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WASHINGTON A divided United States House of Representatives passed a Bill to suspend the US$31.4 trillion (S$42.4 trillion) debt ceiling on Wednesday, with majority support from both Democrats and Republicans to overcome opposition from hard-line conservatives and avoid a catastrophic default.

The Republican-controlled House voted 314-117 to send the legislation to the Senate, which must enact the measure and get it to President Joe Bidens desk before a Monday deadline, when the federal government is expected to run out of money to pay its bills.

This agreement is good news for the American people and the American economy, Mr Biden said after the vote.

I urge the Senate to pass it as quickly as possible so that I can sign it into law.

The measure, a compromise between Mr Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, drew opposition from 71 hard-line Republicans.

That would normally be enough to block partisan legislation, but 165 Democrats more than the 149 Republicans who voted for it backed the measure and pushed it through.

Republicans control the House by a narrow 222-213 majority.

The legislation suspends in essence, temporarily removes the federal governments borrowing limit through January 1, 2025.

The timeline allows Mr Biden and Congress to set aside the politically risky issue until after the November 2024 presidential election.

It would also cap some government spending over the next two years, speed up the permitting process for certain energy projects, claw back unused Covid-19 funds and expand work requirements for food aid programmes to additional recipients.

Hard-line Republicans had wanted deeper spending cuts and more stringent reforms.

At best, we have a two-year spending freeze thats full of loopholes and gimmicks, said Representative Chip Roy, a prominent member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus.

Progressive Democrats who along with Mr Biden had resisted negotiating over the debt ceiling oppose the Bill for a few reasons, including new work requirements from some federal anti-poverty programmes.

Republicans are forcing us to decide which vulnerable Americans get to eat or theyll throw us into default. Its just plain wrong, said Democratic Representative Jim McGovern on Wednesday.

Late on Tuesday, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said the legislation would result in US$1.5 trillion in savings over a decade.

That is below the US$4.8 trillion in savings that Republicans aimed for in a Bill they passed through the House in April, and also below the US$3 trillion in deficit that Mr Bidens proposed budget would have reduced over that time through new taxes. More On This Topic What you need to know about the US debt ceiling Biden says US 'default is not an option' Senate up next

In the Senate, leaders of both parties said they hoped to move to enact the legislation before the weekend.

But a potential delay over amendment votes could complicate matters.

Republicans said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell could need to allow votes on Republican amendments to ensure quick action.

But Mr Schumer appeared to rule out amendments on Wednesday, telling reporters: We cannot send anything back to the House, plain and simple. We must avoid default.

Senate debate and voting could stretch into the weekend, especially if any one of the 100 senators tries to slow passage.

Hard-line Republican Senator Rand Paul, long known for delaying important Senate votes, has said he would not hold up passage if allowed to offer an amendment for a floor vote.

Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive independent who caucuses with the Democrats, said he would oppose the Bill due to inclusion of an energy pipeline and extra work requirements.

I cannot, in good conscience, vote for the debt ceiling deal, Mr Sanders said on Twitter. Embed Twitter Tweet URL In a win for Republicans, the Bill would shift some funding away from the Internal Revenue Service, although the White House says that should not undercut tax enforcement.

Mr Biden can point to gains as well. More On This Topic What happens if America defaults on its debt? Singapore stocks, Asia shares rise on US debt ceiling deal The deal leaves his signature infrastructure and green-energy laws largely intact, and the spending cuts and work requirements are far less than Republicans had sought.

Republicans have argued that steep spending cuts are necessary to curb the growth of the national debt, which at US$31.4 trillion is roughly equal to the annual output of the economy.

Interest payments on that debt are projected to eat up a growing share of the budget as an ageing population pushes up health and retirement costs, according to government forecasts.

The deal would not do anything to rein in those fast-growing programmes.

Most of the savings would come by capping spending on domestic programmes such as housing, education, scientific research and other forms of discretionary spending.

Military spending would be allowed to increase over the next two years.

The debt-ceiling stand-off prompted ratings agencies to warn that they might downgrade US debt, which underpins the global financial system.

Credit rating agency DBRS Morningstar put the US on review for a possible downgrade last week, echoing similar warnings by Fitch, Moodys and Scope Ratings.

