• Two House Democrats have launched bids for the Senate: In Maryland, Rep. David Trone joined what’s expected to be a competitive Democratic primary to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Benjamin Cardin. (Roll Call) In Texas, Rep. Colin Allred announced a bid against Sen. Ted Cruz — a relatively unpopular incumbent who’s nevertheless seeking re-election in a red state. (The Texas Tribune)
• In a 56-41 vote backed by nine Democrats, the Senate sent President Joe Biden legislation that would restore tariffs on solar panels made with Chinese parts. It marks another win for Republicans pushing back on Biden initiatives, though they are likely short of the votes to override the president’s veto. (CNN)
• Billionaire Republican donor Harlan Crow is said to have paid for private school for a relative of Clarence Thomas that the Supreme Court justice said he was raising “as a son,” further underlining Thomas’ unusual financial relationship with the real estate magnate that has drawn congressional scrutiny of the court’s ethics protocols. (ProPublica)
• Federal prosecutors are said to be nearing a decision about whether to charge the president’s son Hunter Biden with tax- and gun-related violations, as evidenced by meetings held by his lawyers at the Justice Department last week. (The Washington Post) On Capitol Hill, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is increasing his investigative scrutiny of the president with a document demand related to his time as vice president that the White House said is laced with “innuendo and insinuation.” (Punchbowl News)

Happening today (all in ET):

• 10 a.m. Senate in session. 

• 10 a.m. Senate Budget Committee holds hearing on the House GOP’s debt limit plan.
• 2 p.m. White House press secretary holds briefing.

Tucker Carlson Fans Are More Wealthy and Conservative Than Fox News Fans
Morning Consult

Scrambling to Avoid Default, White House Weighs Debt-Limit Fallback Options
Andrew Duehren and Annie Linskey, The Wall Street Journal

The Biden administration and Capitol Hill leaders are scrambling to avoid a first-ever government default that could arrive as soon as June 1, taking potential alternative strategies more seriously after months of deadlock over raising the country’s borrowing limit. 

Biden races to come up with AI plan
Mike Allen and Ina Fried, Axios

President Biden, racing to upgrade the government’s artificial-intelligence expertise and role, is calling the leading architects of generative AI to Washington today to discuss guardrails for the powerful technology.

Biden judicial nominee helped free-market group that opposed administration on climate change
Betsy Woodruff Swan, Politico

Michael Delaney is on the board of the pro-business New England Legal Foundation, where he served on a committee that vetted the group’s legal briefs.

Ex-Biden executive assistant testified that she didn’t know classified documents were among items she packed
Annie Grayer et al., CNN

President Joe Biden’s former executive assistant said she wasn’t aware that any classified documents were among the papers she packed for the then-vice president as he was leaving office, according to excerpts from her transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee provided to CNN.

Meet the House Republicans Who Democrats Hope Will Defect on the Debt Limit
Catie Edmondson, The New York Times

A long-shot Democratic effort to force a debt-limit increase to the floor hinges on at least five G.O.P. defections. These House Republicans are considered the likeliest.

Lawmakers spy opportunity in debt ceiling crisis
Andrew Solender, Axios

Senators in both parties are looking to the latest partisan standoff over the debt ceiling as a potential catalyst for long-term reform of the process.

Senate Democrats announce sweeping effort to outcompete China
Lindsey McPherson, Roll Call

Senate Democrats are mobilizing virtually all of their committees to come up with a massive legislative package designed to combat the Chinese government and bolster U.S. competitiveness against the global powerhouse.

Anti-Beijing Senator Pete Ricketts Is Still Collecting Money From China Deal
William Bredderman, The Daily Beast

Pete Ricketts’ financial disclosure to the Senate does not reveal the Chinese roots of an investment that continues to yield returns.

Senators hopeful they can keep rail safety bill on track after East Palestine
Karl Evers-Hillstrom et al., The Hill

Three months after the devastating East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment, senators are optimistic they can pass a bipartisan rail safety bill to prevent similar disasters.

Sen. Sherrod Brown received an extra property tax credit and racked up penalties for late payments
Henry J. Gomez, NBC News

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, for years claimed an owner-occupancy tax credit at two properties, public records show — a potential violation of the state’s rules governing such incentives.

Tucker Carlson helped broker the deal that made Kevin McCarthy House speaker after 14 failed votes, text messages show
Jacob Shamsian, Insider

Tucker Carlson extracted concessions from Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California that cinched the votes he needed from far-right members to Congress to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, the former Fox News host said in text messages obtained by Insider.

Russia claims the U.S. is behind the alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin
Patrick Smith, NBC News

Kyiv strongly denied the accusation it had attempted to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, which Moscow made Wednesday without citing evidence.

Federal Reserve Raises Rates, Signals Potential Pause
Nick Timiraos, The Wall Street Journal

The Federal Reserve approved another quarter-percentage-point interest-rate rise and signaled it could be done lifting rates after that.

Special counsel sat in on Pence’s testimony to federal grand jury
Kristen Holmes et al., CNN

Special counsel Jack Smith sat in on the federal grand jury proceeding while former Vice President Mike Pence testified for more than five hours last week, three sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. Smith and Pence interacted while Pence was at the courthouse, and one source described the interaction as respectful.

