Special counsel faults FBI for its Trump-Russia probe

A special prosecutor is faulting the FBI for its handling of the Trump-Russia investigation. Special counsel John Durham has ended his four-year investigation with a harsh assessment of the FBI. In his report, he concludes there were a series of missteps by the FBI and Justice Department as investigators looked into possible Trump campaign collusion with Russia in 2016. Durham criticizes the FBI for opening a full-fledged investigation based on “raw, unanalyzed and uncorroborated intelligence,” saying the speed at which it did so was a departure from normal procedures.

Supreme Court to review Dem lawmakers’ suit over Trump hotel lease

Biden, Congress debt talks likely to resume Tuesday

President Biden and congressional leaders will likely resume talks tomorrow [TUE] at the White House over the debt limit. No meeting has been finalized, but the president said talks are likely to resume this week ahead of his Wednesday departure for the G7 summit in Japan. Mr. Biden and the top four lawmakers were supposed to meet on Friday, but that meeting was abruptly postponed so staff-level talks could continue. The president said he’s hopeful Congress can raise the debt ceiling and avoid a government default.

White House defends upcoming India state visit

The White House is defending its decision to host India’s prime minister for a state visit next month. Press freedom in India has declined in recent years and Prime Minister Modi’s government routinely denies criticism of its human rights record. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says the administration regularly engages with other countries, including India, on human rights concerns. The state visit is scheduled for June 22nd.

Tax credits clarified for solar energy companies

The Biden administration is adjusting the “made in America” requirements for solar energy projects. The so-called Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden offers billions of dollars in tax credits for solar developers that use American equipment. Now, the Treasury Department says that companies can claim a new subsidy for facilities built with American-made products even if the system’s solar panels contain cells made entirely with Chinese materials. The solar industry welcomes the news, while U-S manufacturers have said that requiring solar cells to be made in America was key to producing goods that today are almost exclusively made in China.

Biden to resume debt limit talks with lawmakers next week

President Biden plans to meet with congressional leaders next week to discuss raising the debt ceiling.
Friday’s meeting was postponed as staff members from the White House and congressional leaders continue their private talks on how to increase the nation’s borrowing authority. Lawmakers are facing a deadline as soon as early June to raise the debt ceiling or risk default.

U.S. sees southern border surge and strain on resources

The U-S government says there’s a surge of migrants at the southern border. Despite declaring “our borders are not open,” Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas said the U-S is already seeing a high number of border encounters in certain areas. The Biden administration has enacted a new asylum regulation that replaces the Title 42 pandemic-related restriction that expired at midnight.

White House debt limit meeting postponed until next week

President Biden’s scheduled meeting with congressional leaders on the debt ceiling has been postponed until next week. Even though Republicans and Democrats weren’t budging from their opposing positions in the debt debate this week, the postponement is not viewed as a breakdown. Private talks have been underway at the Capitol as staff from the White House and the congressional leaders work to try to find a solution. And those discussions will continue through the weekend.

U.S. tells China it wants to ‘move beyond’ spy balloon

The Biden administration tells China it wants to “move beyond” the recent spy balloon controversy. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met a Chinese foreign policy adviser in Vienna this week. According to a senior official, Sullivan told him the administration is “looking to move beyond” tensions spurred by the shooting down of a Chinese spy balloon that flew across the continental United States. The meeting was not publicized ahead of time and the White House described the discussions as “candid” and “constructive.”

Delay in Biden’s debt limit meeting with lawmakers

Friday’s debt limit meeting between President Biden and congressional leaders has been postponed.
After Tuesday’s meeting with House Speaker McCarthy and other top lawmakers, a follow-up meeting was announced for Friday. But late in the day Thursday, the White House said the meeting was postponed to next week. Administration officials described the news as positive with staff members planning to continue discussions through the weekend. The White House and Congress face an approaching deadline to raise the nation’s borrowing authority or risk default.

New Biden administration asylum rules to go into effect

The Biden administration is implementing new measures meant to crack down on illegal border crossings. With the expiration of the Title 42 pandemic restrictions, the administration is adjusting its immigration policy. Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas faced tough questioning at a White House briefing, insisting that the U-S is ready for the challenge at the southern border.

GOP lawmaker attends Biden debt speech in his district

A Republican lawmaker showed up for President Biden’s visit in his congressional district this week. In New York’s Hudson Valley area this week, the president talked about the debt limit. The speech was in a district represented by Republican Mike Lawler, who showed up for the event. Mr. Biden blasted MAGA Republicans as extreme and their proposed spending cuts as “devastating.” But Lawler defended the House debt limit bill, saying “just because you’re supporting legislation doesn’t make you an extremist.”

White House calls GOP probe into Bidens “political stunt”

The White House is responding to GOP-led investigations into President Biden’s family and their finances. House Republicans say they recently obtained financial records connected to the president’s son Hunter Biden and others who received millions of dollars in payments from foreign entities in China and Romania. GOP lawmakers suggest there was misconduct and that payments were part of a wide-ranging scheme to enrich themselves off the family name. The White House dismissed the whole investigation as “yet another political stunt.”

In NY, Biden makes case for stand-alone debt limit bill

President Biden took his debt ceiling message on the road, one day after meeting with top lawmakers. In a visit to Westchester County, New York, the president criticized the House Republican bill that would raise the debt ceiling. He claimed the consequences of their proposed spending cuts “would be severe.” The president came here to a congressional district he won in 2020, but is now represented by a Republican. He acknowledged GOP Congressman Mike Lawler who was in attendance, saying he’s on the “other team” but he’s “not one of these MAGA Republicans.“

Biden takes debt ceiling message to GOP district in New York

President Biden takes his debt ceiling message on the road one day after meeting with top lawmakers. Even before yesterday’s Oval Office meeting took place, the White House announced plans for the president to travel to Westchester County, New York, and criticize the House Republican bill that would raise the debt ceiling, but also make spending cuts. The president is visiting a congressional district he won in 2020, but that is now represented by a Republican.

Biden: US-Mexico border will be ‘chaotic for a while’

President Biden is predicting chaos at the southern border as COVID-era asylum restrictions expire. With the Title 42 policy ending on Thursday, a set of new immigration rules will go into effect. The president said his administration is doing all it can to make it an orderly process, but he made this prediction: “it’s going to be chaotic for a while.” Mr. Biden and Mexico’s president spoke for roughly an hour on Tuesday to discuss the border.

Biden, McCarthy meet on debt limit, agree to meet again

President Biden and House Speaker McCarthy remain at odds over how to avoid a debt default. Following Oval Office talks on how to raise the debt ceiling, the president and the speaker offered different takes on their high-stakes meeting. McCarthy stopped short of guaranteeing there would be no default, while the president declared that failure to meet America’s obligations “is not an option.”
The leaders plan to meet again on Friday.

Biden admin prepares for border surge as health rules expire