Biden and McCarthy Talk Debt, Getting Nowhere
President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy emerged from a critical meeting at the White House on Tuesday with no consensus on how to end their impasse over the federal debt and spending just weeks before the nation is set to default on its obligations for the first time. With the economy hanging in the balance, the two leaders stuck to their opening positions, with Biden demanding that Congress raise the debt ceiling unconditionally to avoid a default and McCarthy insisting such a move be accompanied by spending restraints. But the two agreed to have aides meet later in the day and to reconvene themselves Friday.
FDA Is Considering Over-the-Counter Sales of a Birth Control Pill
At a hearing Tuesday to consider whether the Food and Drug Administration should authorize the country’s first over-the-counter birth control pill, a panel of independent medical experts advising the agency was left to reckon with two contradictory analyses of the medication called Opill. The manufacturer of the pill, HRA Pharma, and representatives of many medical organizations and reproductive health specialists said that data strongly supported approval. In contrast, FDA scientists questioned the reliability of company data. On Wednesday, the panel will take a nonbinding vote on whether the risks of an over-the-counter pill would outweigh its benefits. The FDA is expected to make a final decision this summer.
Spying Tool of Russians Dismantled, U.S. Says
The United States and its allies have dismantled a major cyberespionage system that it said Russia’s intelligence service had used for years to spy on computers around the world, the Justice Department announced Tuesday. In a separate report, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency portrayed the system, known as the “Snake” malware network, as “the most sophisticated cyberespionage tool” in the Federal Security Service’s arsenal, which it has used to surveil sensitive targets, including government networks. “Through a high-tech operation that turned Russian malware against itself, U.S. law enforcement has neutralized one of Russia’s most sophisticated cyberespionage tools,” Lisa Monaco, the deputy attorney general, said in a statement.
China Woos European Leaders on Trip Overshadowed by Kremlin Ties
China’s top diplomat began an effort Tuesday to convince European leaders that they can do business with Beijing, even as the Chinese tried to keep faith with their “unlimited partnership” with Russia. Arriving in Berlin, Foreign Minister Qin Gang was confronted about the war in Ukraine. “Neutrality means taking the side of the aggressor, and that is why our guiding principle is to make it clear that we are on the side of the victim,” German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock declared at a news conference. Qin defended his nation’s approach. “China did not cause this, nor is it a party, but we are committed to peace negotiations.”
As Turkish Vote Looms, Erdogan Loyalists Can’t Imagine Anyone Else in Charge
Memis Akbulut, a cellphone salesperson, listed the reasons that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan could count on his support in elections Sunday that could drastically change the course of the country: He is charismatic, a world leader who has strengthened Turkey’s defenses and battled terrorism. “I will vote for the president,” he added. “Is there anyone else?” Presidential and parliamentary elections are shaping up to be Erdogan’s toughest electoral fight during his two decades as Turkey’s predominant politician. A cost-of-living crisis has angered voters, and his government stands accused of mismanaging the initial response to catastrophic earthquakes in February. Recent polls suggest a tight race for Erdogan.
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Ex-Leader, Is Arrested
Pakistan’s ousted prime minister, Imran Khan, was arrested on corruption charges Tuesday, escalating a political crisis that has engulfed the country over the past year and that raises the prospect of mass unrest by his supporters. The arrest intensified a showdown between the powerful Pakistani military and Khan. While Pakistani leaders have faced arrest before, never has anyone like Khan so directly — and with mass popular support — challenged the military, which for decades has been the invisible hand wielding power behind the government.
On Muted War Holiday, Putin Tries to Justify Invasion of Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday used a scaled-down commemoration of triumph in World War II as a platform to denounce the West and make fictitious claims about Ukraine, equating his war of choice against that country with the Soviet Union’s fight for survival against Nazi Germany. At the annual celebration of Victory Day, Putin tried to seize on his nation’s proud memory of what it calls the Great Patriotic War to rally support for the war he launched against Ukraine. “A real war has been unleashed against our motherland again,” Putin said in Moscow’s Red Square.
U.K. Protest Law in Spotlight as Police ‘Regret’ Some Coronation Arrests
Police in London have expressed regret about some of the dozens of protesters they detained during King Charles III’s coronation Saturday, fueling a national debate about the policing of the event and about the new anti-protest law that officers used in some arrests. The law came into effect days before the coronation, giving police in England and Wales extended powers to detain and charge those they suspect of mounting or of preparing potentially disruptive protests. Some 64 people were arrested Saturday, police said, including 52 whom officers were concerned would disrupt the event, breach the peace or “cause a public nuisance,” among other issues.
As Wildfires Burn Across 1 Million Acres in Canada, Thousands Face Uncertainty
In much Canada’s western province of Alberta, this time of year has long been wildfire season. But this year, a large volume of fires in the boreal forest have come early and have been exceptionally extensive, leading the province to declare a state of emergency. As of Tuesday, about 24,000 people were out of their homes in the sparsely populated, largely northern areas of the province as 88 active wildfires were burning across nearly 1 million acres. For residents of vulnerable areas, that has evoked uneasy memories of 2016, when raging flames moved from the forest into the oil sands capital of Fort McMurray, Alberta.
By wire sources
