By hosting Republican Ron DeSantis's presidential campaign launch, Elon Musk sets up Twitter as a challenger to Fox News, but doubt remains that the right-wing pivot is...

Ron DeSantis is officially running for president, having filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday. The long-awaited move by the Florida governor follows a campaign announcement video released a day earlier by his wife, Casey, on Twitter. His filing was first reported by The Associated Press. Mr DeSantis is expected to address voters in his first appearance as a candidate for president later Wednesday evening in a Twitter space hosted by Elon Musk ally David Sacks. He will then appear on Fox News for an interview immediately afterwards with Bret Baier. The rising Republican star is in his second term as governor of the trending-red Sunshine State, having won reelection by double digits just last year. He previously won election to office in 2018 by a fraction of a percentage point. He enters the race with one key label tied to his campaign already: The second-place challenger, thanks to months of polling that have shown him firmly behind Mr Trump in a Republican primary matchup. That same polling has shown him consistently in the double digits, however, which is more than can be said for his other Republican rivals — Nikki Haley, Tim Scott, Asa Hutchinson and others. Mr DeSantis’s official launch also signals a likely shift in strategy. Whereas for months the governor has sought to avoid a direct confrontation with Mr Trump, that now is unavoidable, even without the near-constant barrage of attacks that his now-official rival has been lobbing his way. That strategic shift has been hinted at for some time now, with a DeSantis-aligned PAC even swiping directly at the former president following his CNN town hall earlier this month. It isn’t clear whether the Jacksonville native, 44, will be successful in his bid to oust Mr Trump as de facto leader of the GOP. But he heads into the 2024 race with all the structural advantages he could possibly hope for: A sympathetic if not outright supportive GOP establishment, a national voter base that has indicated time and time again it does not wish for Mr Trump (or, for that matter, Mr Biden) to run again, and a political pedigree that seems almost lab-generated for a presidential run. He previously served in the House of Representatives as a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, and before that was a lawyer for the US military. During his service, Mr DeSantis was stationed at Guantanamo Bay before later being part of the 2007 Iraq troop surge which saw him playing legal adviser to a US commander in Fallujah. More follows... Read More Can Ron DeSantis beat Donald Trump? These Florida political veterans aren’t so sure The War on Terror turned Ron DeSantis into Florida’s anti-woke warrior. Can it win him the White House? Everything we know about Ron DeSantis’ policies as he launches 2024 campaign

US Federal Reserve economists still expected a "mild recession" at the most recent interest-rate meeting earlier this month, according to minutes...

Saudi Arabia restored diplomatic relations with Canada on Wednesday, the country's foreign ministry said in a statement, ending a five-year rift over Riyadh's jailing of activists that damaged trade and relations with both countries.

As families and loved ones mourn the unimaginable loss of 19 children and two teachers shot dead last year in Uvalde, Texas, President Joe Biden will speak Wednesday about the epidemic of gun violence that has become the No. 1 killer of kids in America

WASHINGTON The International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday its executive board completed the first reviews of Rwanda's loan

'Looking back, I'm really proud of myself, but it was like it was blood, sweat, and tears,' said Halle Bailey

A Category 4 typhoon hit Guam on Wednesday, packing winds of up to 140 miles per hour (225

Sea turtles in Panama now have the legal right to live and have free passage in a healthy environment, a change that represents a different way of thinking about how to protect wildlife

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose clashes with Disney and aggressive pursuit of conservative victories has made him a leading Republican Party figure, has filed to run for president in 2024.

Scientists and students placed tracking bands on four boisterous peregrine falcon chicks who live on top of Michigan State University’s football stadium

The family of a Georgia woman who died last year after she fell from a moving patrol car has filed a civil rights lawsuit