Elon Musk's Event With Ron DeSantis Exposes Twitter's Weaknesses  —  What was supposed to be a crowning moment for Mr. Musk's Twitter turned into a series of technical glitches.  —  Reporting from Los Angeles  —  Hosting Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, in a Twitter audio event on Wednesday …

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 …

AG Ken Paxton likely committed impeachable crimes, Texas House investigators say  —  Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate  —  A Texas House committee on Wednesday heard explosive new testimony from lawyers investigating Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, including that he appeared …

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.

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.”

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 …

Paralyzed man walks again using implants connecting brain with spinal cord  —  A 40-year-old man whose legs were paralyzed in a cycling accident 12 years ago can walk again thanks to implants in his brain and spinal cord.  —  The brain-spine interface (BSI) has remained stable for a year …

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 …

Out of the spotlight, Mark Meadows wields quiet political power amid Trump legal woes  —  In January, as Kevin McCarthy fought to win the House speakership through 15 rounds of grinding votes and late-night sessions at the Capitol, a few blocks away a group of right-wing holdouts huddled …

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

Who's who on Team DeSantis  —  Meet the veteran Republican operatives trying to knock off former President Trump.  —  After spending the first few months of this year traveling around the country and skirmishing with former President Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to formally enter the presidential race this week.

Trump lawyers seek meeting with Garland over special counsel actions  —  In an unorthodox play, lawyers ask for a meeting with the attorney general over what they call an unfair investigation  —  Former president Donald Trump's legal team fired off a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland …

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 …

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.”

Florida Mom Behind Amanda Gorman Book Ban Has Proud Boy Links  —  Daily Salinas attended multiple rallies with members of the far-right group prior to her activism against school library books.  —  The parent who got a Florida school to ban Amanda Gorman's inauguration poem has ties …

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

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 …