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WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday its budget deficit projections would be reduced by about $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years if the debt ceiling bill now up for a vote in Congress were enacted in its present form. The projection comes following the debt ceiling deal struck last weekend between Democratic President Joe Biden and Republican House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The bill, if approved by Congress, will prevent the U.S. government from defaulting on its debt and comes after weeks of heated negotiations between Biden and House Republicans. McCarthy has predicted he would have the support of a majority of his fellow Republicans for the deal to lift the $31.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling, and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said he expected Democratic support. Reporting by Kanishka Singh and Jasper Ward; Editing by Sonali Paul and Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin McCarthy, Biden, McCarthy, Hakeem Jeffries, Kanishka Singh, Jasper Ward, Sonali Paul, Christopher Cushing Organizations: U.S, Congressional, Democratic, Republican, Congress, Biden, House Republicans, Republicans, Thomson Locations: Jasper

WORCESTER, May 19 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Friday ordered the Air National Guardsman accused of leaking military secrets to remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges he violated the Espionage Act. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy made the decision after lawyers for Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, asked for him to be released to house arrest pending trial. Teixeira leaked classified documents to a group of gamers on the messaging app Discord, according to prosecutors. While a low-level airman, Teixeira had broad access to military secrets at the Massachusetts Air National Guard’s 102nd Intelligence Wing, according to U.S. Justice Department lawyers. “I have stuff for Israel, Palestine, Syria, Iran and China,” Teixeira said on social media, according to prosecutors.

☆ Jim Brown, legendary NFL running back, dead at 87
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Bill Trott | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Former NFL football player Jim Brown speaks after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, U.S., October 11, 2018. Brown led the NFL in rushing in eight of his nine seasons and was voted the league's most valuable player four times. "I didn't retire because I was broken down and slow," Brown told Sports Illustrated in 2015. "I was basically a proponent of economic development as a way to equality, social equality," Brown told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2013. The NFL this year honored Brown by renaming the league's rushing title the Jim Brown Award.

☆ Democratic senators urge Biden to use 14th Amendment to avoid debt default
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - A group of U.S. Senate Democrats called on President Joe Biden to prepare to invoke the U.S. Constitution's 14th Amendment to avoid a debt default if negotiations with Republicans fail, according to a letter released on Thursday. Led by independent Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with the Democrats, the 11 lawmakers said while they appreciated Biden's efforts to find a bipartisan deal to lift the debt ceiling, Republicans in Congress were "not acting in good faith." "Using this authority would allow the United States to continue to pay its bills on-time, without delay, preventing a global catastrophe," they said. The periodic lifting of the federal government's borrowing limit allows the government to pay for spending Congress has already authorized. Reporting by Jasper Ward and Paul Grant; Editing by Doina ChiacuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Florida Governor DeSantis to enter US presidential race next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 17 (Reuters) - Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis will officially enter the 2024 U.S. presidential race next week, according to two sources familiar with the decision, immediately becoming Donald Trump's biggest rival for the Republican nomination and shaking up a contest that largely has been one-sided. DeSantis will likely file paperwork declaring his candidacy on May 25 to coincide with a donor meeting in Miami, with a more formal launch the week of May 29, according to a source. Those attacks have taken a toll on DeSantis’ standing in national polls. But DeSantis and his advisers hoped to use the legislature’s session as a springboard to a campaign announcement and have stayed true to their timetable. DeSantis, 44, was re-elected as governor just last year, trouncing his Democratic opponent by nearly 20 percentage points.

