President Biden is engaging with Republicans and Democrats in Congress to resolve the ongoing stand-off over the US' debt ceiling. The current limit of $31.4tn has been reached, and the Treasury Department is currently suspending investments in some federal pension funds while borrowing from investors to maintain the limit. The Treasury has warned it might stop borrowing altogether and rely entirely on tax receipts to pay its bills from 1 June. Global financial markets would be affected should the US default, potentially leading to a recession and job losses, while there are calls to eliminate the limit.
US President Joe Biden cancelled his planned visit to Australia, following a decision to reduce the length of his Asia trip in order to focus on negotiations with the Republican party over raising the federal debt ceiling. His decision forced the cancellation of the Quad leaders summit, scheduled for 20 October in Sydney. The meeting would have brought together presidents Biden and Fumio Kishida of Japan, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss regional security and other issues.
President Biden’s cancellation of his trip to Papua New Guinea in order to attend to domestic matters could damage Asia-Pacific relations. The intended visit, which would have been the first by a US president to a Pacific Island nation, has been postponed in order that Mr Biden can focus on debt ceiling negotiations. Analysts warn that the failure to keep the commitment could undermine recently established diplomatic efforts to counter the influence of China in the region. China was dominant when President Obama cancelled an appearance at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation meeting in 2013 due to the Republican government shutdown: doubts about the US commitment have persisted ever since. Although the Biden administration has reopened embassies and counter-china policies have been implemented, the size of Beijing’s diplomatic corps worldwide has surpassed the US. In addition, China has the world’s largest navy, coast guard and state-owned construction and mining companies, which have ploughed money into construction and mining industries in many developing countries in the region, especially Papua New Guinea and Fiji.
Democrats and the majority of voters believe that President Joe Biden, who will turn 81 in November, should not run for a second term. However, those questioning Biden's age must consider that the vice-president - Kamala Harris - could also attract scrutiny when she runs. Democrats and much of the “mainstream” media are working off an invisible memo that tells them to avoid talking about Biden's age, however this cannot last. Biden must now elevate Harris's role to become a bigger factor next year and focus on key issues that will appeal to voters.
US President Joe Biden will continue discussions with congressional leaders over America's debt limit after his visit to the G7 summit this week. The President, who had a successful hour-long meeting with House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy this week, plans to telephone top lawmakers during his trip to Japan, said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. The Republican bullet points including health care cuts and increased poverty in parts of the country, which the Democrats oppose. Biden hopes to reach a bilateral budget agreement next week that can be signed into law.
Republican lawmakers in North Carolina have overruled a veto by Governor Roy Cooper to pass legislation banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy in the state. Members of the party claimed the limits were a middle ground as the state already bans nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy without rape or incest caveats. The votes were part of a wider shift on the issue across the US, with lawmakers in South Carolina and Nebraska also considering new abortion limits. The North Carolina law will include rape or incest exceptions through 20 weeks of pregnancy and exceptions for "life-limiting" fetal anomalies during the first 24 weeks. The bans are possible as in 2020 the US Supreme Court struck down landmark 1973 ruling Roe v. Wade which had established a nationwide right to abortion.
Former US President Donald Trump is using a strategy that targets Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor and potential Republican presidential candidate, with a policy-heavy campaign. Trump is attempting to damage DeSantis’s chances in the presidential race by targeting issues including Social Security, Medicare, foreign policy and DeSantis’s history in office. The Trump campaign has accused DeSantis of wanting to “destroy” the federal pension system and Medicare, and many of Trump’s attacks have focused on the cuts to entitlement spending that DeSantis voted for when he was a congressman from 2013 to 2018. Trump’s new approach is different from his first foray into politics in 2016, when he relied on chaotic tactics and personal insults to secure the Republican nomination. Reuters found that Trump had launched 242 attacks against declared and potential rivals for the party’s nomination since announcing his own candidacy in November 2021. Of those attacks, 216 have been aimed at DeSantis although he has yet to confirm his candidacy.
A federal appeals court in New Orleans will hear arguments on Wednesday in a closely watched case brought by anti-abortion activists seeking to ban the abortion pill mifepristone. The Biden administration will urge a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn last month's unprecedented ruling by U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, Texas suspending mifepristone's FDA approval. Anti-abortion groups and doctors, led by the recently formed Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, will be defending Kacsmaryk's order. Mifepristone remains available for now, following an emergency order from the U.S. Supreme Court putting Kacsmaryk's order on hold during the appeal.
US President Joe Biden believes that a potential US debt default can be avoided by making a deal with Congress. Biden shared that his recent meeting with Kevin McCarthy, Republican Speaker, was “civil and respectful". He said that all parties understood the “consequences of the failure to pay our bills”. Janet Yellen, Treasury Secretary, has already warned that a default could happen as early as 1 June if Congress did not take any action to increase the borrowing limit. The fiscal stand-off had become a critical threat to the global economy and finance systems. Biden shortened his international trip to Japan to work on the debt limit negotiations in Washington. The White House and Republicans in Congress are discussing a fiscal deal with limits to discretionary spending over the next several years. Republicans are putting pressure on adding new work requirements for the government's large anti-poverty schemes.
