As the debt ceiling deal clears its first major hurdle, its conservative opponents begin to admit defeat  —  Hard-right Republicans spent much of Tuesday furiously denouncing Washington's new debt ceiling deal as it began moving through Congress, promising to use any means within their reach to derail it.

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.

Leaked Audio From a Ron DeSantis Donor Event Is Really Bad News for His Campaign  —  Team DeSantis tried to hype poll numbers to deep-pocketed supporters.  But the data actually points to a Trump primary victory. … When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gathered top allies with deep pockets …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Teens arrested in connection to assault of U.S. Marines that was caught on camera  —  Authorities say they have arrested multiple teenagers in connection with the assault of the three U.S. Marines in San Clemente, California, an incident that sparked outrage after footage of the attack went viral.

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.

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 …

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.

After teen's killing, activists fear Metro violence becoming ‘normal’  —  In February, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) announced plans to deploy D.C. police to accompany transit officers at Metro stations across the District — hoping, she said, that the extra patrols would help keep commuters …

Suspected Chinese spies, disguised as tourists, attempted to infiltrate Alaskan military bases  —  ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Chinese citizens posing as tourists but suspected of being spies have made several attempts in recent years to gain access to military facilities in this vast state studded …

Congress threatens to block Space Command headquarters funding as abortion politics impact location decision  —  The Biden administration is considering reversing a plan to move the facility to Alabama because of concerns about the state's strict new anti-abortion laws.

Black people were three times more likely to receive Covid fines in England and Wales  —  Exclusive: those in poorest areas were seven times more likely to be fined, says research into how police used emergency pandemic powers  —  Fines during the pandemic were three times more likely …

Andrew Tate Partnered in Casinos with Alleged Romanian Organized Crime Figures  —  New documents uncovered by reporters show that Andrew and Tristan Tate were involved in a profit-sharing agreement with a casino company whose owners are now under investigation for creating a violent organized crime group.

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 …

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” …

Virginia Gov. Youngkin scraps degree requirement for most state jobs  —  RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is scrapping college degree requirements for most state government jobs, joining a trend that started in Maryland last year as a way to address staff shortages and expand opportunities for workers.

Live coverage: Debt limit deal hangs on bipartisan backing in House  —  Debate over the debt ceiling deal moves to the full House on Wednesday, with Republican leadership aiming to ensure the package that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) finalized with President Biden over the weekend will pass.

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.

Jamie Dimon Says He Never Discussed Jeffrey Epstein's Accounts at JPMorgan; Jes Staley Says Dimon Did  —  Former JPMorgan executive Jes Staley said he and Dimon discussed whether to keep Epstein as a client; JPMorgan says that is false  —  A former top JPMorgan Chase executive said in legal documents …

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.

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.

This class president is the model of a successful Texas teen.  After a ban on trans health care, she can't wait to leave the state.  —  For one Round Rock teen, getting accepted to Harvard was her ticket out of a state that she says is hostile to trans youth.