GOP Revolt Over Biden-McCarthy Debt Limit Deal
A bipartisan deal to suspend the government debt ceiling and set federal funding limits advanced Tuesday toward climactic House votes, even as hard-right Republicans revolted over the deal between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden, claiming that their party was squandering an opportunity to force fundamental spending changes. The legislation scaled its first major obstacle Tuesday night, when the House Rules Committee voted to clear the way for a debate on the plan Wednesday, after right-wing opponents failed to muster enough allies to block it. McCarthy continued to express optimism that the legislation would pass, shrugging off the criticism with a terse “no” during brief comments at the Capitol.
Debt Deal Includes a Green Light for a Contentious Pipeline
Environmental activists are enraged by the deal struck between President Joe Biden and Republicans to raise the debt ceiling because it would also expedite construction of a bitterly contested gas pipeline and includes unusual measures to insulate that project from judicial review. The $6.6 billion Mountain Valley Pipeline is a top priority of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. A constellation of environmental groups condemned the pipeline’s inclusion in a debt limit deal, with one group, Climate Defiance, planning to protest Tuesday evening at the New York home of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. One of the companies behind the pipeline, NextEra Energy, is a major donor to Schumer and Manchin.
What the Debt Ceiling Deal Means for Student Loan Payments
For millions of Americans with federal student loan debt, the payment holiday is about to end. Legislation to raise the debt ceiling and cut spending includes a provision that would require borrowers to begin repaying their loans again by the end of the summer after a yearslong pause imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. The legislation, if it passes in the coming days, would prevent President Joe Biden from issuing another last-minute extension, as he has already done several times. Across the United States, 45 million people owe $1.6 trillion for such loans — more than Americans owe for any kind of consumer debt other than mortgages.
At Trial, Reliving Horror in a Pittsburgh Synagogue
The federal trial of the gunman who killed 11 worshippers at a Pittsburgh synagogue, the deadliest antisemitic attack in the nation’s history, began on Tuesday with a minute-by-minute description of how the massacre unfolded on a chilly October morning in 2018. Federal prosecutors detailed when, where and how each victim was killed. Harrowing 911 calls were played, with the courtroom echoing with the pleas for help from Bernice Simon, 84, who was shot along with her husband in the same sanctuary where they were married more than 60 years earlier. The government is seeking the death penalty for the gunman, Robert Bowers.
Demolition of Collapsed Building Is Halted With People Still Missing
On Monday morning, hours after part of a century-old apartment building crumbled onto a downtown street, officials in Davenport, Iowa, said they were not aware of anyone still trapped in the rubble. That afternoon, the city announced that its Fire Department had turned over control of the site and that recovery work had begun. Demolition, they said, was “expected to commence” the next day. But by nightfall on Memorial Day, it was clear that Davenport leaders had badly miscalculated: After protesters gathered at the site, rescue crews found a resident inside the building and pulled her to safety. On Tuesday, officials acknowledged that more people remained missing.
More Than 16,000 Evacuated as Wildfire Rages Outside Halifax
As wildfires buffeted western Canada Tuesday, a blaze on the opposite end of the country in Halifax, Nova Scotia, has forced the evacuation of more than 16,000 people, compounding the national anxiety over out-of-control wildfires. Video footage of downtown Halifax late Sunday showed a dense plume of smoke enveloping the city, the sun an apocalyptic red, as a fire northwest of the city raged. Wildfires have broken out throughout western Canada, including British Columbia, and hardest hit has been Alberta, an oil- and gas-producing province. In Nova Scotia, there have been 195 wildfires so far this year, compared with 153 in all of 2022.
After a Hard-Right Turn, Alberta’s Conservatives Retain Power
Voters in Alberta, the western province that is a bastion of conservatism in Canada, kept its conservative government in power on Monday but substantially reduced the number of seats it holds in the legislature, data from Canada’s national broadcaster indicated. The result, while a win for conservatives, is likely to be seen as a rebuff of the politics of Danielle Smith, the hard-right leader of the United Conservative Party who has been Alberta’s premier for seven months. Smith came to power after the party effectively rejected a more moderate conservative, Jason Kenney, as premier over his refusal to end pandemic restrictions and vaccine mandates.
A Plan to Avert a Vast Oil Spill Off Yemen Finally Moves Ahead
A United Nations operation to avert a catastrophic oil spill in the Red Sea by salvaging a decaying supertanker off the coast of Yemen is moving forward this week after years of delays. The FSO Safer holds more than 1 million barrels of oil, about four times the amount leaked in the Exxon Valdez spill of 1989. A crew that plans to inspect the rusting tanker arrived at the port of Hodeida on Yemen’s west coast Tuesday. If all goes as planned, the inspection will pave the way for an operation to transfer the oil to a seaworthy tanker purchased by the United Nations this year.
Officials Discover What Turned Venice’s Grand Canal Green
For days, Venetians have wondered what caused a swath of their city’s famous Grand Canal to turn bright green. On Monday, authorities confirmed that the canal’s bright new hue was caused by fluorescein, a chemical often used to find leaks during underwater construction. Italian officials are investigating how the chemical got into the canal. The regional environmental agency for the state of Veneto, which includes Venice, confirmed the presence of fluorescein in the canal near the Rialto Bridge and said a complete analysis of the water samples would be completed in the next few days. Officials do not know who or what was behind the color.
By wire sources