President Joe Biden has gone to Japan for a summit with allied powers focusing on issues such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China’s actions in the Pacific. As he departed Washington on Wednesday, talks were ongoing to head off a federal default. Biden is pledging to remain in contact with negotiators in Washington while conducting international diplomacy. Biden had also planned to visit Papua New Guinea and Australia amid the showdown over raising the federal debt limit, but has scrapped these plans. The president is expected to attend the annual G7 summit in Hiroshima to discuss global economic issues, climate change and development.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs anti-LGBTQ laws affecting gender-affirming care, bathroom use and drag shows
CBC
23-05-17 16:58
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed bills that ban gender-affirming care for minors and restrict pronoun use in schools as well as force people to use the bathroom corresponding with their sex in some cases. This happened during the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, an annual event held on May 17 that is meant to honour the fight for equality and the efforts to stamp out hate and discrimination against LGBTQ people worldwide. DeSantis made this legislation into his agenda as he is expected to announce his presidential candidacy in the coming days.
The number of large US cities with Republican mayors has dwindled to almost none. A century ago, only half of the 10 most populous US cities had Democratic mayors. By the year 2000, four of the top 10 cities had Republican mayors, whereas today, none do. The shift has been driven by the trend of US urban areas moving left in national elections, while rural areas move farther to the right. According to a study by The Washington Post, the gap between the two areas is mainly due to differing attitudes toward race.
A group of 25 US states led by Republicans has asked a federal judge in Texas to scrap a Biden administration rule allowing socially conscious investing by retirement plans. Lawyers contend that it will imperil Americans' retirement savings. Congress voted in March to repeal the rule, but Democratic President Joe Biden rejected the proposal in the first veto of his presidency. The Department of Labor says the rule failed to account for the positive impact of ESG investing can have on returns. The case is with U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, a conservative appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump.
Negotiations over raising the US debt ceiling have been held up by the introduction of work requirements for federal aid. The bill, passed by the House in April, would bring in new work requirements for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and Medicaid assistance for adults without dependents. Legislators are now debating the proposal, with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy insisting that the work requirements be part of negotiations with Joe Biden over raising the debt limit to avoid a national default. While the President has signalled his openness to a possible compromise, many in his party are concerned over the harm the changes could have to vulnerable Americans. Anti-hunger groups have highlighted that new work requirements could cause needy families to lose out on benefits, without significantly reducing the government's spending in these areas, with over 1 million older adults at risk of losing their food assistance.
US President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have named a select group to help broker a deal to raise the nation’s borrowing authority and avoid a default. They have appointed a team consisting of vulnerable Louisiana Republican Rep. Garret Graves, Steve Ricchetti, counselor to the president and chief negotiator, Louisa Terrell, director of the White House’s Office of Legislative Affairs, and Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget. Negotiators have until 1 June to beat a deadline before the Treasury Department warns US authorities could default for the first time in history. Democrat and GOP aides have met each day but there have been concerns that there are too many people in the room. These select individuals are essential to closing a deal that would keep the nation in line with its obligations.
New chair appointed to head elections board in Georgia’s Fulton County
The Toronto Star
23-05-17 19:58
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners in Georgia has selected Patrise Perkins-Hooker to chair the county Registration and Elections Board. The nomination of former commissioner Lee Morris, a Republican, had provoked disquiet, with Democrats and activists complaining of insufficient time for public input between the announcement of his nomination and the vote and noting his lack of stated commitment to protecting voting rights. Trump had persistently criticised Fulton County after his defeat in the November 2020 general election, levelling allegations of fraud.
New legislation approved in Illinois could protect access to abortion for individuals who face penalties in their own state for seeking the procedure. Measures passed by the General Assembly include penalties for pregnancy centres that distribute inaccurate information, requiring colleges to provide emergency contraception in dispensers at a reduced price and demanding Illinois insurers cover abortion-inducing drugs. Another measure approved by the House would insist that interstate agreements to share number plate recognition technology be accompanied by promises that it would not be used to track patients arriving from other states for an abortion.
PEN America and Penguin Random House are suing Florida’s Escambia County School District after it removed 10 books covering subjects such as race and LGBTQ identities from libraries. Alleging that the school board breached the First Amendment of the US Constitution by removing the books, the suit is the latest challenge to conservative laws in the state led by Governor Ron DeSantis. Among other measures, DeSantis has banned gender-affirming care for transgender youth, restricted gender-neutral pronouns in schools and forced trans young people to use bathrooms based on birth-assigned sex.
Two FBI agents set to appear before a House subcommittee Thursday had their security clearances revoked this month over security concerns, according to a letter sent by the FBI to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday and obtained by The Washington Post. Friend and Allen have been billed by the committee as whistleblowers and are expected to testify Thursday in a hearing about alleged abuses by the bureau and retaliation they allegedly faced for raising their concerns.
The US state of Montana has become the first to ban downloads of social media app TikTok amid concerns over national security. The law, banning the app from operating in the state and prohibiting app stores from allowing downloads, takes effect in January and calls for fines of $10,000 per day for those who do not comply. The ban has been opposed by free speech advocates and is expected to face legal challenges. Earlier this year, the US had called for a ban or divestiture of TikTok because of fears it could harvest data on its 150 million US users for Chinese espionage purposes.
