of extinction in West Virginia, but the West Virginia senator hasn't lost a race since the 1990s.  —  WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Republicans' best option for unseating …

Exclusive: Nearly 610,000 public sector workers got student loan forgiveness after Biden loosened the rules  —  Nearly 610,000 student loan borrowers have received debt relief from the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program since October 2021, when the Biden administration temporarily expanded eligibility.

Rand Paul riles his GOP colleagues again — this time over TikTok  —  While many Republicans favor banning the Chinese-owned social media app, the outspoken Kentucky senator worries it could mean the party would “continuously lose elections for a generation.”

Union town  —  THE BUZZ: What do you get when you put three candidates and 500 union members in a ballroom together?  —  The beginnings of a very competitive California Senate race.  —  Reps. Barbara Lee, Katie Porter and Adam Schiff joined the California Labor Federation in Sacramento …

Disney expands lawsuit against DeSantis after governor signs bill to void land deals  — Walt Disney Co. expanded its federal lawsuit accusing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of orchestrating a political retribution campaign against the company.  — DeSantis signed legislation voiding Disney's development deals in Orlando.

Airline Customer Service Dashboard  —  Secretary Buttigieg has called upon airlines to improve their customer service commitments to passengers, which all have done to varying degrees.  The dashboards below provide information for air travelers on airlines' commitments to families flying …

Robert Kennedy Jr. sees ‘overwhelming evidence’ CIA involved in JFK assassination  —  Robert Kennedy, Jr., the long-shot Democratic candidate for president, has backed a conspiracy theory that the CIA was involved in the killing of his uncle President John F. Kennedy, arguing evidence for such a claim is “overwhelming.”

8 killed, 9 injured in crash outside migrant shelter in Texas  —  At least eight people were killed and at least nine were injured Sunday in Brownsville, Tex., when an SUV struck a crowd waiting for a bus outside a migrant shelter, authorities said.  —  Brownsville police investigator Martin Sandoval …