In our news wrap Sunday, as Biden returns to the U.S. from the G7 summit in Japan, House Speaker McCarthy agreed to meet with the president on Monday to continue debt limit negotiations, Russia claims its forces have taken the city of Bakhmut while Ukraine says they are still battling for control, and multiple shootings in Kansas City and New Orleans left five people dead.
News Wrap: McCarthy, Biden to meet Monday for high-stakes debt limit talks
Nation
May 21, 2023 05:50 PM EDT
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Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy. They may contain errors.
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John Yang:
Good evening. I'm John Yang. President Biden is on his way back to Washington tonight for what's shaping up to be a make or break week for getting a deal with Congress to raise the nation's debt limit and avoid default. The President spoke by phone with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from Air Force One and the two agreed to meet in person tomorrow afternoon.
Before leaving the G7 summit in Japan, Mr. Biden said he could not guarantee that the nation wouldn't default if what he calls MAGA Republicans insist on spending cuts alone.
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Joe Biden, U.S. President:
It's time for Republicans to accept that there is no bipartisan deal to be made solely, solely on their partisan terms. They have to move as well. I'm willing to cut spending, and I proposed cuts and spending of over a trillion dollars. But, I believe we have to also look at the tax revenues.
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John Yang:
McCarthy said his conversation with the President was productive. But later, speaking to reporters in the Capitol, he said the two sides are still far apart on spending cuts.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Speaker of the House: I think we can solve some of these problems if he understands what we're looking at. But I've been very clear to him from the very beginning we have to spend less money than we spent last year.
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John Yang:
Negotiators are to meet this evening at the Capitol to clarify the two sides positions. And on the final day of the G7 summit, President Biden met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Mr. Biden pledged another $375 million in weapon and aid to Ukraine. Mr. Zelenskyy assured the President that Ukraine would never use us made F-16 fighter jets to attack Russian territory.
In Ukraine there are competing claims about the control of the eastern city of Bakhmut, the scene of the wars deadliest battle. Russia says its forces have taken the city. Ukraine says the battle for control was still going on.
And a shooting at a Kansas City, Missouri bar overnight left three people dead and two others wounded. In New Orleans, a pair of apparently related shootings last night left to dead and two injured. The Gun Violence Archive says there have been 232 incidents so far this year where four or more people have been shocked.
Still to come on "PBS News Weekend," the business of making memoir writing accessible for all and the story of the first Asian American elected to Congress.
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