☆ Republicans reject White House tax loophole proposal in debt talks -WaPo
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - The White House last week gave Republican lawmakers a list of proposals to reduce the deficit by closing tax loopholes as part of debt ceiling talks, and each item was rejected by Republican negotiators, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing three sources. Senior White House officials floated the tax plans on a phone call with Republicans, the Post reported. They included a measure aimed at cryptocurrency transactions and another for large real estate investors, it reported. Reporting by Rami Ayyub and Jasper Ward; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - The U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary on Monday dismissed the idea of minting a platinum coin as a way to avoid a U.S. default, saying the only workable solution was for Congress to raise the federal debt ceiling. Asked in a National Public Radio interview about the possibility of minting a $1 trillion platinum coin to circumvent the debt ceiling, Adeyemo said "creative, inventive" ideas have been floated in the past but are not workable. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also has rejected the idea of a platinum coin to skirt the debt ceiling and fund government expenses. The debt ceiling standoff was already having an impact on the U.S. economy, Adeyemo said, hurting the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment surveys "because the American people are starting to worry about whether the government is going to pay the bills." He repeated a Moody's Analytics estimate that a default would cost the U.S. around 8 million jobs and lead to recession.

☆ U.S. attorney general OKs transfer of forfeited funds from Russia oligarch for use in Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, May 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has authorized the first transfer of forfeited Russian assets for use in Ukraine, he said on Wednesday. The Justice Department last year charged Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev with violating sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, saying he provided financing for Russians promoting separatism in Crimea. In February, Garland said he authorized the transfer of that money for use in Ukraine. "While this represents the United States’ first transfer of forfeited Russian funds for the rebuilding of Ukraine," Garland said, "it will not be the last,” he said in a statement. Reporting By Paul Grant; editing by Jasper Ward and Doina ChiacuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ No Black Sea grain deal ships inspected as Russian deadline looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - The United Nations said no ships were inspected on Sunday or Monday under a deal allowing the safe Black Sea export of Ukraine grain, which Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18 over obstacles to its own grain and fertilizer exports. The U.N. and Turkey brokered the Black Sea export agreement in July last year to help tackle a global food crisis that has been worsened by Moscow's war in Ukraine. Officials from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey and the U.N. make up a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, which implements the deal. To help convince Russia to allow Ukraine to resume Black Sea grain exports, a three-year pact was also struck in July 2022 in which the U.N. agreed to help Moscow facilitate those shipments. The Black Sea export deal also provided for the export of fertilizer, including ammonia, but there had been no such exports so far, the United Nations said.

☆ Dianne Feinstein returning to U.S. Senate after health-related absence
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Richard Cowan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Dianne Feinstein, 89, will return to Washington on Tuesday after a months-long absence due to illness, her spokesman said, restoring Democrats' 51-49 majority to full strength. The trailblazing lawmaker had been sidelined since February as she recovered from a bout of shingles, which had led to calls from some fellow Democrats to step aside and allow someone else to take her place. “I’m glad that my friend Dianne is back in the Senate and ready to roll up her sleeves and get to work," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a written statement. Democrats' worries were further heightened as lawmakers have been spending 2023 arguing over raising the nation's borrowing authority. Feinstein could provide crucial support for whatever debt limit bill comes before the Senate that would avert a first-ever default on U.S. debt.

☆ Alberta issues emergency alert for four armed, dangerous suspects
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 8 (Reuters) - The Canadian province of Alberta issued an emergency alert on Monday for the area of Sunchild and O'Chiese First Nations due to four "armed and dangerous" individuals in that area. The alert was issued at 1:17 PM (7:17 GMT)and is expected to end on Tuesday. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Alberta said it was investigating multiple firearms complaints in the Sunchild and O'Chiese First Nations and asked residents to shelter in place. "RCMP are actively looking for 4 suspects, 2 of which are identified as 28-year-old Colin Beaverbones and 25-year-old Boyd Beaverbones. These suspects are considered armed and dangerous.

[1/2] Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes is seen on video during the hearing of the U.S. House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 9, 2022. The Justice Department is also seeking a sentence of 21 years for another Oath Keepers leader, Kelly Meggs, who was also found guilty in November of seditious conspiracy by a Washington, D.C., jury. The same Washington jury that convicted Rhodes and Meggs cleared three other co-defendants, Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell, of seditious conspiracy. The charges of seditious conspiracy and obstruction of an official proceeding each carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Four other members of the Oath Keepers were convicted in January of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the attack.

