McCarthy tries to drag Biden to negotiating table on debt limit

Published

2 years ago

March 29, 2023

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Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is trying to ramp up pressure on President Biden to negotiate a package of fiscal reforms in exchange for raising the debt limit, but Democrats still refuse to sit down with him, setting the stage for a high-stakes standoff this summer.

McCarthy on Tuesday tried to kickstart negotiations by laying out his first broad proposals for spending reforms in a letter to Biden.

He called for cutting nondefense discretionary spending, reclaiming unspent COVID-19 relief funding, strengthening work requirements for social safety net programs and creating policies to lower energy costs and secure the U.S.-Mexico border to stem the flow of illegal drugs.

McCarthy accused the president of putting the economy at risk by refusing to address the nation’s $31 trillion debt.

“I am incredibly concerned that you are putting an already fragile economy in jeopardy by insisting upon your extreme position of refusing to negotiate any meaningful changes to out-of-control government spending alongside an increase of the debt limit,” he wrote.

But McCarthy also admitted Tuesday that he is growing pessimistic about reaching any deal with the White House, which has steadfastly ignored his calls for spending cuts and instead rolled out a budget proposal this month that called for nearly $5 trillion in tax increases.

“I am more concerned than I have ever been to be able to get this debt ceiling done because he refuses to meet with anybody and misleads the American public,” McCarthy said of Biden in an interview with MSNBC on Tuesday.

Democrats, meanwhile, say they won’t negotiate with McCarthy until he shows he has the votes to pass a package of fiscal reforms with top-line spending numbers.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday dismissed McCarthy’s letter as not doing anything to advance the discussion and said it showed the Speaker is feeling pressure to show conservatives in the House that he’s getting somewhere with the president.

“I think he’s really feeling pressure, but he has no solution. So he keeps saying the same thing, ‘sit down and negotiate.’ But as I said, if you sit down and negotiate, we have a plan, he doesn’t. What are they going to do? Talk about the weather?” Schumer said, also calling McCarthy’s broad suggestions “vague” and “amorphous.”

“No, he didn’t advance the ball. It was just another sign of the pressure he’s under but he’s not moving forward,” he added.

Biden on Tuesday evening responded to McCarthy’s letter, asking him to submit a budget plan before Congress leaves for a two-week recess on Thursday “so that we can have an in-depth conversation when you return.”

But he added, “As I have repeatedly said, that conversation must be separate from prompt action on the Congress’ basic obligation to pay the Nation’s bills and avoid economic catastrophe.”

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), one of McCarthy’s closest friends in the House, told Punchbowl Tuesday that the Speaker is losing hope of getting anywhere with Biden.

“I’ve never seen him more pessimistic about an issue than he is about the debt ceiling increase,” he said. “At the moment, I don’t see how we get there. And this a marked change from where I’ve been.”

McHenry said he didn’t “even see a path” to a debt ceiling agreement.

There’s a growing expectation among senators in both parties that Biden and McCarthy won’t be able to come to any debt limit agreement, and that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will step in later this year to cut a deal to avoid a national default, as he has done in the past.

Republican lawmakers say McCarthy needed to do something to get the stalled talks moving. He and Biden last met at the White House on Feb. 1.

“I think it’s a good move. Let’s get people back to the table again, and hopefully this will act as a jumpstart,” Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.) said.

Members discussed McCarthy’s letter during a House GOP conference meeting on Tuesday morning, and Republicans across the ideological spectrum expressed approval of McCarthy’s outline — including members of the House Freedom Caucus and allied hard-line members.

“I extend my gratitude to Mr. McCarthy, Speaker McCarthy,” said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), a former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. “His letter to President Biden this morning is a positive move.”

“The conference is united. Speaker McCarthy in this conference is largely saying the same thing, talking about cutting 3 to 4 trillion dollars in spending, going back to 2019 nondefense discretionary spending, ’20 to ’22 spending overall,” said Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.).

