Wall Street Journal: “Republicans were bracing to lean on Democratic votes due to announced defections by at least six Republicans: Reps. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Chip Roy (R-TX, Dan Bishop (R-NC), Bob Good (R-VA), Matt Rosendale (R-MT) and Andy Biggs (R-AZ). In a House narrowly divided in favor of Republicans, 222-213, McCarthy can lose no more than four Republicans without relying on Democratic support, assuming all members participate.”
Playbook: “It was always baked in that Democratic votes would be needed to push a bipartisan debt deal over the finish line. But the open question is whether McCarthy will need a couple of dozen crossover votes — or potentially many more than that… Needless to say, there is little room for error.”
Donald Trump wished a happy Memorial Day to those who are “stopping the threats of the terrorists, misfits and lunatic thugs who are working feverishly from within to overturn and destroy our once great nation.”
He warned that the nation “has never been in greater peril than it is right now” and urged his supporters to help him “stop the communists, Marxists and fascist ‘pigs’ at every turn and make American great again!”
Trump, lacking self awareness, doesn’t realize that he is the fascist menace.
Politico: “One of the lowest tiers of earners — people making an average of $12.50 per hour nationally — saw their pay grow nearly 6 percent from 2020 to 2022, even after factoring in inflation. That’s significantly bigger than what low-wage workers got during the entire administration of President Barack Obama, following the Great Recession.”
“Now, however, those gains are in jeopardy, as the government moves to end bipartisan pandemic-era spending that injected trillions of dollars into the economy, spurred consumer spending and put workers in ultra-high demand.”
“The White House is kicking its outreach to congressional Democrats into overdrive as it tries to sell lawmakers on President Biden’s debt ceiling deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy,” Axios reports.
“Democratic votes likely will be necessary to pass the bill through the narrowly divided House led by McCarthy, given the vows from right-wing House Freedom Caucus members to oppose it.”
“The Biden administration’s pitch to fellow Democrats is an intellectual appeal on the merits of the bill, rather than trademark D.C. tactics such as legislative horse-trading or high-pressure tactics.”
“House Democrats’ messaging guidance on the newly released debt ceiling bill instructs them to say the legislation rejects ‘extreme demands’ from Republicans,” Axios reports.
“It is a look at how Democrats plan to counter claims by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) that the bill is a total GOP win that contains no concessions for the other side.”
“China’s burgeoning space program plans to place astronauts on the moon before 2030 and expand the country’s orbiting space station,” the AP reports.
“Monday’s announcement comes amid against the background of a rivalry with the U.S. for reaching new milestones in outer space, reflecting their competition for influence on global events.”
“Russia’s Interior Ministry on Monday issued an arrest warrant for Sen. Lindsey Graham following his comments related to the fighting in Ukraine,” CBS News reports.
“In an edited video of his meeting on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that was released by Zelenskyy’s office, Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, noted that ‘the Russians are dying’ and described the U.S. military assistance to the country as ‘the best money we’ve ever spent.’”
Gov. Ron DeSantis ripped the debt ceiling deal negotiated by Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), telling Fox News we are “careening toward bankruptcy.”
Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) said that her fellow Republicans wanted her to lie about Donald Trump, the AP reports.
Said Cheney: “After the 2020 election, and the attack of January 6, my fellow Republicans wanted me to lie. They wanted me to say that the 2020 election was stolen, that the attack of January 6 wasn’t a big deal, and that Donald Trump wasn’t dangerous.”
She added: “I had to choose between lying and losing my position in House leadership.”
“For months, the Biden administration’s ambitious plan to discharge billions of dollars of student loan debt has been on ice, blocked by lower courts, its fate left in the hands of skeptical conservative justices on the Supreme Court,” NBC News reports.
“Decision day is fast approaching.”
“The stakes are high, with 43 million people eligible for up to $20,000 in debt relief. The total cost if the program ever goes into effect has been calculated at more than $400 billion, with the administration estimating that 20 million people would have all of their remaining student loan debt canceled.”
New York Times: “The rapidly ballooning field, combined with Mr. Trump’s seemingly unbreakable core of support, represents a grave threat to Mr. DeSantis, imperiling his ability to consolidate the non-Trump vote, and could mirror the dynamics that powered Mr. Trump’s takeover of the party in 2016.”
“It’s a matter of math: Each new entrant threatens to steal a small piece of Mr. DeSantis’s potential coalition — whether it be Mr. Pence with Iowa evangelicals or Mr. Scott with college-educated suburbanites. And these new candidates are unlikely to eat into Mr. Trump’s votes. The former president’s base — more than 30 percent of Republicans — remains strongly devoted to him.”
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