DeSantis is hoping Iowa evangelicals can make his campaign born again  —  The Florida governor is scrambling to turn around a campaign beset by lagging poll numbers and increasingly negative headlines.  —  As Ron DeSantis loses believers in the Beltway, he finds faith among some Iowa evangelical leaders.

Arizona Man Cited in Conspiracy Theories Sues Fox News for Defamation  —  Ray Epps, a two-time Trump voter, says Tucker Carlson repeatedly and falsely named him as a covert government agent who incited the Jan. 6 attacks.  —  Ray Epps, the man at the center of a widespread conspiracy theory …

Republican Gains in 2022 Midterms Driven Mostly by Turnout Advantage  —  An examination of the 2022 elections, based on validated voters  —  An examination of the 2022 elections, based on validated voters  —  How we did this Terminology  —  In midterm elections that yielded mixed results …

Suspect in Larry Nassar stabbing said ex-doctor made lewd remark watching Wimbledon, AP source says  —  A prisoner suspected of stabbing Larry Nassar at a federal penitentiary in Florida said the disgraced former sports doctor provoked the attack by making a lewd comment while they were watching …

Judge acquits Broadway actor on all counts in Capitol riot case  —  James Beeks says he is no longer a member of the Oath Keepers and was “duped” by the organization.  —  WASHINGTON — A federal judge acquitted an Oath Keepers member and former Broadway actor on all counts Wednesday …

G.O.P.'s Far Right Seeks to Use Defense Bill to Defund Ukraine War Effort  —  The group's proposals have no chance of passage, but they have further mired the military spending bill in a partisan fight and highlighted Republican divisions over the war.  —  Reporting from Washington

A Sea Otter Is Stealing Surfboards Near Santa Cruz, California  —  California wildlife officials are hoping to apprehend a 5-year-old sea otter, who has a knack for riding the waves after committing longboard larceny.  —  Annie Roth lives in Santa Cruz, Calif., where she knows enough to stay away from sea otters in the ocean.

SAG-AFTRA Television, Theatrical and Streaming Contracts Expire Without a Deal  —  Negotiating Committee Votes Unanimously to Recommend a Strike SAG-AFTRA National Board to Meet Thursday to Vote on a Strike  —  SAG-AFTRA's Television/Theatrical/Streaming contracts have expired without a successor agreement.

Floods, fires and deadly heat are the alarm bells of a planet on the brink  —  The world is hotter than it's been in thousands of years, and it's as if every alarm bell on Earth were ringing.  —  The warnings are echoing through the drenched mountains of Vermont, where two months of rain just fell in only two days.

The White Media Has Missed a Key Part of the Affirmative Action Ruling The White Media Has Missed a Key Part of the Affirmative Action Ruling  —  The upshot isn't just that colleges must end affirmative action, it's that they'll have to cut Black enrollment to avoid lawsuits questioning their compliance with the decision.

Judge rules Michigan law broadly bans ‘undue possession’ of voting machines  —  Lansing — Laying the groundwork for potential criminal charges in a high-profile case, Oakland County Circuit Judge Phyllis McMillen ruled Wednesday it is illegal for someone to take possession …

WATCH: Train Conductor Tears Passenger a New One for Spewing Racist Crap  —  “Look at me,” he told the woman on the Connecticut train line.  “You will never ride my train again.”  —  A commuter Karen was forced to humble up during a ride through Connecticut last week after a conductor threatened …

Georgia sues True the Vote over refusal to show ‘2000 Mules’ evidence  —  X  —  Texas-based group objected to subpoena seeking proof of voting fraud  —  The Georgia State Election Board is suing True the Vote over the organization's failure to comply with subpoenas that would back up its allegation …

A Small Number of Drugs Account for a Large Share of Medicare Part D Spending  —  The Inflation Reduction Act requires the federal government to negotiate the price of certain high-spending drugs covered by Medicare Part D, Medicare's outpatient prescription drug benefit program …

British response to China threat ‘completely inadequate,’ damning report warns  —  LONDON — The British government has taken too long to act against Chinese interference, leading to a “serious failure” in its response and “one that the U.K. may feel the consequences of for years to come,” …

Driver kills pedestrian after fleeing Secret Service near National Mall in D.C., is still at large  —  The driver had been pulled over for expired registration, officials said.  —  One dead after hit-and-run near White House, suspect still at large  —  A driver who fled a traffic stop near …

Chinese hackers breach government email accounts through Microsoft cloud  —  The State Department discovered the Microsoft vulnerability, which affected unclassified government systems, last month  —  Chinese cyberspies, exploiting a fundamental gap in Microsoft's cloud …

Texas A&M Celebrated a New Journalism Director.  Then Came the Complaints.  —  Kathleen McElroy was appointed head of a journalism program at the university.  But then her work in D.E.I. seemed to come into question.  —  Kathleen McElroy, who had recently served as the director of the University …

White House warns reporter Simon Ateba about his press-room outbursts  —  In a first for Biden's press office, the formal reprimand cites ‘continued interruptions’  —  Escalating its feud with an assertive reporter, the White House on Tuesday issued a formal warning to Simon Ateba …

Tommy Tuberville Goes on Defense Over Hold on Military Promotions, Racial Comments  —  Alabama senator maintains block on hundreds of Pentagon nominations, backtracks on white supremacy remarks  —  WASHINGTON—Many of Sen. Tommy Tuberville's colleagues say he is making bad calls.

California Democrats vote against making child trafficking a “serious crime” UPDATED  —  Some people think I am exaggerating when I point out that Democrats are moving to normalize pedophilia.  —  “It can't be!”  “Nobody is that evil!”  —  Is it hyperbole?  No. Is it perhaps a misrepresentation or a misunderstanding on my part?

Federal prosecutors interviewed Michigan secretary of state in special counsel's election interference probe  —  Federal prosecutors interviewed Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson for “several hours” in March as part of the ongoing criminal probe into efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Benson told CNN Wednesday.

'It's not good': GOP angry over Biden team's handling of Iran envoy probe  —  Rob Malley has long been a controversial figure with many critics among Iran watchers.  —  Capitol Hill Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with the Biden administration's unwillingness to share information …