Playbook: McCarthy puts down a last-minute revolt  —  Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  IOWA MAN — “Ron DeSantis starts throwing some uppercuts at Trump,” by Natalie Allison in Clive, Iowa: “The Florida governor didn't actually mention his chief rival by name.

Scoop: Chris Christie to announce GOP presidential campaign next week … - Being joyful and hitting a more hopeful note aimed at America's “exhausted majority.”  — Being authentic — a happy warrior who speaks his mind, takes risks and is happy to punch Donald Trump in the nose.

Tara Reade, who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault, defects to Russia  —  Former Senate staffer who made claim in 2020 appears on Russian media alongside convicted Russian agent in US Maria Butina  —  Tara Reade, a former Senate staffer who in 2020 accused Joe Biden of sexual assault, said on Tuesday she had defected to Russia.

Mar-a-Lago prosecutors eye July episode with Trump surveillance cameras  —  Summer interactions inside Trump's home and private club are part of the special counsel's classified documents investigation  —  A Mar-a-Lago employee who helped move boxes of documents last June has been questioned …

In Iowa, DeSantis saves his toughest Trump hits for the press  —  CLIVE, Iowa - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis mocked Donald Trump on Tuesday, calling some of the former president's criticism of him “ridiculous” and suggesting that his rival had “moved left” for political advantage.

Trump White House Aides Subpoenaed in Firing of Election Security Expert  —  The special counsel is scrutinizing the dismissal of Christopher Krebs, who contradicted baseless claims by the former president that the 2020 election was marred by fraud.  —  The special counsel investigating …

Twitter Is Now Worth Just 33% of Elon Musk's Purchase Price, Fidelity Says  —  Twitter is now worth just one-third of what Elon Musk paid for the social-media platform, according to Fidelity, which recently marked down the value of its equity stake in the company.

Ashli Babbitt's Mother Arrested After Striking Woman at Pro-Jan. 6 Event  —  Micki Witthoeft, 58, was spotted by The Daily Beast being taken into custody just after 6:45 p.m.  —  The mother of Ashli Babbitt, Micki Witthoeft, was arrested Tuesday evening after striking a counter-protester …

North Korean satellite plunges into sea after rocket failure  —  A North Korean satellite launch on Wednesday ended in failure, sending the booster and payload plunging into the sea, North Korean state media said, and the South's military said it had recovered parts of the launch vehicle.

Twitter Fails to Remove Hate Speech by Blue-Check Users: Report  —  If you pay $8 a month, Twitter will boost your tweets, new research found, even if you post about how “Hitler was right.” … Twitter is failing to remove 99 percent of hate speech posted by Twitter Blue users …

Sacklers Can Be Shielded From Opioid Liability, Appeals Court Rules  —  The decision gives the Purdue Pharma owners long-sought protection, but it will release billions of dollars from their fortune to states and communities to help cope with the costs of addiction.

U.S. Mood Remains Glum; 18% Satisfied With State of Nation  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eighteen percent of Americans are satisfied with the way things are going in the U.S., staying below 20% as it has since March.  Americans are slightly more satisfied than last summer when gas prices and inflation were soaring.

Breaking: Rep. Chris Stewart plans to resign from Congress  —  The Utah Republican congressman is expected to announce his departure from the House of Representatives soon, several sources told The Salt Lake Tribune.  —  U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart plans to resign his seat in Congress, possibly as soon as this week.

It Took Alito Barely a Month to Violate the Supreme Court's New Ethics Rules  —  On April 25, Chief Justice John Roberts sent the Senate Judiciary Committee a “Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices” signed by all nine justices.  Roberts forwarded along the “statement” …

How a fossil fuel pipeline helped grease the debt ceiling deal  —  Good morning and welcome to The Climate 202!  Happy hump day.  You otter be glad it's Wednesday. … Below, we'll cover President Biden's decision to withdraw a highway safety nominee following criticism from the fossil fuel industry of her climate record.

Clayton Kershaw disagrees with Dodgers' decision to honor Sisters  —  LOS ANGELES — Clayton Kershaw says he disagrees with the Los Angeles Dodgers' decision to welcome an LGBTQIA+ group called the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence at the team's annual Pride Night.

GOP Rep. Andy Ogles Suddenly Wants to Defund the ATF Through 2025  —  IRONIC  —  In 2022, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN) ripped Democrats for the “Defund the Police” movement.  But on Tuesday, he proposed doing just that to the law enforcement agency in the Department of Justice.

Kevin McCarthy releases the hostage — this time  —  The debt ceiling deal shows how we can muddle through fascism, at some cost. … At least since Trump's election in 2016, it's felt like we are careening towards crisis.  The GOP has been rapidly radicalizing.

Racy Novel by France's Finance Minister Has Even the French Blushing  —  Some ribald passages in the book are titillating the body politic, and drawing barbs about how he finds room for the hobby when many residents are struggling  —  PARIS—In this land that celebrates public intellectuals …

How a High-Value Russian Wanted by the U.S. Escaped From Italy  —  Artem Uss was awaiting extradition to the U.S. Italy's failure to hold on to him has left red faces in Rome.  —  MILAN—A Kremlin-linked businessman accused of illegally exporting American military technology to Russia was arrested in Italy at the U.S.'s request.

Banning book bans  —  Across the country, right-wing activists are seeking to ban thousands of books from schools and other public libraries.  Those promoting the bans often claim they are acting to protect children from pornography.  But the bans frequently target books “by and about people of color and LGBTQ individuals.”

Israel Tempers Expectations of a Breakthrough in Normalization Talks With Saudi Arabia  —  Even hopes for an agreement on direct flights for Muslim Israelis seem unlikely to be realized this year, and in any event, most of those planning to make the Hajj have already made travel arrangements through Jordan

Military says Sudan has suspended its participation in talks with paramilitary rival  —  Sudan's military has suspended its participation in talks with a paramilitary force it's been battling for weeks for control of the northeastern African country, a military spokesman said Wednesday.

The day has arrived for Elizabeth Holmes to report to a Texas prison  —  Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes entered Texas prison where she could spend the next 11 years for overseeing a blood-testing hoax that became a parable about greed and hubris in Silicon Valley.