Republicans also derided the White House for seeming to attempt to run out the clock by refusing to sit down with McCarthy. That would then put pressure on Republicans to agree to a clean debt ceiling increase over the summer, possibly only days away from a default.

“I also don’t know why the President feels that it’s important to wait. That seems like a delay tactic,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), chairman of the Main Street Caucus.

Schumer says Democrats have a plan: to vote and pass a clean bill to raise the debt limit.

And Democrats point out that Biden submitted his $6.8 trillion budget plan to Congress on March 9.

Schumer also criticized McCarthy for calling for trillions of dollars in spending reforms without laying out in more detail how he would achieve those savings.

“Today he said, ‘What about $4 trillion in cuts?’ Well, what are they? A number is not a plan, especially a plan that is so vague and amorphous,” he told reporters. “The reason he doesn’t want to do it in my humble judgment is that he can’t get 218 votes for any plan.”

But McCarthy argued Schumer does not yet having the votes to pass a clean debt ceiling increase — necessitating the need for negotiation with Biden.

“If they think they can just raise the debt limit, why don’t they do it in the Senate tomorrow?” McCarthy said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted in a statement Tuesday that Republicans agreed to pass clean debt limit increases three times under former President Trump. Man stops traffic to help teacher, children escape Nashville school shooting Florida board bans ‘This Book Is Gay’ from middle school libraries

“Business leaders and economists have warned that the threat of a default risks the livelihoods of American small businesses, retirees, and working families and would hand a massive win to China — and recent events underscore the need for Congress to address the debt limit as soon as possible. It’s time for Republicans to stop playing games, pass a clean debt ceiling bill, and quit threatening our economic recovery,” she said.

Thune, who is standing in for McConnell while the Kentucky lawmaker recuperates from a concussion, said McCarthy didn’t coordinate his letter ahead of time with Senate Republicans but said his proposals will attract broad GOP support.

“I know that he’s working with his members … I think those are all items that there’d probably be general, pretty broad agreement among Republicans in both the House and Senate on,” he said.

Entertainment

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs guilty of prostitution offences – but cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering

Published

5 mins ago

July 2, 2025

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs guilty of prostitution offences - but cleared of sex trafficking and racketeering

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been found guilty of transportation for prostitution following a landmark trial in New York – but cleared of more serious charges of sex trafficking and racketeering conspiracy.

The 55-year-old hip-hop mogul was accused by prosecutors of abusing and coercing three alleged victims, including his former long-term partner, singer and model Cassie Ventura, and other crimes including kidnapping, arson and blackmail.

Jurors decided not all the allegations were proven – but Combs still faces up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of transporting people across the US, including Cassie and another former girlfriend, Jane*, and paying male escorts to engage in sexual encounters.

However, with the not guilty verdict on three other more serious charges – racketeering conspiracy and two of sex-trafficking – he has avoided a maximum possible sentence of life behind bars.

The mixed result from the jury came not long into their third day of deliberations. In the courtroom in Manhattan, New York, there were cheers from Combs’s family, and the rapper himself held his hands up in a prayer motion, looking at the jury, and hugged his defence lawyer Teny Geragos.

His mood seemed very different to just a day earlier – when he learned the jury had reached a verdict on four of the five charges, but were split on the racketeering charge. After deliberating for longer on Wednesday, they came to a unanimous decision.

Judge Arun Subramanian adjourned the court while he considered whether to grant Combs bail before sentencing. The rapper has been in prison since his arrest in September 2024 – but his lawyers argue his acquittal on the most serious counts has changed the legal landscape enough that he should now be released.

As the verdict sunk in, Combs appeared overwhelmed, kneeling at his chair and bowing his head in prayer once again.

“I’ll be home soon,” he said as he faced his family members. “I love you, Mum.”

Cassie ‘paved the way’

Reacting to the verdict, Cassie’s lawyer Douglas H Wigdor said that although jurors did not find Combs guilty of sex-trafficking Cassie, she had “paved the way” for the other guilty verdicts.

“By coming forward with her experience, Cassie has left an indelible mark on both the entertainment industry and the fight for justice,” he said.