Special counsel probing Trump Organization’s handling of Mar-a-Lago surveillance footage
Katelyn Polantz and Paula Reid, CNN

Prosecutors for special counsel Jack Smith have been asking questions in recent weeks about the handling of surveillance footage from former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort after the Trump Organization received a subpoena last summer for the footage, according to multiple sources familiar with the investigation.

Trump lawyers will not offer witnesses at E. Jean Carroll rape defamation trial
Dan Mangan, CNBC

A lawyer for former President Donald Trump said Wednesday said he will not present any witnesses at his civil trial for a lawsuit accusing him of raping the writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s and defaming her last fall when he again denied her claim. 

Judge Tosses Trump’s Lawsuit Against NY Times, Orders Him to Pay Legal Fees
Lachlan Cartwright, The Daily Beast

A New York judge has tossed out Donald Trump’s lawsuit against The New York Times, and ordered the former president to pay all attorneys fees, legal expenses, and associated costs.

Emails Reveal ‘Jaw-Dropping’ Herschel Walker Money Scandal
Roger Sollenberger, The Daily Beast

Emails show Herschel Walker solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars for his own business from a billionaire donor, with the donor believing he was giving to Walker’s campaign.

Top Senate GOP recruit privately casts doubt on power of Trump endorsement
Meridith McGraw, Politico

Frank LaRose, Ohio’s Secretary of State, offered some candid assessments about the value of the Trump backing during closed door remarks.

Behind Trump’s musical tribute to some of the most violent Jan. 6 rioters
Isaac Arnsdorf et al., The Washington Post

Most nights at 9 p.m., defendants in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol flicker the lights in their D.C. jail cells to signal to supporters outside that it’s time to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” together. The recital has become a sacred ritual for a subset of Donald Trump’s movement devoted to heroizing the accused rioters.

Democrats rewrite Trump oppo book (again)
Zac Weisz, National Journal

Democrats are adapting their old strategy against Trump as he remains the GOP front-runner.

Chris Christie Taunts Trump as ‘Afraid’ of Presidential Debates
Katie Glueck, The New York Times

Mr. Christie, who is weighing a presidential bid, also called Donald Trump “a child” for fixating on the 2020 election and said “he doesn’t have a lot of serious answers” for the nation’s problems.

Iowa Democrats’ plan: Hold 1st caucuses, report votes later
Thomas Beaumont, The Associated Press

Iowa Democrats are proposing a novel way to get around their demotion from the leadoff spot on the party’s presidential nominating calendar: They would still put on the first-in-the-nation caucuses but would be open to withholding the results until after other states have their contests.

Texas Senate passes bill to allow secretary of state to overturn Harris County elections
Rose Horowitch, NBC News

The bill targets the state’s largest county, which has become more Democratic in recent years, over problems that arose during last year’s election.

In Blow to DeSantis, Florida Bills to Limit Press Protections Are Shelved
Ken Bensinger, The New York Times

Gov. Ron DeSantis usually gets what he wants from the State Legislature. But on high-profile defamation bills it was right-wing news media, not the Republican governor, that flexed its muscle.

North Carolina House approves GOP’s 12-week abortion ban. Here’s what happens next.
Avi Bajpai and Lars Dolder, The News & Observer

A Republican proposal to ban abortion after 12 weeks in North Carolina cleared the House in a contentious vote Wednesday evening, less than 24 hours after the bill was announced and released to the public.

Gianforte signs 5 anti-abortion bills, plans to sign more
Sam Wilson, Missoulian

Gov. Greg Gianforte signed into law five bills aimed at restricting abortion access in Montana on Wednesday, triggering a legal request from Planned Parenthood of Montana later in the day to block one of the bills.

Judge denies Montana lawmaker Zooey Zephyr’s request to return to House floor
Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News

A judge has denied Montana state legislator Zooey Zephyr’s motion to have her legislative privileges and duties reinstated after being censured by House Republicans. Zephyr said her attorneys are unlikely to appeal the ruling since the legislative session is coming to a close.

N.Y. ditches gas stoves, fossil fuels in new buildings in first statewide ban in U.S.
Anna Phillips, The Washington Post

The state ban on gas in new buildings could face legal challenges, but it marks a milestone in the energy transition sought by climate activists.

Bob Iger rebuilt Disney. Fighting DeSantis could define his legacy.
Taylor Telford, The Washington Post

Corporate America is closely watching to see whether one of the country’s most powerful companies can face down a threat to its self-governance and free speech.

Coinbase squares off with Washington’s top crypto skeptic
Declan Harty, Politico

Coinbase has long been seen in crypto circles as a leader in regulatory compliance after acquiring an array of state and federal licenses in its early days.

The 2022 Electorate Was the Most Educated in American History
Michael McDonald, U.S. Elections Project

According to a Census Bureau survey, the 2022 electorate was the most educated in American history. 74.1% of the electorate reported that they either had some college education, graduated college, or had post-graduate education. What does this mean for future elections?

New data shows how little the electorate looks like the population
Philip Bump, The Washington Post

The 2022 midterm elections did not go the way the Republican Party expected. Historical patterns suggested that the party would accrue a hefty majority in the House and regain control of the Senate. Those things didn’t happen for a variety of reasons.

What’s Really Behind the Release of Tucker Carlson’s Texts
Jack Shafer, Politico

Scrutiny on the former Fox star helps the network avoid attention on the disaster of the Dominion settlement.