Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 Republicans Say There’s A "Lack OF Urgency" From White House On Debt Ceiling
After another day of negotiations, reports are that not much progress is being made in the negotiations to raise the national debt ceiling just seven days before the earliest estimated date that the government will run out of money. After talks yesterday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he won’t support any bill “that doesn’t spend less than we spent this year.” While both McCarthy and President Joe Biden are still saying they’re optimistic that a deal will be reached, the two sides seem to still be far apart. There are some promising signs. Republicans have now set aside their demand, which was included in the legislation passed by the House, to roll spending back to 2022 levels, and the White House has reportedly offered to freeze spending at current numbers. Republican Rep. Garret Graves said there were still “significant gaps” between the Republican side and the White House. Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina said yesterday that “What I sense from the White House is a lack of urgency,” and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said yesterday that the back-and-forth is normal, commenting “Look, I think everybody needs to relax.”
2 Ron DeSantis will launch 2024 presidential campaign during Twitter event with Elon Musk
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to officially launch his 2024 presidential campaign at 6 p.m. Eastern Time tonight in a live, audio-only Twitter Spaces event with Elon Musk. The conversation between the governor and the owner of Twitter will be moderated by David Sacks. Insider reports are that DeSantis had originally planned to announce his candidacy next month, but moved his timeline up as former President Donald Trump has been on the attack against his possible run. After the Twitter announcement, DeSantis is scheduled to appear on Fox News to talk about his campaign. While Musk has previously indicated that he plans to support DeSantis in his presidential bid, he’s saying that he’s not endorsing anyone at this time. DeSantis is seen as the biggest rival Trump has for the Republican nomination, and a Trump advisor responded to the news of tonight’s event by telling ABC News that “Announcing on Twitter is perfect for Ron DeSantis. This way he doesn’t have to interact with people and the media can’t ask him any questions.”
3 Police Say Driver Who Crashed Near White House Was Prepared To Kill President Biden
More details have been released about the 19-year-old man accused of ramming a rental box truck into a barrier next to the White House just before 10 p.m. Eastern Time Monday night. A statement of facts in the case filed by the Secret Service in federal district court yesterday said that Sai Varshith Kandula of Chesterfield, Missouri flew from St. Louis to Dulles International Airport on a one-way ticket and immediately rented the U-Haul truck when he arrived Monday night. Kandula allegedly told authorities that he admires Nazis and wanted to “kill the president” and “seize power” according to court documents. He also allegedly told Secret Service agents that found a Nazi flag in his backpack that he bought it online because Nazis “have a great history,” and allegedly said he “admires their ‘authoritarian nature,’ Eugenics, and their one world order.” Kandula has been charged with depredation of property of the United States in excess of $1,000.