• Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said he will make a “major announcement” in North Charleston on May 22 amid talk that he will launch a bid for the Republican presidential nomination following his launch of an exploratory committee late last month.  (The Post and Courier)
• House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) criticized the White House for not hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he should come to the United States to address Congress instead. (The Washington Post)
• President Joe Biden is set to host Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the White House as part of an effort to strengthen ties between the United States and the Philippines amid concerns about China’s expansion in the region. The two sides are reportedly set to introduce new bilateral defense guidelines and the Biden administration is set to launch a new trade mission to the Philippines later this year. (CNN)

Happening today (all in ET):

• 9 a.m. McCarthy speaks to Israeli Knesset. 

• 12 p.m. Biden, Harris speak about National Small Business Week.

• 12:45 p.m. Susan Rice speaks at Anti-Defamation League event. 

• 3 p.m. Senate in session.
• 3 p.m. White House press secretary holds briefing. 

Voters’ Views of the U.S. Economy: Not Bad, but Not Great
Morning Consult

Trickling Tax Revenue Complicates Debt Limit Talks
Alan Rappeport, The New York Times

The Treasury Department’s ability to delay a default, the so-called X-date, hinges on how fast the money is coming in.

Second US-led convoy evacuates private American citizens from Sudan conflict
Aaron Pellish, CNN

A second convoy of US citizens organized by the US government arrived in Port Sudan on Sunday as part of an effort to evacuate Americans from the Sudan conflict.

DHS Secretary Mayorkas calls for congressional support ahead of expected migrant surge
Summer Concepcion, NBC News

With the lifting of Covid restrictions next month, Alejandro Mayorkas called for congressional action to help agents along the southern border on “Meet the Press.”

How Jill Biden helped Joe get to yes on running for reelection at 80
Eugene Daniels, Politico

Four years ago, Jill Biden was hesitant about her husband making a White House run, fearing the toll it could take on him and the family. In the months before Joe Biden formally announced he’d make a reelection bid, she had no such reservations.

With debt bill adopted, far-right House Republicans ready for fiscal war
Tony Romm and Marianna Sotomayor, The Washington Post

The House Freedom Caucus pushed Speaker Kevin McCarthy for sharp spending cuts — and some members still want more.

Scalise calls for Biden to ‘get off the sidelines’ for debt ceiling talks
Tal Axelrod, ABC News

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise on Sunday urged President Joe Biden to negotiate with Speaker Kevin McCarthy amid the threat of political brinkmanship over raising the nation’s debt ceiling to avoid an unprecedented default.

McConnell insists he’s sitting out debt talks — to disbelief
Alexander Bolton, The Hill

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) insists he will not come up with a rescue plan this time as Republicans and a Democratic president battle over the debt limit. 

Congressional Democrats splinter on debt ceiling strategy
Andrew Solender and Eugene Scott, Axios

A divide has opened between House and Senate Democrats over whether President Biden should negotiate a debt ceiling compromise with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Axios has learned.

State holds classified Afghanistan briefing for House panel
Max Cohen, Punchbowl News

The State Department held a classified briefing for the House Foreign Affairs Committee last Thursday to discuss concerns raised by embassy officials in Kabul ahead of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Kyrsten Sinema’s Party of One
Robert Draper, The New York Times

What the Arizona senator’s breakup with the Democrats means for American politics.

The bipartisan battle over capping insulin costs outside Medicare
David Lim and Burgess Everett, Politico

Two Senate duos want insulin costs capped at $35 monthly for people with diabetes, but that’s where the similarities end between their proposals.

What GOP’s Plan For Medicaid Work Requirements Would Mean
Amanda Seitz, The Associated Press

Here’s a look at how the proposal might save taxpayers money but cost some Americans access to health care coverage.

At correspondents’ dinner scene, Vanderpump rules. (Too bad, Tucker.)
Maura Judkis, The Washington Post

After a dull stretch of the Trump and pandemic years, the weekend of events around the White House correspondents’ dinner comes back strong with B-list-meets-Washington frisson.

JPMorgan to Acquire Failed Regional Bank First Republic
Jennifer Surane, Bloomberg

JPMorgan Chase & Co. won the bidding to acquire First Republic Bank in an emergency government-led intervention after private rescue efforts failed to fill a hole on the troubled lender’s balance sheet and customers yanked their deposits.

How Scalia Law School Became a Key Friend of the Court
Steve Eder and Jo Becker, The New York Times

George Mason University’s law school cultivated ties to justices, with generous pay and unusual perks. In turn, it gained prestige, donations and influence.

Pope Reveals He’s Working on Secret ‘Mission’ of Peace in Ukraine
Jason Horowitz, The New York Times

Francis said he was doing “all that is humanly possible” to help return Ukrainian children taken to Russia and urged Hungary not to slam doors on migrants.