Another agency, S&P Global, downgraded US debt following a similar debt-ceiling stand-off in 2011.

The last time the US came this close to default was in 2011, a time of similar partisan divide in Washington, with a Democratic president and Senate majority and a Republican-majority House. REUTERS More On This Topic America is hurt by its debt ceiling theatre of the absurd High-stakes US debt limit talks hog market limelight

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Monzo lines up bankers to spearhead blockbuster £6bn float

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Monzo lines up bankers to spearhead blockbuster £6bn float

Monzo, the digital bank which counts one in five British adults among its customers, is closing in on the appointment of investment bankers to spearhead a stock market listing valuing it at more than £6bn.

Sky News has learnt that Monzo is working with Morgan Stanley, the Wall Street giant, on a series of meetings with potential investors ahead of an initial public offering which could take place as early as the first half next year.

People close to the company said this weekend that bankers would be formally hired to work on the listing within months, with Morgan Stanley now expected to be handed a key role on the deal.

The timing, size and location of an IPO are still to be determined and will depend on market conditions in London and New York, both of which have been buffeted by Donald Trump’s introduction of swingeing trade tariffs.

However, London is currently seen as the most likely listing venue for Monzo by board members and investors, according to people close to the situation.

The company, which saw its valuation soar to £4.5bn last year after primary and secondary share sales, is considering a further sale of existing shares to allow early investors and employees to cash in, although a decision to proceed has not yet been taken.

Monzo has more than 11m UK retail customers, making it the seventh-largest British bank by customer numbers, and 600,000 business customers.

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Founded a decade ago, it has become one of Britain’s most successful, and valuable, fintech companies.

It employs close to 4,000 people.

Last year, it raised more than £500m by selling newly issued shares to a group of investors led by Capital G, a division of Alphabet-owned Google.

That primary share sale valued the business at £4.1bn.

An IPO, including any new capital raised, would be likely to value Monzo at more than £6bn, and potentially in the region of £7bn, according to banking sources.

Last year’s secondary share sale saw existing Monzo investors StepStone Group and GIC, the Singaporean sovereign wealth fund, buying stock from employees.

The company is now profitable and has diversified into investments and instant access savings accounts.

It has also launched pensions products and accounts aimed at under-16s.

Read more from Sky News:
Trump floats China tariff cut
Money blog: TV chef on ‘ridiculously good’ supermarket dessert

Monzo is among a new generation of banks which have emerged since the last financial crisis and begun to accumulate a significant share of the UK retail banking market.

Rivals include Starling Bank and Revolut, which was valued at $45bn in its last fundraising and was awarded a banking licence by British regulators last year after a protracted process.

Monzo has recovered spectacularly from a difficult period in 2020 when it emerged that the City watchdog was investigating it for potential breaches of anti-money laundering and financial crime rules.

It has revamped its corporate structure as it pursues an international expansion aimed at enticing new investors to its strategy for long-term growth.

The company has been exploring acquisition opportunities in the US and Europe, although a major deal is not thought to be imminent.

Monzo Bank Holding Group was established to avoid the company facing punitive capital treatment by British regulators as it launches in new overseas markets.

Other Monzo investors include the Chinese group Tencent, Passion Capital, Accel, General Catalyst and Hedosophia.

Monzo is run by TS Anil, its chief executive, and chaired by Gary Hoffman, the banker who salvaged Northern Rock after its nationalisation in 2008.

This weekend, a Monzo spokesperson declined to comment.

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Jets’ Hellebuyck posts 1st playoff shutout since ’21

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Jets' Hellebuyck posts 1st playoff shutout since '21

The sea of white in Winnipeg chanted “M-V-P!” in unison during the Jets‘ Game 2 win over the Dallas Stars on Friday night. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck heard and appreciated those chants.

“It means a whole lot. I love this crowd. I love this city,” said Hellebuyck, who stopped 21 shots in Winnipeg’s 4-0 victory that evened their Western Conference semifinal series at 1-1.

It was Hellebuyck’s first playoff shutout since a 1-0 blanking of the Edmonton Oilers in the first round in 2021, and the fourth postseason shutout of his career. Hellebuyck led the NHL with eight shutouts in the regular season, which helped him become a finalist for the Hart Trophy as league MVP and for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender, an award he won last season and in 2020.

