5/18/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM  —  THE TOP … The Justice Department has privately asked the House Ethics Committee to hold off on its own probe into the freshman lawmaker.  Santos was indicted last week on 13 federal criminal charges in New York.

ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED … NATIONAL RESULTS  —  Recent midterms have typically involved national waves that favor one party over the other, particularly when there's backlash against a party that controls the presidency and both chambers of Congress.  —  Figure 1.  Two-Way Democratic Support in General Elections (1976 to 2022)

F.B.I. Revokes Security Clearances of 3 Agents Over Jan. 6 Issues  —  At least two of the three agents are scheduled to testify on Thursday to a House panel investigating what Republicans contend is the “weaponization” of federal agencies against conservatives.

Florida Governor DeSantis to enter US presidential race next week  —  Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis will officially enter the 2024 U.S. presidential race next week, according to two sources familiar with the decision, immediately becoming Donald Trump's biggest rival …

Exclusive: New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump's claim documents he took were automatically declassified  —  The National Archives has informed former president Donald Trump that it is set to hand over to special counsel Jack Smith 16 records which show Trump and his top advisers …

Deutsche Bank Will Pay $75 Million to Victims of Jeffrey Epstein  —  A proposed court settlement closes another chapter in the German bank's relationship with the disgraced financier, which began in 2013 and continued up until late 2018.  —  Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay $75 million …

Ron DeSantis Just Took Two Big Steps to Make Trans Lives Illegal  —  Bills signed into law Wednesday will further restrict trans rights in his state, and there's no telling how far the extremist politician will go … Although inaccurately framed as being bills whose purpose is to …

A Sinister Flop  —  Special Counsel John Durham served up not an investigation, but an excuse for future partisan abuses.  —  Defending Donald Trump was always awkward.  —  So many incidents unfolded in a familiar pattern.  Somebody would accuse the ex-president of something bad.

Christiane Amanpour voices dissent over Trump town hall, says she had ‘very robust exchange’ with CNN chief  —  Editor's Note: A version of this article first appeared in the “Reliable Sources” newsletter.  Sign up for the daily digest chronicling the evolving media landscape here.  —  CNN —

Leak suspect shared classified secrets with foreigners, prosecutors say  —  The Justice Department, in a court filing ahead of Jack Teixeira's next detention hearing, also says it found red flags in his Air Force record  —  The Air National Guard member accused in a high-profile classified leaks case appears …

Prince Harry and Meghan ‘paparazzi car chase’ was not ‘near catastrophic’, NYPD officials suggest  —  A taxi driver who picked up the Sussexes has said “I don't think I would call it a chase” - but added the couple were “quiet and seemed scared” as they sat in the back of his car for around 10 minutes.

Study Offers New Twist in How the First Humans Evolved  —  A new genetic analysis of 290 people suggests that humans emerged at various times and places in Africa.  —  Scientists have revealed a surprisingly complex origin of our species, rejecting the long-held argument that modern humans arose …

North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum likely to run for president  —  As potential Republican contenders Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott move closer to announcing their entries into the GOP presidential fray …

Appeals court shows openness to rolling back abortion pill access  —  A federal appeals court panel on Wednesday seemed skeptical of the Biden administration's arguments to keep the widely used abortion pill mifepristone on the market in its current form.  —  During oral arguments …

Mayoral losses deal blow to GOP in conservative strongholds  —  Republicans suffered surprising losses Tuesday in mayoral races in Jacksonville, Fla., and Colorado Springs, dealing a blow to the GOP in two longtime conservative strongholds and highlighting the limits of waging hyperpartisan campaign battles in local races.

Democrats race to avoid a Biden embarrassment in New Hampshire  —  Democrats are searching for ways to get the president on the New Hampshire ballot after he pushed for changes to the nominating calendar.  —  NASHUA, N.H. — Top Democrats are scrambling for ways to avoid a catastrophe …

Heat Will Likely Soar to Record Levels in Next 5 Years, New Analysis Says  —  Global temperatures are likely to soar to record highs over the next five years, driven by human-caused warming and a climate pattern known as El Niño, forecasters at the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday.

Columbia Journalism School to offer educational loan repayment assistance for recent graduates with inaugural program  —  The program is the first of its kind for graduate journalism schools.  With its inception, Columbia continues to stake its claim as a steadfast supporter of rigorous …

Noted L.A. chef accused by wife of killing family cats, assault.  He denies allegations  —  A chef of popular Los Angeles restaurant Horses accused her husband and business partner of killing the family's cats in a divorce filing in which she also asked for a domestic violence restraining order.

Theranos founder Holmes loses bid to stay out of prison, hit with huge restitution bill  —  Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and former CEO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani were on Tuesday ordered to pay $452 million to victims of the blood-testing startup's fraud, and an appeals court also denied Holmes' request …

The Party Is Cancelled  —  Inside a monthly New York City hangout, where fired university professors and controversial TikTokers get together to have discussions they feel they can't have anywhere else.  —  Every month, more than two hundred people from the media, academia …

The Trump Paradox: He Grows Stronger as the GOP Grows Weaker  —  He's presiding over a movement, not a party.  —  When Donald Trump won the presidential nomination in 2016, it was widely regarded as a “hostile takeover” of the Republican Party.  Prominent Republicans ripped his lack of conservative values …