• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is said to be preparing to officially enter the 2024 presidential race next week as his donors kick off a fundraising push, according to people familiar with the decision. (The Wall Street Journal) His official launch comes after a Florida legislative session in which DeSantis signed a slew of laws targeting human trafficking, the LGBTQ community and abortion that are aimed at bolstering his conservative credentials. (The New York Times) 
  • Former President Donald Trump has opened up a wide lead over DeSantis in recent weeks among potential GOP primary voters (61% to 18%), according to our 2024 GOP Primary Tracker. 
• Timothy Parlatore, a key attorney for Trump in the Mar-a-Lago documents investigation, is reportedly leaving the former president’s legal team. His departure comes as special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the possible mishandling of classified documents appears to be entering its final stages. (CNN) 
• House Republicans voted to refer a Democratic-led resolution that would expel embattled Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) to the House Ethics Committee instead of holding a direct vote on the matter. (Roll Call) The Justice Department has privately asked the House Ethics Committee to hold off on its own probe while the agency investigates Santos, but the panel has reportedly refused to comply with the agency’s request. (Punchbowl News) 
• During oral argument yesterday, a federal appeals court panel appeared likely to limit access to the abortion medication mifepristone in what would be a blow to the Biden administration’s efforts to preserve access to one of the most common methods of terminating a pregnancy. (The Washington Post) 

Happening today (all in ET): 

• 9 a.m. House in session. 
• 9 a.m. FBI whistleblowers testify to House Judiciary select subcommittee.
• 10 a.m. Senate in session. 
• 10 a.m. State and federal bank regulators testify to Senate Banking Committee. 

The abortion access map is being dramatically redrawn this week

CNN

Student loan payment pause will end this year, education secretary confirms

Katie Lobosco, CNN

The pause on federal student loan payments is still set to end later this year, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona confirmed this week.

Biden Says He Is Confident America Will Not Default on Its Debts

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, The New York Times

President Biden, just moments before he departed on Wednesday for a diplomatic trip to Asia, said he was confident “America will not default” as congressional leaders in both parties offered some signs of optimism about eventually reaching a deal to raise the nation’s borrowing limit.

Biden off to Japan for Group of Seven summit, says there’s ‘work to do’ on global stage

Zeke Miller and Josh Boak, The Associated Press

President Joe Biden said there’s “work to do” on the global stage as he headed to Japan on Wednesday to consult with allies on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s assertiveness in the Pacific at the same time that a debt limit standoff looms at home.

Biden admin pushing for Saudi-Israeli peace deal by end of year, officials say

Barak Ravid, Axios

The White House wants to make a diplomatic push for a Saudi-Israeli peace deal in the next six to seven months before the presidential election campaign consumes President Biden’s agenda, two U.S. officials with knowledge of the issue told Axios.

White House pushed for stronger, faster climate rule as court challenges loom

Benjamin Storrow and Scott Waldman, Politico

The climate rule that the Biden administration unveiled last week was even stronger than what the Environmental Protection Agency had originally drafted, six people familiar with the regulation told POLITICO’s E&E News — after White House officials pressed for a proposal that would take effect sooner and encompass a larger selection of power plants.

Earmarks increase in popularity, slightly, among GOP senators

Aidan Quigley and Herb Jackson, Roll Call

New Senate Republican earmark requesters are angling to fill the shoes left by the retirements of four longtime senators heavily involved in bringing federal dollars back home, including the chamber’s top two individual earmarkers during the last appropriations cycle.

Legislative Branch bill advanced to full Appropriations panel

Jim Saksa, Roll Call

The House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee advanced a $6.7 billion fiscal 2024 spending bill to the full Appropriations Committee Wednesday on a voice vote.

Supreme Court lets Illinois keep ban on sale of some semiautomatic guns for now

The Associated Press

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that Illinois can, for now, keep in place a new law that bars the sale of certain semiautomatic guns and large-capacity magazines.