Prior to Friday night, he had not been that same goaltender in the postseason.

Considered by many the best netminder in the world, Hellebuyck was the worst goalie statistically in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs entering Game 2. He was 4-4 with an .836 save percentage, the lowest for any goalie with at least three postseason games played. He was last in the playoffs through eight games with a minus-9.68 goals saved above expected. He had a 3.75 goals-against average as well, after sporting a GAA of 2.00 and a .925 save percentage in the regular season.

Yet the Jets’ faith in their goaltender never wavered.

“We rely on him. Sometimes too much. But he was incredible tonight,” said defenseman Josh Morrissey, who missed Game 1 against Dallas and most of Game 7 against St. Louis with an injury. “That’s what he does every night for us. He’s an incredible goaltender. He makes very difficult saves look very easy, routinely and often. You could tell he was feeling it tonight. When he’s feeling it like that, it gives the players in front of him a lot of confidence.”

Jets coach Scott Arniel said his goalie was “fantastic” in Game 2.

“Sometimes we take him for granted because he makes the hard look easy, but he had some acrobatic ones tonight,” Arniel said.

That was especially true in the second period. The Jets built a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals by Gabriel Vilardi and Nik Ehlers, whose shot deflected off the skate of Dallas defenseman Esa Lindell. Hellebuyck made nine saves in that opening frame.

“We pushed hard in the second to try and climb back in the game,” said Dallas coach Peter DeBoer. “Hellebuyck made some saves. We get one there, maybe the momentum shifts. But that was the game. He was a good. He was really good. We can always make it more difficult on him, but he was really good.”

After the game, Hellebuyck told Sportsnet that he believed he was back on his game after the shutout win.

“Now it’s locked in. We broke it down to build it back together,” he said. “I like where it’s at. I like where the team’s playing. I’m really excited for the series. It’s been fun.”

Whether the fun continues on the road for Sunday’s Game 3 is anyone’s guess.

Hellebuyck was a disaster in the Jets’ three games in St. Louis, giving up 16 goals on 66 shots (.758 save percentage) and getting pulled in each loss. In his past eight postseason road games, Hellebuyck is 1-7 with a .838 save percentage and a 5.19 goals-against average.

“We’re still playing hockey, and it’s May. That’s fun. It’s the best time of year, because you’ve dialed your game in all year long,” Hellebuyck said.

The Jets said they need to be better in front of their goalie on the road.

“It’s going to be a tough building. They grabbed home ice from us by winning Game 1,” Arniel said. “It’s [about] lessons learned. Take some of the things from that series. We know we have to do a lot of what we did tonight.”

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Ohtani’s blast caps 6-run 9th in wild Dodgers rally

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Ohtani's blast caps 6-run 9th in wild Dodgers rally

PHOENIX — Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer to cap a six-run ninth inning and the Los Angeles Dodgers rallied for a wild 14-11 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night.

The Dodgers trailed 11-8 entering the ninth inning after blowing an early five-run lead.

Andy Pages and Enrique Hernandez hit consecutive run-scoring doubles to open the ninth inning against Kevin Ginkel (0-1). Max Muncy tied it at 11-11 with a run-scoring single and Ryan Thompson replaced Ginkel to face Ohtani.

It didn’t go well for Arizona.

Ohtani, who doubled twice, fell into a 1-2 hole before launching his 12th homer near the pool deck in right to put the Dodgers up 14-11. He finished with four RBIs.

Tanner Scott worked a perfect ninth save in 11 chances.

The Dodgers roughed up Eduardo Rodriguez to take an 8-3 lead through three innings, but couldn’t hold it.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit a tying grand slam in the fifth inning, then Ketel Marte and Randal Grichuk hit solo shots off Alex Vesia (1-0) in the eighth to put Arizona up 11-8.

Pages finished with three RBIs and Hernández extended the Dodgers’ homer streak to 13 straight games with a solo shot in the second inning.

Marte homered twice for the Diamondbacks. Rodriguez allowed eight runs on nine hits in 2⅔ innings.

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