A handful of high-profile Democratic lawmakers have declined to endorse President Biden's re-election, even as party leaders, top progressives and other elected Democrats rally around his newly launched 2024 campaign.
Why it matters: Polling has consistently shown most Democratic voters do not want the 80-year-old president to run again — but would reluctantly support him if he's the party's nominee.
In the end, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) lost just four Republicans — one less than he could afford — as the chamber voted 217-215 to pass his bill pairing a debt-ceiling hike with sweeping spending cuts.
Why it matters: The vote, quite literally, could not have been closer — and even benefitted from a few Democratic absences. But McCarthy did exactly what he said would: Unite his fractious conference in an ambitious effort to force President Biden to the negotiating table.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk met with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) at the Capitol on Wednesday to discuss artificial intelligence.
Why it matters: The meeting comes as the New York senator is shopping a proposed framework laying the groundwork for legislation to regulate AI, which was first reported by Axios.
Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the GOP-led House's decision last week to bar her from the House floor and gallery for the rest of the 90-day legislative session.
The big picture: Zephyr was initially barred from speaking in the state's House chamber two weeks ago, which prompted protests that saw demonstrators arrested and and the abrupt cancellation of a planned session of the House lastweek.
Sales of AR-15s are now banned in Washington state, as are sales of dozens of other firearms the state has classified as assault weapons.
Driving the news: Gov. Jay Inslee (D) signed a measure into law Tuesday that bans the sale, manufacturing and distribution of more than 50 specific types of semiautomatic firearms.
The big picture: Chávez Rodríguez, 45, serves in the White House as senior adviser to the president and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
The Walt Disney Company filed a lawsuit Wednesday against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, alleging the state's actions toward the company amount to a "targeted campaign" of government retaliation.
Why it matters: The lawsuit filed in federal court is the latest escalation in a highly public feud between DeSantis, a potential 2024 presidential contender, and the entertainment giant that shows no signs of abating.
The Montana GOP-led House on Wednesday voted to discipline state Rep. Zooey Zephyr, the state's only transgender lawmaker.
The big picture: The motion comes amid a standoff between Zephyr, who is a first-term Democrat, and GOP-led House leaders after she said fellow lawmakers would have "blood on their hands" if they voted to support a bill banning gender-affirming care.
In states where abortion has been banned, an increasing proportion of residents say it would be difficult to get an abortion, according to a Pew Research Center survey published Wednesday.
Why it matters: Abortion is set to be a central issue in the 2024 presidential race, with both President Biden and Republican candidates seeking to make clear their diverging stances on the issue.
Bud Light pours plummeted in the first half of April at thousands of bars and restaurants, according to BeerBoard, a tech company that helps barrooms nationwide monitor their beer flows.
Why it matters:Conservative groups and country music stars have called for a boycott of the light lager since Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender advocate and TikTok star, announced on April 1 that Bud Light had sent her personalized cans to celebrate her one-year anniversary living as a trans woman.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson formalized his presidential candidacy Wednesday in Bentonville, the town where he was born. The facade of the courthouse behind him read: "sovereignty rests with the people."
Driving the news: Hutchinson, who served as Arkansas governor from 2015 to 2023, is the fourth Republican to announce a campaign. Former President Trump, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and venture capitalist Vivek Ramaswamy are already in the race.
A pair of associates of former White House advisor Steve Bannon were sentenced to prison on Wednesday for defrauding donors of a campaign to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border during former President Trump's administration, according to the Department of Justice.
Driving the news: Brian Kolfage, 41, of Miramar Beach, Florida, received a sentence of 51 months in prison for his role in the campaign, which raised more than $25 million from hundreds of thousands of donors.
Congressional leaders are scrambling to ensure their caucuses are at full force when the House votes Wednesday on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's (R-Calif.) debt ceiling bill.
Why it matters: Republicans have control of the House by a slim margin and multiple Republicans are signaling plans to defect.
Top White House officials are rushing to the aid of Vice President Kamala Harris to try to shore up her underwhelming poll numbers heading into 2024.
Why it matters: Harris' numbers are even worse than President Biden's (approval in the high 30%s versus low 40%s). Officials believe that could make her a drag on the ticket as Biden begins a reelection campaign that likely will boil down to a few tight states.
The Biden administration wasted little time making it clear that abortion access will be a cornerstone of President Biden's 2024 re-election bid as red states continue to enact bans and restrictions.
Harry Belafonte broke racial barriers in the 1950s as a musician and actor. He also was one of the last surviving performers of the Civil Rights Movement who put careers in jeopardy to march and protest.
The big picture: Belafonte, who died Tuesday of congestive heart failure at 96, stayed true to his convictions throughout his public life and stood in contrast to artists today who rarely march or speak out for racial justice.
Driving the news: Biden administration officials did not identify the suspect's name, but said he was a leader of the ISIS Afghanistan chapter known as Islamic State-Khorasan, or ISIS-K, and that he was killed in early April.
As Tampa drag queen Jelitza Fierce boarded a bus to Tallahassee to protest Florida's restriction of drag and LGBTQ rights, she wondered if the eight hours of travel and potential risk to her safety were worth it.
But once she got there, things changed.
Driving the news: Hundreds of drag artists and advocates from around Florida converged on the State Capitol Tuesday, nearly a week after the House sent a bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis' desk that LGBTQ activists say would allow the policing of drag performances and Pride celebrations.
The one-minute video is an obvious ploy for publicity that capitalizes on the national controversy surrounding Bud Light and its use of transgender social-media influencer Dylan Mulvaney to hype its product.
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Tuesday declined to testify at a Senate hearing on court ethics.
The big picture: The move comes amid questions about ethics violations from Supreme Court Justices after separate allegations emerged this month against Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas.
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