An Ignoble Experiment: Senate passes debt limit bill to avoid US default

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Friday 06.02.23

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By Alexandra Meeks

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to reporters following the passage of legislation raising the debt ceiling until 2025.

Debt limit

The Senate passed a debt limit bill late Thursday, averting a US default. The legislation, which was passed by the House on Wednesday, will be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. After the Senate voted 63 to 36 to pass the bill, Biden praised Congress for its efforts in averting a default that would have had global economic consequences. The timeframe to pass the bill through Congress was extremely tight with little room for error, putting enormous pressure on leadership in both parties as the threat of default loomed. Biden plans to address the nation today at 7 p.m. ET on the deal.

Hurricane season

Hurricane season began Thursday, with officials predicting 12 to 17 named tropical storms will develop in the Atlantic this year. Five to nine of those systems could become hurricanes and as many as four could strengthen into major hurricanes at Category 3 or stronger, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. None of the seasonal outlooks go as far as to predict how many storms could make landfall in the Caribbean or the US, but history has shown that even in years with average or below-average storms, deadly landfalls are still possible. Last year, for instance, was an average season, but Hurricane Ian was a catastrophe for Florida. The storm killed more than 100 people, devastated the coast, and caused flooding that lasted weeks.

Student loans

The Senate passed a bill Thursday to block President Biden's student loan forgiveness program. This means both the Senate and the House have now passed legislation blocking the program, which promises to cancel up to $20,000 of debt for millions of borrowers. The bill now goes to Biden's desk for his signature, but the president has pledged to veto the legislation. Meanwhile, borrowers are still awaiting a Supreme Court decision that will determine whether the student loan forgiveness program can take effect. The justices are expected to rule later this month or early July. Federal student loan payments are also set to resume 60 days after the high court issues its ruling or 60 days after June 30, whichever comes first.

Prince Harry

A conservative think tank will argue in a federal court next week that Prince Harry's US immigration records should be unsealed following revelations of his drug use. The Heritage Foundation is suing the US government to find out if it acted according to procedure or "looked the other way" on some details when it granted the Duke of Sussex a US visa. Under US immigration law, evidence of past drug use can be grounds to reject an application. Harry most recently confessed to taking various drugs in his explosive memoir "Spare," which was published in January. The Duke of Sussex admitted to having taken cocaine, smoked marijuana and tried magic mushrooms. The case will be held in front of a federal judge next week in Washington, DC.

Colombia

A massive search is underway for four children who vanished last month in the Colombian Amazon after a devastating airplane crash killed every adult onboard. The story of the missing children has drawn intense interest across Colombia and internationally, as nearly 200 special forces troops and indigenous scouts continue to comb through the forest. The country's Civil Aviation Authority has offered clues as to how the four children — aged 13 years old to 11 months — could have survived, but their whereabouts remain a mystery. Relatives previously said the children knew the jungle well and authorities have confirmed they "were not located in the area of the accident" and there were "no signs that they had been injured."

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That's how many people have been sentenced for seditious conspiracy linked to the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. Among the individuals recently sentenced for the rare charge is Roberto Minuta, an Oath Keeper who acted as part of a security detail for Roger Stone before rushing to the Capitol on a golf cart to join the riot.

I got sandbagged!

— President Joe Biden, joking to reporters on Thursday after tripping on a sandbag and falling on the stage after handing out diplomas at the US Air Force Academy commencement. The White House said the president was fine after the fall. He was also seen smiling and jogging toward his vehicle at the ceremony's conclusion. Biden, 80, has had previous stumbles in public, but his doctor has repeatedly said he is physically fit to serve in office.

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