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In late March, the prospects of President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) coming together for a deal to raise the debt ceiling that both men found palatable looked dim.

On March 28, Biden flatly rejected a call from McCarthy for a meeting, instead urging the top House Republican to release a budget proposal before they could have a conversation in person.

Two days later, McCarthy quipped that he would bring a “soft food” lunch to the White House if that’s what it required for the two leaders to meet in person, an apparent swipe at Biden’s age.

By Memorial Day Weekend, both Biden and McCarthy were publicly complimenting each other and urging their respective parties to pass a deal they had finally signed off on.

“I think he negotiated with me in good faith. He kept his word. He said what he would do. He did what he said he’d do,” Biden said of McCarthy after delivering remarks Sunday at the White House.

“Very professional, very smart. Very tough at the same time,” McCarthy told reporters at the Capitol of his talks with Biden.

The budget deal and simultaneous agreement to lift the debt ceiling for two years marks a significant legislative achievement for two men who until recently had a very limited working relationship, with a big assist from top negotiators like Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) and Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young.

And while the sides traded barbs publicly to argue for their position, a mutual respect and sense of professionalism was persistent as a deal came together, according to officials close to the negotiations.

Biden and McCarthy have a shared Irish heritage, but otherwise little else to bond over. After November’s midterms, when it was apparent Republicans would retake the House majority, Biden said he hadn’t had much reason to talk to McCarthy previously.

They finally met Feb. 1 to discuss the budget and other matters, which McCarthy called a “very good discussion.” But aside from interacting at a St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Capitol Hill the next month, the two leaders went weeks without speaking, worrying some in Washington that the stalemate would send the country careening into a default.

White House officials were adamant that there would be no negotiation on the debt ceiling, and Biden for weeks insisted that he would be willing to sit down with McCarthy again once he released a budget proposal.

One turning point in talks came when House Republicans in late April passed their own bill that would slash federal spending and extend the government’s borrowing authority into next year. It marked a major win for McCarthy, and it brought the president to the table for budget negotiations.

“Biden has been around a long time. When he wants to, he can be cooperative, and when he doesn’t want to he can be obnoxious,” former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said in an interview.

“I think the White House believed that yelling ‘default’ would work and that in the end Kevin McCarthy would have to cave,” Gingrich added. “And I think it gradually became clear that they can’t bluff him. This is a guy who survived 15 votes to become Speaker. He’s quite capable of being very patient.”

Biden finally reached out to McCarthy to invite him and other congressional leaders to meet May 9, but it was not until after a second meeting the following week when there was a development viewed as a major sign of progress.

It was then that Biden and McCarthy appointed lead negotiators to work on hashing out a deal at the staff level. Biden tapped Young, a longtime Capitol Hill aide with strong relationships on both sides of the aisle, while McCarthy leaned on Graves, a top ally and, like Young, a Louisiana native.

As negotiators worked through their differences with a potential default deadline bearing down, Biden and McCarthy met again May 22 for talks that McCarthy described as “productive.”

With talks slowly progressing, some Democrats were exasperated that it was McCarthy appearing on camera in front of the West Wing or inside the Capitol to offer regular assessments of how talks were going, while Biden largely remained in the background and avoided declarative public remarks about the state of talks.

But Biden’s relative public silence in the final days of negotiations allowed negotiators to get to a final agreement without applying added pressure or potentially souring the good faith built up with McCarthy over the past month.

“This has been something that both sides, again, came to the table in good faith, understanding how important this is to the American people,” Young said Tuesday. “And that’s what you saw. The American people should at least have some understanding or some comfort that, you know, government is working for them in the sense of coming forward with a bipartisan, reasonable agreement.”

McCarthy appears to have avoided a serious threat to his speakership for now, even as some conservatives complained about the deal he cut with Biden and suggested it should be grounds for his removal.

Biden is also dealing with animosity from his left flank, with progressives bothered by the inclusion of tougher work requirements for social safety net recipients.

“I made clear from the start of negotiations that the only path forward was a bipartisan budget agreement,” Biden tweeted Wednesday. “No one got everything they wanted. But that’s the responsibility of governing.”

So long as McCarthy retains the gavel, he and Biden will likely face additional future obstacles over the next 18 months. While those close to both men don’t see them as fast friends in the wake of the past month of negotiations, there are indications that they can work together and find common ground. ‘Gradutate:’ Over 600 high school students receive misspelled stoles for graduation National Doughnut Day: Where to get free doughnuts this Friday

Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who was in the room for negotiations in recent weeks, was asked Wednesday if the Biden-McCarthy relationship is closer as the debt ceiling standoff reached its resolution.

“Better, right? But you’ve got two Irish guys that don’t drink,” McHenry quipped to reporters. “The bonding opportunities are not the same for an Irish guy like me. They both have a sweet tooth. Kevin for desserts, broadly. Biden obviously for ice cream.”

