Friday morning news: June 2, 2023

SOUND: On this vote, the yeas are 63. The nays are 36. The 60-vote threshold having been achieved, the bill is passed.

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Debt limit » With that vote in the Senate last night, a bill to raise the federal debt ceiling is heading to the Oval office for the president’s signature.

Senators pushed late in the evening, passing the bill after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell urged fellow Republicans to back it.

MITCH MCCONNELL: It locks in promising reforms to infrastructure permitting. It claws back unspent COVID emergency funds. It slashes bloated spending at the IRS.

But many Republicans argued that the bill dangerously cuts defense spending while allowing too much spending everywhere else. Sen. Eric Schmitt:

ERIC SCHMITT: I think we’ve got to start dealing with structural reform. We simply are spending too much money with out the needed reform, and that’s why I’m not supporting the bill in its current form.

The House passed the bill Wednesday night. President Biden said he’ll waste no time signing it into law.

Senate votes to nix Biden student debt plan » Hours earlier, the Senate voted to overturn the president’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in federal student loans for more than 40 million people.

Critics say the plan would effectively have many blue collar workers paying for the student loans of other Americans.

Republican Sen. John Thune:

JOHN THUNE: It’s something of a slap in the face to Americans who chose more affordable college options or worked their way through school to avoid taking on student loans.

Opponents also argue the president doesn’t have the authority to forgive the debt on his own with the stroke of a pen.

The vote was 52-to-46. Two Democrats and one left-leaning independent voted for the bill.

They were Sens. Joe Manchin, Jon Tester, and Kyrsten Sinema, an independent.

It now heads to President Biden’s desk, where he is certain to veto it.

Pence/Christie » Three more Republicans are set to jump into the presidential race in the days ahead. WORLD’s Mary Muncy has more.

MARY MUNCY: The Associated Press reports that former Vice President Mike Pence is in, and he’ll formally launch his campaign at a kickoff event in Des Moines, Iowa on Wednesday.

Meantime, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will reportedly launch his campaign one day earlier — in New Hampshire.

And North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is expected to enter the race next week, as well.

That’ll bring the rapidly growing number of GOP candidates to 11.

For WORLD, I‘m Mary Muncy.

DeSantis and Trump stump » The top two candidates in early Republican polls are also hitting early voting states.

Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis both campaigned in Iowa this week, with the rivalry between them heating up.

Trump spoke to a conservative group on Thursday in suburban Des Moines.

DONALD TRUMP: I’ve been watching “DeSanctus” go out and say ‘I’ve got eight years. It’s going to be eight years.’ Let me tell you something, right there you should vote against him. It’ll take me six months to have it totally the way it was.

Trump has taken to purposely misstating Ron DeSantis’ name, calling him “Rob DeSanctus.”

For his part, DeSantis talked about the rise during Trump’s presidency of COVID policies that he called “Fauciism.”

RON DESANTIS: In Florida, we chose freedom over “Fauciism,” and we are better for doing that.

He also took a jab without saying Trump’s name, telling a crowd in Des Moines that “leadership is not about entertaining.”

U.S. Sudan sanctions » The White House says that it is imposing sanctions on weapons companies supporting both sides of the violence in Sudan.

The announcement comes as the Sudanese military earlier this week backed out of peace talks with its paramilitary opponent the Rapid Support Forces.

U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken says a ceasefire in the country has been—his words “incredibly imperfect and fragile.”

TONY BLINKEN: And now we're seeing actions again by both sides in clear violation of the commitments they made in terms of the cease-fire.

The fighting in Sudan has killed more than 800 people and wounded thousands more.

Iowa apartments update » Several people are still missing after an apartment building partially collapsed in Iowa earlier this week.

Davenport Police Chief Jeff Bladel:

JEFF BLADEL: We had a number of people displaced, but we have families here that are still wanting answers and searching for their loved ones.

A report issued days before the building collapsed said parts of the brick exterior appeared ready to fall, but authorities did not order residents to leave.

Officials say they were relying on a structural engineer who said the building needed repairs but was not at imminent risk of crumbling.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with Katie McCoy. Plus, returning to the Spiderverse.

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