Biden, McCarthy name top negotiators to avert national default
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Debt-limit talks shifted into an encouraging new phase Tuesday as President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy named top emissaries to negotiate a deal to avert an unprecedented national default. Biden cut short an upcoming overseas trip in hopes of closing an agreement before a June 1 deadline.
Durham report: A ‘seriously flawed’ Russia investigation
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Bungled applications to eavesdrop on a former aide of then-candidate Donald Trump. Flawed research by a former British spy tasked with a sensitive, and political, assignment. And an FBI scrambling against the election-season clock to untangle suspicions about foreign government collusion that it feared could have grave national security implications.
DeSantis criticizes Trump for implying Florida abortion ban is ‘too harsh’
Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized Donald Trump on Tuesday for implying Florida’s new six-week abortion ban is “too harsh,” stepping up his attacks on the former president as he prepares to challenge him for the 2024 Republican nomination.
Biden speaks out against ‘antisemitic bile’ during Jewish celebration
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden marked Jewish American Heritage Month on Tuesday by highlighting his administration’s efforts to combat rising antisemitism, at a White House reception that featured performances from the stars of the Broadway revival of “Parade.”
North Carolina GOP overrides veto of 12-week abortion limit
RALEIGH, N.C. — Legislation banning most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy will become law in North Carolina after the state’s Republican-controlled General Assembly successfully overrode the Democratic governor’s veto late Tuesday.
Ukraine downs Russian hypersonic missiles during attack on Kyiv
KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian air defenses, bolstered by sophisticated Western-supplied systems, thwarted an intense Russian air attack on Kyiv early Tuesday, shooting down all missiles aimed at the capital, officials said.
Council of Europe summit seeks to hold Russia to account for war in Ukraine
REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Leaders from across Europe are laser-focused on holding Russia to account for its invasion of Ukraine and were poised to approve a system that would precisely establish the damages Moscow would have to pay to rebuild the nation and compensate victims.
Putin, Zelenskyy agree to meet with ‘African leaders peace mission’
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have agreed to separate meetings with a delegation of leaders from six African countries to discuss a possible plan to end the war in Ukraine, South Africa’s president said Tuesday.
Rain-swollen rivers flood some towns in north Italy
ROME — Rivers swollen by days of downpours flooded some towns in northern Italy on Tuesday, forcing some residents to rooftops, while in Venice, authorities prepared to activate a mobile barrier in the lagoon in hopes of sparing the city from a rare May high-tide flooding.
Myanmar, Bangladesh begin counting casualties after cyclone
BANGKOK — Recovery efforts were underway Tuesday in Myanmar and Bangladesh after a powerful cyclone smashed into their coastlines, causing widespread destruction and at least 21 deaths, with hundreds of others believed missing.
Report on FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation: Some problems but not the ‘crime of the century’
WASHINGTON, D.C. — An investigation into the origins of the FBI’s probe into ties between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign has finally been concluded, with the prosecutor leading the inquiry submitting a much-awaited report that found major flaws.
Number of migrants fell 50% at US southern border after immigration changes
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The number of migrants encountered at the southern border fell 50% during the last three days compared with the days leading up to the end of a key pandemic-era regulation, U.S. officials said Monday.
Pence allies launching super PAC to back former vice president’s expected 2024 candidacy
NEW YORK — Allies of former Vice President Mike Pence are launching a new super PAC to support his expected candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Biden plan to sell land leases for conservation gets pushback
BILLINGS, Mont. — Biden administration officials on Monday sought to dispel worries they want to exclude oil drilling, livestock grazing and other activities from vast government-owned lands, as they faced pushback from Republicans and ranchers and over a contentious proposal to put conservation on equal footing with industry.
U.K. pledges attack drones, more missiles as Ukraine’s Zelenskyy meets prime minister on European tour
LONDON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed the British government at the end of a whirlwind European tour Monday to join a “fighter jet coalition” that would help strengthen his country’s aerial capabilities, but instead secured a commitment for attack drones and hundreds more missiles.
Sudan’s military chief freezes bank accounts of rival paramilitary group amid truce attempts
CAIRO — Sudan’s military chief has ordered the freezing of all bank accounts belonging to a rival paramilitary force. The two sides have battled for weeks across Sudan, pushing the troubled country to the brink of all-out war.
U.N. chief in Jamaica urges international response to Haiti’s spiraling crisis
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — U.N. Secretary General António Guterres warned Monday that Haiti’s “tragic situation” is threatening the security of the Caribbean region and beyond as he pressed the international community for a response.
Powerful cyclone floods homes, cuts communications in western Myanmar; at least 6 dead, 700 injured
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Rescuers on Monday evacuated about 1,000 people trapped by seawater 3.6 meters (12 feet) deep along western Myanmar’s coast after a powerful cyclone injured hundreds and cut off communications. Six deaths were reported, but the true impact was not yet clear in one of Asia’s least developed countries.
South Korea and Japan use G-7 to push improvement in ties long marked by animosity
TOKYO — Amid the high-level efforts to deal with a raft of global emergencies, this weekend’s Group of 7 summit of rich democracies will also see an unusual diplomatic reconciliation as the leaders of Japan and South Korea look to continue mending ties that have been marked for years by animosity and bickering.
U.S. Virgin Islands seeks to subpoena Elon Musk in Jeffrey Epstein lawsuit
NEW YORK — The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands is trying to subpoena billionaire Elon Musk for documents in its lawsuit seeking to hold JPMorgan Chase liable for sex trafficking acts committed by businessman Jeffrey Epstein.