“It’s just a different construct for them sitting down and talking,” he added.

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Taliban internet blackout has created an extreme scenario in Afghanistan with far-reaching consequences

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Taliban internet blackout has created an extreme scenario in Afghanistan with far-reaching consequences

At Kabul International Airport, there are dozens of confused looking families.

Many are holding flowers, waiting and hoping their loved ones will touch down.

Others came here hoping to take-off but are now sitting bewildered in the hot sun.

After the Taliban imposed a nationwide shutdown of the internet, no one knows if any flights are still operating and no one can use their phones to find out.

The Taliban caught many in the country off-guard with their shutdown. File pic: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
Image:
The Taliban caught many in the country off-guard with their shutdown. File pic: West Asia News Agency via Reuters

“I am waiting for my brother from Australia,” one man tells me, “but I don’t know if he’s coming”.

Beyond the gates, the runway is full of grounded planes.

After hours of waiting on Tuesday, no international flights took off or arrived at Kabul Airport, despite some airlines scheduling departures.

The Taliban caught many in the country off-guard with their shutdown – reportedly even some of their own ministers.

Initially, there appeared to be no official indication of how long the shutdown might last or an explanation for why it was imposed.

A man tries to use Google on his smartphone in the Afghan capital. Pic: Reuters
Image:
A man tries to use Google on his smartphone in the Afghan capital. Pic: Reuters

On Wednesday, the Taliban government rejected reports of a nationwide internet ban, saying old fibre optic cables are worn out and are being replaced.

But, at the airport, people worry it could be indefinite. Others speculate about rumours it’s to do with security protocols and the movement of officials in the country.

No one knows, and the TV and radio stations they get their news from have not been providing the latest information.

Men try to connect their smart TV to the internet. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Men try to connect their smart TV to the internet. Pic: Reuters

The banks are open but no one can get out money. An employee at the bank in our hotel in Kabul told us they haven’t been able to open their operating systems since Tuesday morning and that Western Union isn’t accessible either.

That’s hugely significant in a country where many are reliant on money sent back by relatives abroad and banks are already struggling with sanctions.

No one can call the police, no one can call an ambulance, and hospitals and medical services are wrestling with how to adjust too.

It follows more than a week of temporary connectivity issues in some parts of the country, with the northern region of Balkh among the first to be affected by a ban on fibre optic internet.

Read more: Internet ban ‘extinguishing the only light that still reaches us’

Taliban fighters ride on a pickup truck during celebrations marking the fourth anniversary of the US withdrawal. Pic: AP
Image:
Taliban fighters ride on a pickup truck during celebrations marking the fourth anniversary of the US withdrawal. Pic: AP

In the last 10 days, we have been travelling across Afghanistan. People in Nangarhar, Kunar, Mazar-i-Sharif and Herat all expressed concern about possible impending blackouts, and we personally experienced a slowdown in connectivity in these places. But nothing as widespread or sustained as this shutdown which is nationwide.

Two weeks ago, the Taliban’s provincial government spokesman Haji Attaullah Zaid said leader Hibatullah Akhundzada had imposed a “complete ban” on cable internet access in Balkh.

“This measure was taken to prevent immorality, and an alternative will be built within the country for necessities,” Mr Zaid said.

It was said to be connected to concerns around pornography – but this was never officially stated by the Taliban.

We have tried to reach the government for comment via satellite phone but with no success.

No one knows how long the shutdown will last. Pic: Reuters
Image:
No one knows how long the shutdown will last. Pic: Reuters

The blackout has disrupted phone services. In countries with limited telecom infrastructure, phone networks are often routed through fibre-optic systems which have now been disabled.

The lack of connectivity has raised immediate concern in the aid community. Amnesty International called it “reckless” and said the shutdown would have “far-reaching consequences for the delivery of aid, access to healthcare and girls’ education”.

After the Taliban banned school for girls over the age of 12, many in the country have been secretly studying online.

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Everyone we’ve spoken to seems dumbfounded.

During the previous temporary blackouts, the Taliban did warn more was to come. But no one appears to have anticipated this – not ordinary citizens, not foreign officials here in Kabul, not big business, not the airlines or the hospitals.

It is an indication of how quickly this country can turn and the power the Taliban has to disrupt and reshape its future.

Internationally, many are raising concerns that this is an attempt by the Taliban at widespread censorship and further restriction of girls’ education.

Whatever the intention of their move, it has created an extreme scenario: no one in this country can currently contact anyone – for an emergency, for a family member, or for guidance – creating a major information vacuum.

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At least 69 dead as earthquake strikes Philippines, as hospital ‘overwhelmed’

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At least 69 dead as earthquake strikes Philippines, as hospital 'overwhelmed'

At least 69 people have been killed in a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake that rocked the central Philippines.

The centre of the quake, which knocked out power lines and sent people running out into the streets, was about 12 miles northeast of Bogo, a coastal city of about 90,000 people on the island of Cebu.

