Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to deny Democrats the time to challenge his new maps after he pushes them through the state Legislature next week, Axios' Marc Caputo reports.

Why it matters: Mid-cycle redistricting has become a fiasco for House Speaker Mike Johnson, unless DeSantis can deliver new GOP seats.

• After Virginia, Republicans are favored in fewer races nationwide than they would have been if they'd skipped the mid-cycle redistricting they started.
• The state's House Republicans are wary, but DeSantis will try to draw anywhere from two to five new seats.
• His state would be the last to redistrict this cycle. Texas did a big redraw for Republicans, and California and Virginia for Democrats.

Zoom in: Democrats will need to prove the new Florida maps were drawn with "the intent to favor or disfavor a political party or an incumbent."

• DeSantis is keeping all the work within his office.
• He will lean on a 2006 U.S. Supreme Court case that generally limits lower courts from overturning election laws too close to an election to avoid voter confusion.
• He'll use executive privilege and secrecy to make it harder for Democrats to depose his aides and build a case.

What they're saying: "Our message to Florida Republicans is, 'F around and find out," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Wednesday.

• "Maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time."
• DeSantis embraced Jeffries' challenge and offered to pay his way to Florida: "There's nothing that could be better for Republicans in Florida than to see Jeffries … everywhere around this state."
• Johnson told reporters on Wednesday: "Florida has the right, and they've expressed the interest of doing it there, and I think that should happen."

The bottom line: Florida legislators will be asked to rubber-stamp maps on Tuesday that they hadn't seen as of yesterday. (This may sound familiar for D.C. rank-and-file lawmakers.)

• "If we get a map from the governor, we will vote it out and go home," one lawmaker told Caputo. "It's his map. We're not getting deposed. His people are."

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Republican senators aren't celebrating yet after forcing the Trump administration to back off its investigation into Fed chair Jerome Powell.

Why it matters: Senate Republicans nudged President Trump for weeks to call off the Justice Department probe, which Powell publicly said he viewed as political.

• An announcement from U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro that she is closing the Powell probe was met with silence from GOP leaders.
• Powell also remained silent and did not confirm he was in the clear.
• Don't expect retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who refused to advance Kevin Warsh out of the Senate Banking Committee until the Justice Department backed off Powell, to change his stance until Powell receives formal confirmation that it's over.

The other side: Democrats argued that Pirro's announcement — which said the Fed's inspector general would take over the building-related probe — was merely a ruse.

• "This is just an attempt to clear the path for Senate Republicans to install President Trump's sock puppet, Kevin Warsh, as Fed chair," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in a statement.
• "Anyone who believes Donald Trump's corrupt scheme to take over the Fed is over is fooling themselves. The Senate should not proceed with the nomination of Kevin Warsh."

What we're hearing: If Warsh's nomination clears the committee, his confirmation will consume valuable Senate floor time.

• Powell's chairmanship ends May 15 and the Senate also needs to pass FISA authorization and fill out the details of the ICE and Border Patrol reconciliation package.
• But confirming Warsh will be a priority.

The bottom line: On the Republican side, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), chair of the Banking Committee, came closest to declaring victory. But his statement didn't mention either Powell or Warsh:

• "I welcome the inspector general's review and expect a full accounting of how these costs spiraled out of control," Scott said.
• "I am inviting the inspector general to brief the committee within the next 90 days on its findings."

— Hans Nichols