Democrats unanimously back debt ceiling discharge petition  —  Every House Democrat has endorsed the discharge petition to force a vote on legislation to hike the debt ceiling and prevent a default, party leaders announced Wednesday.  —  The signatures of the last final holdouts …

Live Updates: Ron DeSantis Starts His Campaign, Hoping to Topple Trump  —  The Florida governor, Donald Trump's strongest challenger since 2016, entered the race on Wednesday and was set for a livestream conversation with Twitter's owner, Elon Musk, at 6 p.m. Eastern.

G.O.P. Split in Texas Breaks Wide Open With Drunkenness Accusation  —  Attorney General Ken Paxton's accusation against the House speaker came as the House investigated Mr. Paxton's request for $3.3 million to settle a suit accusing him of corruption.  —  Reporting from Houston

Jan. 6 rioter who put his feet on desk in Pelosi office sentenced to 4.5 years in prison  —  A photo of a smiling Richard “Bigo” Barnett in Pelosi's office became one of the most notorious images from the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.  —  The Arkansas man who was photographed on Jan. 6 …

As staff shield Feinstein from the press, a picture really is worth a thousand words  —  Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter.  It's Wednesday, May 24.  I'm Kent Nishimura, a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times based out of Washington.  I cover politics and national news.

Tina Turner, ‘Queen of Rock n Roll’, dies aged 83 in Switzerland  —  Tina Turner - one of rock's great vocalists and most charismatic performers - has died aged 83, her spokesperson has confirmed.  —  In a statement, they said: “Tina Turner, the 'Queen of Rock'n Roll' has died peacefully today …

Prigozhin says war in Ukraine has backfired, warns of Russian revolution  —  RIGA, Latvia — Fresh off his claim of victory in capturing the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, Russian mercenary boss Yevgeniy Prigozhin warned that Moscow's brutal war could plunge Russia into turmoil similar …

The deepening radicalization of Donald J. Trump  —  Watch how the former president's positions and rhetoric have grown more confrontational and extreme as he seeks a second term  —  In the immediate aftermath of Jan. 6, 2021, President Donald Trump stayed mostly silent …

Jack Dorsey shares Robert F. Kennedy Jr. video echoing conspiracy theories  —  Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter and the head of Block Inc, has previously supported unconventional Democratic candidates.  —  Jack Dorsey, the head of Block Inc. and a co-founder of Twitter …

Georgia GOP Chair Goes Full Flat-Earth, Says Globes Are Part of a Conspiracy  —  “Every store, you buy a globe.  There's globes everywhere.  Every movie, every TV show, news media — why?  It doesn't make sense.”

DHS warns of attacks against government buildings, minority groups ahead of 2024 election  —  The new bulletin points to recent incidents and public online communications to take a pulse of the current and most threatening terror threats in the United States.

Does it matter that Tim Scott isn't married?  —  Pew released a poll this week showing, “Young adults in the U.S. are reaching key life milestones later than in the past.”  —  Among those milestones measured by Pew were “full-time work,” “financial independence,” “home independent of parents,” “marriage,” and “child in household.”

Malware Discovered in Guam Raises a Question: Is China Prepping the Battlefield?  —  The code, which Microsoft said was installed by a Chinese government hacking group, set off alarms because Guam would be a centerpiece of any U.S. military response to a move against Taiwan.  —  Reporting from Washington

Ukrainians Were Likely Behind Kremlin Drone Attack, U.S. Officials Say  —  American spy agencies do not know exactly who carried out the attack this month, but suggest it was part of a series of covert operations orchestrated by Ukraine's security services.  —  Reporting from Washington

Scoop: Myrna Morrissey files for divorce  —  Myrna Morrissey initiated divorce proceedings against Sen. Joe Morrissey last week. … - Joe Morrissey denied the allegations in the filing. … - He was 55, and she was 17 when they met.  — Former Gov. Ralph Northam pardoned him last year before leaving office.

Why aren't we talking more about Trump's business with the Saudis?  —  The Republican-led House Oversight Committee has spent most of the past five months hard at work trying to link “the Biden family” (read: relatives of President Biden but not Biden himself) to millions of dollars proffered …

Target removes some Pride Month products after facing threats  —  Target will remove some of its LGBTQ+ merchandise from its Pride Month collection after facing customer backlash that threatened the safety of its workers, the company said.  —  The company's website features hundreds …

Kevin McCarthy's Go-To Line When Asked Any Questions About Debt Default  —  Republicans are refusing to raise the debt ceiling—something they did three times under twice-impeached criminally indicted and liable-for-sexual-abuse former President Donald Trump—unless Democrats agree to cut programs …

Clean Debt Deal Preferred by 2:1  —  Few say dire predictions from default are exaggerated  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Half of Americans say the debt ceiling issue should be dealt with cleanly, while just 1 in 4 want to tie it to federal spending negotiations, according to the Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll.

Elon Musk is dying to be funny.  These eight comedians have some notes  —  You'd think Elon Musk, the second-wealthiest person in the world, would have bigger worries than whether or not strangers on the internet find him funny.  —  Yet despite the long list of business concerns demanding his attention …

House passes measure overturning Biden's student debt forgiveness program  —  House Republicans passed a resolution on Wednesday that overturns President Biden's student debt relief plan that would give up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness to borrowers.  —  In a 218-203 vote, Rep. Bob Good …