☆ Biden expected to nominate Jefferson as next Federal Reserve vice chair -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Federal Reserve Governor Philip Jefferson as the next vice chair, two sources familiar with the matter said on WednesdayIn addition, economist Adrian Kugler is expected to be nominated to an open Fed board seat, with an announcement anticipated in coming days, the sources said. Reporting by Costas Pitas; writing by Jasper Ward; editing by Dan WhitcombOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ USAID pauses food assistance to Tigray region of Ethiopia
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jasper Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 3 (Reuters) - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced on Wednesday the temporary suspension of its food assistance to the Tigray region of Ethiopia. While describing the move as a "difficult decision", USAID Administrator Samantha Power said the agency recently discovered that food aid intended for people of the region, who are suffering under famine-like condition, was being diverted and sold on the local market. The agency referred the matter to its Office of the Inspector General, which launched an investigation, and sent leaders from its Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance to Ethiopia before deciding to on a temporary pause in food aid, she said. The government and Tigray forces agreed to end the hostilities in November, which has allowed additional aid to reach the region and for some services to be restored. "While food aid to the Tigray Region is paused, other vital assistance not implicated in the diversion scheme will continue, including life-saving nutritional supplements, safe drinking water, and support for agricultural activities and development," she said.

☆ US to end COVID-19 vaccination requirements on May 11 -White House
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, May 1 (Reuters) - The United States will end its COVID-19 vaccination requirements for federal employees and contractors, and international air travelers on May 11, when the coronavirus public health emergency ends, the White House said on Monday. "Additionally, HHS and DHS announced today that they will start the process to end their vaccination requirements for Head Start educators, CMS-certified healthcare facilities, and certain noncitizens at the land border. In the coming days, further details related to ending these requirements will be provided," the White House said. Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Eric BeechOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. negotiator says Biden would be warmly welcomed in Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Reuters) - The United States needs to accelerate diplomatic "catch up" with the Pacific island region in the face of Chinese competition, a U.S. diplomat said on Friday, adding that he was sure President Joe Biden would be warmly welcomed there if he decided to visit. "Obviously for the Pacific, I am sure they would welcome President Biden, if he were to go there," Yun told the Hudson Institute. A Pacific islands source told Reuters that Biden was also expected to meet with more than a dozen Pacific islands leaders, but the White House National Security Council has not responded to request for comment on the plans. Yun said the level of Chinese coercion in the region that is crucial to U.S. national security, but that had been neglected by the United States, is concerning. "So now we're playing ... a little bit of catch up, I would say, and but you know, we need to accelerate our catch up."

[1/2] Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts arrives before President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at the Capitol, Tuesday, February 7, 2023, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS/File PhotoCompanies United States Senate FollowWASHINGTON, April 20 (Reuters) - The Senate Judiciary Committee's chairman called on U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts to testify at a May 2 hearing on Supreme ethics reform after earlier urging him to investigate ties between Justice Clarence Thomas and a wealthy Republican donor. The court did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Roberts. The chief justice is a member of the court's 6-3 conservative majority. In inviting Roberts to testify, Durbin also said the chief justice could designate another justice to appear instead.

☆ New York City parking garage collapses, some believed trapped
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 18 (Reuters) - A parking garage collapse in New York City's lower Manhattan caused several injuries on Tuesday, local emergency officials and media reported, adding that some victims may have been trapped in the fallen structure. The second floor of the garage collapsed onto the first, CBS News reported, citing New York City emergency officials. But firefighters responding to the collapse were pulled back from the immediate scene "out of concerns about the structural stability of the building," the New York City Fire Department said in a statement. In the meantime, emergency personnel were doing their best to account for anyone who may have been trapped, the department said. New York City Mayor Eric Adams was briefed on the collapse and was be heading to the scene to survey the damage, his spokesperson said on Twitter.