Epstein’s Private Calendar Reveals Prominent Names, Including CIA Chief, Goldman’s Top Lawyer
Khadeeja Safdar and David Benoit, The Washington Post

Schedules and emails detail meetings in the years after he was a convicted sex offender; visitors cite his wealth and connections.

The Murdochs’ Ukraine connection
Max Tani and Morgan Chalfant, Semafor

Fox News Executive Chairman Rupert Murdoch held a previously unreported call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this spring in which the two discussed the war and the anniversary of the deaths of Fox News journalists last March. The Ukrainian president had a similar conversation with Lachlan Murdoch on March 15, which Zelenskyy  noted in a little-noticed aside during a national broadcast last month.

Julie Chavez Rodriguez, from quiet aide to running Biden’s campaign
Meryl Kornfield, The Washington Post

Chavez Rodriguez has specialized in behind-the-scenes roles but will now be the face of the president’s reelection effort.

Messing with New Hampshire’s primary could have consequences for Biden and the ballot, senator says
Lisa Kashisky and Kelly Garrity, Politico

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said ending New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation primary status could impact Biden and other Democrats on the ballot next year.

RNC chair Ronna McDaniel: GOP candidates have to address abortion ‘head on’
Ken Tran, USA Today

Ronna McDaniel, chair of the Republican National Committee, said GOP candidates will have to address abortion “head on” in 2024, a crucial presidential election year as the party continues to deal with the aftermath of last year’s Supreme Court decision to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion.

The secret delegate battle that will decide the 2024 Republican nominee
Ben Jacobs, Vox

The battle for delegates is chaotic, expensive, and widely misunderstood — and can make or break a presidential candidate.

Trump planning Iowa appearance on same day as DeSantis visits state
Stephen Neukam, The Hill

Former President Trump is slated to headline a rally in Iowa on the same day that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is set to attend fundraising events in the state, as the feud between the two men heats up.

GOP 2024 hopefuls audition against Biden with attacks on competence, age
Maeve Reston, The Washington Post

Current and prospective Republican presidential candidates are seeking to show they are best equipped to defeat the president and draw the sharpest contrasts with him.

GOP presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson says he would sign federal abortion ban but supports exceptions
Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN

Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson said Sunday he would sign a federal abortion ban if he were elected president but would support exceptions.

New York Stock Exchange exec mulling Michigan Senate bid
Ally Mutnick, Politico

The vice chair of the New York Stock Exchange is considering a run for Senate in Michigan, where Republicans have been searching for a candidate for retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow’s seat.

AOC is ‘not planning’ to run for Senate in 2024
Holly Otterbein ad Brittany Gibson, Politico

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is clearing her path to reelection.

Democratic AGs are using the courts to win on abortion, gun control
Scott Wilson, The Washington Post

These state attorneys general are finding successes that eluded them for years.

States’ Push to Protect Kids Online Could Remake the Internet
Natasha Singer, The New York Times

New age restrictions for minors on sites like TikTok and Pornhub could also hinder adults’ access to online services.

Republicans ramp up attacks on transgender people, in statehouses and on the campaign trail
Eric Bradner et al., CNN

From statehouses to the presidential campaign trail, Republicans are escalating their political attacks on transgender people – a reflection of what they see as a cultural fight their base is eager to wage.

Gov. Hochul Severs Ties With Top Political Adviser in Face of Backlash
Nicholas Fandos and Jeffery C. Mays, The New York Times

Gov. Kathy Hochul and the adviser, Adam Sullivan, agreed that he should step down after The New York Times detailed how his guidance and behavior were questioned by others.

Tech group urges Schumer to greenlight self-driving cars in AI bill
Karl Evers-Hillstrom, The Hill

The Chamber of Progress is urging Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to speed up the deployment of self-driving vehicles in his proposed framework to regulate artificial intelligence.

Biden is inviting us to argue about freedom. We should.
E.J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post

When President Biden announced in a video last week that he was seeking reelection, he opened the possibility that the 2024 campaign will involve a genuine — perhaps even searching — philosophical debate over the meaning of freedom.

How bad is it for Ron DeSantis? He’s polling at RFK Jr.’s level
Harry Enten, CNN

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has spent the past few months running to the right ahead of his expected entry into the 2024 Republican presidential primary campaign. From signing into law a six-week abortion ban to fighting with Disney, the governor has focused on satisfying his party’s conservative base.

Don’t Count Ron DeSantis Out
Mark Penn, The Wall Street Journal

If he wants to win, he has to ease up on the culture war and start appealing to moderate primary voters.