Civil defence official Raffy Alejandro told reporters that the city’s hospital has been “overwhelmed,” and that the number of dead remains “fluid”.

Earlier, authorities said at least 14 residents in Bogo had died. Another official said more than 150 people were injured.

The tremor was set off by movement in a local fault at a depth of three miles at around 10pm (3pm in the UK) on Tuesday.

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Gemma Villamor, head of the local disaster office, said earlier that in the town of Medellin, near Bogo, at least 12 residents died when the ceilings and walls of their homes collapsed, with some asleep at the time.

And in nearby San Remigio, vice mayor Alfie Reynes added that five people – including three coastguard members, a firefighter, and a child – were killed by collapsing walls while fleeing a basketball game.

He later told DZMM Radio: “It is raining heavily and there is no electricity so we really need help, especially in the northern part because there’s a scarcity of water after supply lines were damaged by the earthquake.”

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Medical teams in Cebu city, central Philippines, help the injured.  Pic: AP
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Medical teams in Cebu city, central Philippines, help the injured. Pic: AP

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

Businesses and landmark buildings have suffered damage, including an old Catholic church in the town of Daanbantayan, and roads have shown deep cracks.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology briefly issued a tsunami warning for Cebu and nearby provinces, but later lifted it after no unusual waves were detected.

The quake struck while Cebu and surrounding areas were still recovering from a severe storm that hit the central region days earlier, killing at least 27 people mainly from drownings and fallen trees, cutting power across cities, and forcing evacuations.

The Philippines, located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, is highly prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

It also faces around 20 typhoons and storms annually, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone nations.

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Princess Anne makes surprise Ukraine visit – and leaves a personal tribute

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Princess Anne makes surprise Ukraine visit - and leaves a personal tribute

Princess Anne has placed a toy bear as a poignant tribute at a children’s memorial in Ukraine, during an unexpected visit to the war-ravaged country where she also met Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The King’s sister travelled to the capital Kyiv on Tuesday, at the request of the Foreign Office, in a show of solidarity with children and families facing the horrors of the Russian invasion.

The Princess Royal met Mr Zelenskyy to discuss the UK’s support for Ukraine and its ongoing resistance.

The Princess Royal and First Lady Olena Zelenska laid soft toys during a visit to a memorial for children killed in the war. Pic: PA
Image:
The Princess Royal and First Lady Olena Zelenska laid soft toys during a visit to a memorial for children killed in the war. Pic: PA

Anne’s secret visit, which was not publicised beforehand for security reasons, came just two days after a Russian aerial bombardment killed at least four people in Kyiv, including a 12-year-old girl, and injured at least 70 others.

The attack, which lasted more than 12 hours, was one of the heaviest in recent months.

The purpose of her trip was to highlight the traumatic experiences of children living on the frontline, Buckingham Palace said.

Joining First Lady Olena Zelenska at the children’s memorial, Anne left the teddy in tribute to youngsters killed in the conflict, saying her daughter Zara Tindall had the same bear.

As the 75-year-old princess stepped back after placing the traditional-looking teddy at the base of the memorial alongside scores of other cuddly toys, she told Mrs Zelenska: “That was one that my daughter had.”

Mrs Zelenska also left a bear in tribute.

Anne is the latest British royal to make a trip to Kyiv. Pic: PA
Image:
Anne is the latest British royal to make a trip to Kyiv. Pic: PA

The site commemorates more than 650 children who have died since the start of the conflict in 2022.

In Kyiv, she also met female police and armed forces representatives and heard about their key role protecting women and children.

Visiting the Child Rights Protection Centre, she spoke to families and children who have been returned and reintegrated, and met some of those working to return more Ukrainian children.

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Princess Anne spoke to young people who lived under occupation. Pic: PA
Image:
Princess Anne spoke to young people who lived under occupation. Pic: PA

The Princess Royal met Ukrainian war veterans relaxing in a salt therapy room at a rehabilitation centre. Pic: PA
Image:
The Princess Royal met Ukrainian war veterans relaxing in a salt therapy room at a rehabilitation centre. Pic: PA

More than 19,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred or deported by the Russian authorities to Russia and the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Princess Anne is the second working royal to visit Ukraine.

In April last year, the Duchess of Edinburgh was the first to go and bring a letter of support from the King.

Anne’s trip also follows that of her nephew Prince Harry, who made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital just over two weeks ago with a team from his Invictus Games Foundation.

Anne also visited a rehabilitation centre, where she met Ukrainian veterans returning from the frontline.

The King has met Mr Zelenskyy a number of times and marked the country’s independence day in August by sending a message of solidarity.

During Donald Trump’s recent state visit to the UK, Charles also took the opportunity to stress the importance of supporting Ukraine.

He told the US president in his banquet speech: “Today, as tyranny once again threatens Europe, we and our allies stand together in support of Ukraine, to deter aggression and secure peace.”

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