☆ White Kansas City man, 84, charged for shooting Black teen who went to wrong house
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-17 | by ( Jasper Ward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 17 (Reuters) - Prosecutors charged an 84-year-old white Kansas City man with two felonies on Monday in the shooting of a Black teenager who was wounded after walking up to the wrong house when going to pick up his younger twin brothers. "I can tell you there was a racial component to the case," Clay County prosecutor Zachary Thompson told a news conference, without providing further details. But Yarl told police in an interview at the hospital where he was treated that the man told him, "Don't come around here," local media reported, citing court documents. "No child should ever live in fear of being shot for ringing the wrong doorbell," Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted in response to the shooting. Reporting By Brendan O'Brien and Andrew Hay; Editing by Donna Bryson and Bill BerkrotOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US Senator Feinstein will step down temporarily from Judiciary Committee
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Feinstein, recuperating from a bout of shingles and facing calls from fellow Democrats to resign, said on Wednesday her return to the Senate has been delayed and she would temporarily step down from the Judiciary Committee. “I intend to return as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel," Feinstein said. She said "my absence could delay the important work of the Judiciary Committee" and has asked to step down until she is able to resume work. U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer will grant Feinstein's request and ask the Senate next week to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve on the committee, a Schumer spokesperson said in a statement. Feinstein, who will not run when up for reelection in 2024, is currently the oldest serving U.S. senator.

☆ U.S. Air National Guardsman suspected of leaking intel to be arrested Thursday -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - An Air National Guardsman suspected of leaking highly classified U.S. documents will be arrested on Thursday in Massachusetts, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters. The New York Times reported that the leader of an online group where the secret documents were posted is a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard. Named Jack Teixeira, the national guardsman led Thug Shaker Central, an online group where about 20 to 30 people shared their love of guns, racist memes and video games, the Times said, citing interviews and documents it reviewed. U.S. President Joe Biden earlier on Thursday said investigators were closing in on the source of the leak. Reporting by Katharine Jackson and Jasper Ward; editing by Susan HeaveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. Senate panel to hold hearing on Biden's Labor nominee Su next week
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, April 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Labor committee will hold an April 20 confirmation hearing on U.S. Labor Secretary nominee Julie Su, panel chairman Senator Bernie Sanders said in a statement. President Joe Biden had nominated Su for the Cabinet post in February but her nomination has raised some pushback from industry circles. Reporting by Jasper Ward and Moira Warburton; writing by Susan HeaveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Lanny Davis, a lawyer for Cohen, called Trump's lawsuit "frivolous." "Mr. Trump is once again using and abusing the judicial system as a form of harassment and intimidation against Michael Cohen," Davis said. Trump's lawsuit said Cohen wrongfully called Trump "racist" in the disbarred lawyer's 2020 book, entitled "Disloyal," and fabricated conversations with Trump from when he served as his attorney. Once known for intense loyalty to Trump, Cohen has become a harsh critic and has assisted law enforcement agencies and lawmakers investigating his former boss. Trump filed a suit against James seeking to halt her civil case, but a judge dismissed it, writing that there was "no evidence" that the investigation was undertaken in bad faith.

April 12 (Reuters) - Former U.S. President Donald Trump is suing his former lawyer Michael Cohen for more than $500 million, according to a filing in federal court in Florida on Wednesday. The lawsuit accuses Cohen of violating his attorney-client relationship with Trump by revealing his "confidences" and "spreading falsehoods" in books, podcasts and media appearances. It says Cohen wrongfully called Trump "racist" in his 2020 book, "Disloyal," and fabricated conversations with Trump. Cohen was a top executive at Trump's real estate company and then worked as his personal lawyer when Trump assumed office in 2017. Cohen in 2018 pleaded guilty to violating federal election law through the $130,000 payment to the porn star, Stormy Daniels.

CHICAGO, April 11 (Reuters) - U.S. President Joe Biden picked Chicago to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention, tapping a large liberal city in the heart of the Midwest to hold what could be his nominating party, officials said on Tuesday. "Chicago is a great choice to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention," Biden said in a statement distributed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Tuesday. The city has hosted several Democratic conventions, including the tumultuous and violent 1968 gathering during the Vietnam War. "There'll be some initial heartbreak, which I'm experiencing right now," said Dominick Perkins, a top Democratic strategist in Georgia. The convention, where delegates will formally select a final Democratic nominee to run in the November 2024 presidential election, will run from Aug. 19-22 next year, the DNC said.

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