From Biden’s debt ceiling talks to North Carolina abortion law: Top 5 US stories today
From North Carolina's new abortion law to Joe Biden's scramble to prevent a government shutdown, here are the top 5 headlines from America today.
US President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House, May 16, 2023, in Washington. (AP) Today’s top story from the US is on a looming government shutdown that could have a devastating effect of the American economy. The debt limit negotiations continued today as President Joe Biden cut short his planned Asia trip to return to Washington. As a result, the Quad summit that was scheduled to be held in Australia was cancelled, announced PM Anthony Albanese earlier today.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina legislature made into law legislation that banned most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. The state’s Republican-controlled General Assembly successfully overrode the Democratic governor’s veto late Tuesday. The votes came as abortion rights in the US faced another tectonic shift with lawmakers in South Carolina and Nebraska also considering new abortion limits.
Also in the news, more on the gunman who killed three people and wounded six others in a New Mexico neighbourhood. The shooter, who was a high school student, killed a 97-year-old woman and her daughter, among others.
Here are 5 key headlines from the United States today:
- 01
Biden, McCarthy hopeful on debt ceiling deal, US president cuts Asia trip short
Democratic President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy edged closer to a deal to avoid a looming US debt default Tuesday, as the threat of an economic nightmare prompted Biden to cut short an Asia trip this week.
After months of delay and wasted time from President Biden, negotiations are finally underway for a responsible debt limit increase.
He has 16 days to avoid being the first president to default on the national debt. pic.twitter.com/1CZ0lsPcDA
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) May 17, 2023
After an hour of talks, McCarthy, the speaker of the House of Representatives, told reporters the two sides remained far apart on an agreement to lift the debt ceiling. But he said, "It is possible to get a deal by the end of the week. It's not that difficult to get to an agreement."
Democrats were not as positive about a quick time frame, but the White House called the meetings "productive and direct." Biden said the leaders reached "an overwhelming consensus ... that defaulting on the debt is simply not an option. Our economy would fall into recession." (Reuters)
- 02
Democrat Cherelle Parker wins primary for Philadelphia mayor
Cherelle Parker, a Democrat with a long political history in Pennsylvania, won Philadelphia’s mayoral primary on Tuesday, likely setting her up as the city’s 100th mayor and the first woman to serve in the role.
BREAKING: Cherelle Parker has won the Democratic Primary for Philadelphia Mayor.
🔗https://t.co/3rI5reNwND pic.twitter.com/cUJg3bMGTs
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) May 17, 2023
Parker, 50, who served for 10 years as a state representative for northwest Philadelphia before her election to the city council in 2015, asserted herself as a leader whose government experience would allow her to address gaping problems with public safety and quality of life in the nation’s sixth-largest city. She will go up against Republican David Oh in the Nov. 7 general election. (AP)
- 03
New Mexico teen bought AR-style rifle legally before shooting spree, police say
The gunman who shot dead three elderly women as he prowled a New Mexico neighbourhood firing at cars this week had legally purchased an assault-style rifle, one of three weapons he used in the rampage, a month after he turned 18, police said Tuesday.
The suspect, whose shooting spree on Monday morning through a residential area of Farmington, New Mexico, ended when police shot him dead, was publicly identified on Tuesday as 18-year-old Beau Wilson, a student at Farmington High School. Police said Wilson stalked a quarter-mile stretch of roadway on foot firing indiscriminately at cars, with some homes also being hit, before police confronted him outside a church, exchanging gunfire with Wilson to halt his advance. (Reuters)
- 04
North Carolina legislature overrides veto of 12-week abortion ban, making it law
North Carolina Republican lawmakers overrode a veto by the state's Democratic governor to enact a law on Tuesday that cuts the window for most abortions in the southern state from 20 to 12 weeks.
The law bans elective abortions after the first trimester, except in cases of rape, incest, life-limiting fetal anomalies and medical emergencies. It will curtail access to the procedure for millions of women across the U.S. South where a number of states have greatly restricted abortions. (Reuters)
- 05
US wants to see a successful Pakistan
Describing Islamabad as an important partner in the region, the White House said it wants to see a successful Pakistan.
"We want to see Pakistan be a success. And we want to see the Pakistan government live up to the strongest aspirations of the Pakistani people," John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at the White House.
"Pakistan is an important partner in the region. They are suffering from the threat of terrorism every single day. And we are mindful of the challenges that they are facing politically and economically as well. In the United States, they will continue to find a good friend," Kirby said in response to a question. (PTI)
Share