F.B.I. Revokes Security Clearances of 3 Agents Over Jan. 6 Issues

Alan Feuer, Politico

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has revoked the security clearances of three agents who either took part in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or later expressed views about it that placed into question their “allegiance to the United States,” the bureau said on Wednesday in a letter to congressional investigators.

2 US Consulate staff members among 4 killed in convoy attack in Nigeria

Kevin Shalvey, ABC News

Two staff members of the U.S. Consulate in Nigeria were among the four people killed by armed assailants when an American convoy was attacked on Tuesday, the State Department said.

Kaitlan Collins to anchor new 9 pm show on CNN

Lucy Bayly and Jordan Valinsky, CNN

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins will anchor a new show at 9 pm starting in June, CNN CEO Chris Licht announced Wednesday.

House Democrats’ big fundraising haul comes with a huge caveat

Brittany Gibson, Politico

House Democrats bragged about posting blockbuster fundraising hauls in the first quarter of this year. What they glossed over was how they got there.

Republican tapped to lead Fulton elections board withdraws under pressure

Amy Gardner et al., The Washington Post

An Atlanta Republican on Wednesday withdrew his nomination to lead the elections board of Georgia’s most populous county after voting-rights activists and national Democrats — including Georgia’s two U.S. senators — lobbied to block the appointment.

Democrats race to avoid a Biden embarrassment in New Hampshire

Holly Otterbein and Lisa Kashinsky, Politico

Top Democrats are scrambling for ways to avoid a catastrophe in New Hampshire in which Joe Biden may not appear on the primary ballot, ceding the first unofficial contest of 2024 to a fringe candidate.

Justice Department watchdog finds US attorney in Massachusetts tried to influence DA election

Alanna Durkin Richer et al., The Associated Press

The top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, who has announced her resignation, tried to use her position to influence the outcome of a race for Boston’s district attorney by leaking information aimed at sabotaging the campaign of her preferred candidate’s rival, the Justice Department’s internal watchdog said in a report released Wednesday.

New York eyes April 2 for presidential primary date

Bill Mahoney, Politico

New York is considering an April 2 date for its 2024 presidential primary, two individuals with knowledge of the current plans said.

Olympian Sarah Hughes files to run for NY House seat

Andrew Solender, Axios

Olympic figure skater Sarah Hughes has filed to run for Congress in New York’s 4th district, her spokesperson confirmed to Axios on Wednesday.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey Withdraws Emergency Limits on Transgender Healthcare

Mariah Timms, The Wall Street Journal

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey terminated a set of restrictions late Tuesday that could have ended most, if not all, transgender-related healthcare in the state for minors and adults.

States near historic deal to protect Colorado River

Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post

After nearly a year wrestling over the fate of their water supply, California, Arizona and Nevada — the three key states in the Colorado River’s current crisis — have coalesced around a plan to voluntarily conserve a major portion of their river water in exchange for more than $1 billion in federal funds, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

Penguin Random House, PEN America sue Florida school district over book bans

Jacob Knutson, Axios

Penguin Random House, PEN America and several authors filed a federal lawsuit against Escambia County School District in northern Florida on Wednesday over its removal and restrictions on 10 books related to race or LGBTQ identity from school libraries.

Lobbying World: Toomey to Coinbase, Schrader to K Street

Karl Evers-Hillstrom, The Hill

Former Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) and former Reps. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) will join a newly formed advisory council for crypto giant Coinbase. The company said the council will help Coinbase “strengthen relationships with strategic stakeholders around the world.”

The GOP Can Win on Work Requirements and Welfare

The Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal

House Republicans are holding firm as they negotiate a deal with President Biden to raise the debt ceiling—a small miracle for the GOP—and one sticking point is work requirements in welfare. Democrats are digging in, calling the rules this week a “nonstarter,” but the attacks are false, and the GOP has the high ground on the merits and the politics.

Why the Supreme Court Is Blind to Its Own Corruption

Randall D. Eliason, The New York Times

The scandal surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas has further eroded the already record-low public confidence in the Supreme Court. If Chief Justice John Roberts wonders how such a thing could have happened, he might start looking for answers within the cloistered walls of his own courtroom.