“We must repeat – with no reservation – that we believe and support our client, who showed exemplary courage throughout this trial.”

Cassie, who testified heavily pregnant just three weeks before giving birth, displayed “unquestionable strength”, he added, and “brought attention to the realities of powerful men in our orbit”.

Videos of “freak off” sex sessions with male escorts were shown to jurors only during the seven-week trial, with the footage kept private from members of the public and media in court.

Former employees, along with escorts, hotel staff and police officers were among those to give evidence.

Cassie and Jane, who used a pseudonym, also testified. They told the court they were coerced into drug-fuelled freak offs – which were also referred to as “hotel nights” or “wild king nights” – with male escorts, and abused throughout their relationships.

Combs’s defence team presented a very different picture to show that sexual acts, including freak offs, were consensual.

They conceded the music star could be violent, had a bad temper, and used drugs. He also had multiple relationships at the same time. But crucially, they said, while he was “not proud” of some of his behaviour, none of it made him guilty of the charges against him.

After hearing evidence of flights and travel for escorts and Cassie and Jane, paid for by Combs, as well as hotel bookings across the US and the Caribbean, jurors found him guilty of the transportation to engage in prostitution charges. However, they did not find that the allegations against the rapper amounted to sex-trafficking or racketeering.

The Cassie hotel tape

Combs, known variously as Puff Daddy, P Diddy, and Diddy over the years, was once one of the most influential figures in hip-hop – famous as a producer, founder of Bad Boy Records and manager of the late Notorious BIG in the 1990s, as well as a rapper in his own right.

As an artist, he won three Grammys during his career, and had hits including I’ll Be Missing You, Come With Me, and Bad Boy For Life.

In September 2023, he received the “global icon” award from MTV and was given the key to New York City at a ceremony in Times Square, just a few miles away from the streets in Harlem where he spent his first years.

Allegations first came to prominence in November 2023, when Cassie filed a bombshell lawsuit accusing him of coercing her into unwanted sex sessions, as well as blackmail and several incidences of violence.

The suit was settled in 24 hours – for $20m, it emerged during the trial – but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her to the floor in 2016.

He apologised after the video aired, saying: “I was disgusted when I did it.”

Footage from the hotel incident was shown during the trial.

Following the verdict, the rapper now awaits sentencing. He also still faces several civil lawsuits, most of which were filed in the wake of his arrest in September 2024.

Entertainment

Bob Vylan to no longer headline festival in Manchester after Glastonbury controversy

Published

5 mins ago

July 2, 2025

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Bob Vylan to no longer headline festival in Manchester after Glastonbury controversy

Punk rap duo Bob Vylan will no longer headline the Radar Festival in Manchester days after leading chants of “death to the IDF” at Glastonbury.

The performance on the West Holts Stage on Saturday was livestreamed on the BBC – leading the corporation to apologise as it described the chants referencing the Israeli military as “antisemitic” and “unacceptable”.

Avon and Somerset Police announced on Monday that it had opened a criminal investigation after reviewing footage of performances at Glastonbury by Bob Vylan and Irish hip hop trio Kneecap.

The force said the case has been recorded as a “public order incident” and said the investigation will be “evidence-led and will closely consider all appropriate legislation, including relating to hate crimes”.

In a post on Instagram on Wednesday, the Radar Festival, which takes place at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, wrote: “Bob Vylan will not be appearing at Radar Festival this weekend.”

The festival has not explained why the duo will no longer appear on Saturday night – with its line-up now reading “headliner TBC”.

In response, the group shared the festival’s statement on their Instagram story, adding the caption: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester we will be back.”

It comes after the band were barred from the US, where they were due to tour in autumn with performances in Chicago, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

US deputy secretary of state Christopher Landau said the duo’s visas were revoked for their “hateful tirade at Glastonbury”.

The band have also been pulled from an upcoming performance at a German music venue.

In a statement on Tuesday, the duo said they were being “targeted for speaking up” after police opened their investigation.

They wrote: “We are not for the death of Jews, Arabs or any other race or group of people.

“We are for the dismantling of a violent military machine. A machine whose own soldiers were told to use “unnecessary lethal force” against innocent civilians waiting for aid.

“A machine that has destroyed much of Gaza.”

The statement added: “We, like those in the spotlight before us, are not the story.

“We are a distraction from the story. And whatever sanctions we receive will be a distraction.

“The government doesn’t want us to ask why they remain silent in the face of this atrocity? To ask why they aren’t doing more to stop the killing? To feed the starving?

“The more time they talk about Bob Vylan the less time they spend answering for their criminal inaction.

“We are being targeted for speaking up. We are not the first, we will not be the last, and if you care for the sanctity of human life and freedom of speech, we urge you to speak up too.”

During the performance on Saturday, Bobby Vylan, one half of the duo, also led his crowd in chants that included “Free, free Palestine”.

Bob Vylan performed on the West Holts Stage slot directly before Kneecap, whose member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.

He is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.

Kneecap also led the Glastonbury crowd in “Free Palestine” chants.

The BBC has faced strong criticism for continuing to livestream the Bob Vylan performance on iPlayer with on-screen warnings about discriminatory language.

It has since been revealed that BBC director-general Tim Davie was at Glastonbury when the chants were broadcast.

A BBC spokesperson said: “The director-general was informed of the incident after the performance and at that point he was clear it should not feature in any other Glastonbury coverage.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy criticised the BBC over its decision not to pull the Bob Vylan livestream during the chants on Saturday and said there is “a problem of leadership” at the corporation.

The group was formed in Ipswich in 2017, and are known for addressing political issues in their albums, including racism, masculinity and class.

The group are scheduled to perform at the Boardmasters surfing and music festival in Newquay, Cornwall in August.

Science

Virginia Tech Engineers Craft Durable, Self‑Repairing, and Recyclable PCBs

Published

5 mins ago

July 2, 2025

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Virginia Tech Engineers Craft Durable, Self‑Repairing, and Recyclable PCBs

A team of scientists has developed a new kind of self-healing circuit board that stays functional even after severe mechanical damage and can be reshaped or recycled entirely using heat. Infused with liquid metal and built using a polymer known as vitrimer, the new circuit boards could dramatically cut electronic waste and transform the durability of consumer electronics. Vitrimer retains the strength of traditional thermoset materials while allowing flexibility and repair, making it possible to reconfigure damaged boards without compromising electrical performance.

As per a study published in Advanced Materials on June 1, the boards were created by blending vitrimer with just 5% by volume of liquid metal droplets. This combination nearly doubled the material’s strain-at-break, or stretchability, compared to vitrimer alone. The embedded droplets are flexible as well, serving as flexible conductors in place of metal wiring used in traditional boards. Using a rheometer, tests showed the material was able to return to its original shape after heat-induced deformation ranging from 170°C to 200°C, which conventional epoxy-based thermosets cannot achieve.

Engineers also demonstrated that the material remains highly conductive and can recover its electrical function after being damaged. “Modern circuit boards simply cannot do this,” said Josh Worch, co-lead author of the study. His team designed the dynamic composite with the aim of building a circular economy around electronics. The design addresses a major environmental concern: most circuit boards today use thermosets that cannot be recycled and end up in landfills.

Electronic waste has more than doubled in 12 years, from 34 to 62 billion kilograms, as noted in a 2024 UN report. Despite containing valuable metals like gold, current boards are difficult to break down and reclaim due to the permanent nature of thermosetting plastics. The new vitrimer-based design, by contrast, allows for easy separation and reuse of materials. “Even if the board is damaged,” said Michael Bartlett, another co-lead author, “electrical performance will not suffer.”

More work needs to be done to improve the recovery of some elements, but the advance is a big step toward greener electronics, the researchers say. The technology could one day be in many different types of devices, from phones and laptops to wearables and TVs, changing the way devices are made, operated, and recycled.

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