Monday morning news: May 22, 2023

Debt ceiling » It’s back to the bargaining table for President Biden and top lawmakers this week with the clock ticking on a debt ceiling deadline.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet with the president again today.

KEVIN MCCARTHY: We’re 11 days out. We’ve got to be able to solve this problem, and we have to spend less than we spent last year.

Republicans say Washington must reduce its overspending before raising the nation’s credit card limit once again. Democrats for months called that a nonstarter but have begun negotiating on that point.

After traveling to Japan for the G7 Summit, President Biden cut short his trip to head home and resume critical debt ceiling talks which stalled out over the weekend in his absence.

Treasury Sec. Janet Yellen Said Sunday:

JANET YELLEN: We are focused on raising the debt ceiling, and there will be hard choices if that doesn’t occur. There will be no acceptable outcomes if the debt ceiling isn’t raised.

She says the United States will begin defaulting on its debts in early June without a debt ceiling deal.

Ukraine/G7 » President Biden wrapped up the G7 Summit with a face to face meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The United States just announced a $375 million aid package to Ukraine yesterday… and Zelenskyy personally thanked President Biden.

VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY: I know that you gave us very big package. We will never foget.

Zelenskyy also refuted Moscow’s claims that its forces have conquered the eastern city of Bakhmut.

Nebraska new laws » A bill to protect unborn children after twelve weeks of pregnancy is headed to the desk of the Governor of Nebraska.

State Senator Kathleen Kauth:

KATHLEEN KAUTH: The reason we brought this bill is because we love kids. We want to see them grow up and be happy, healthy adults. No matter how they chose to live their adult life.

Lawmakers also approved a bill protecting minors from gender transition procedures.

Republican Gov. Jim Pillen is expected to sign the bills into law.

DeSantis trans children » Meanwhile, in Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed legislation into law protecting children from transgender procedures, among other things ahead of an expected presidential campaign announcement that could come this week.

RON DESANTIS: They’re having third-graders declare pronouns. We’re not doing the pronoun olympics in Florida. It’s not happening here.

The law bans subjecting children to transgender surgeries and hormone treatments. He also signed a measure banning adult drag queen performances in schools.

DeSantis told a crowd, “It’s kind of sad that we even have some of these discussions.

Multiple media outlets, citing inside sources, have reported that DeSantis will declare his White House bid on Wednesday.

Boycotts-transgenderism » In the wake of a beer boycott that has cost Anheuser-Busch billions of dollars calls are growing for boycotts of other major companies that promote transgenderism. WORLD’s Josh Schumacher has more.

JOSH SCHUMACHER: Starbucks is now pushing transgenderism globally. A recent Starbucks video ad in India depicts a young man dressed as a woman meeting with his parents inside a Starbucks cafe as his mother urges her husband to accept their son’s transition.

AUDIO: [Starbucks ad in Hindi]

Meantime, a new Pride collection at retail giant Target includes clothing for children with trans-friendly slogans as well as swimsuits designed to hide a persons biological gender.

Adidas recently featured men in women’s swimsuits advertising its pride collection, while Nike, like Bud Light, partnered with transgender social media star Dylan Mulvaney.

For WORLD, I’m Josh Schumacher.

Gas prices » Gas prices are holding steady after a recent decline. The national average now stands at $3.53 per gallon according to AAA. But fuel price analyst Trilby Lundberg says enjoy that while you can.

LUNDBERG: Gasoline supply is extremely low. At the same time, gasoline demand is growing hotly. This means that they are on collision. And the only response price can do is to jump.

As of now, Mississippi still boasts the nation’s lowest gas prices with a per-gallon average of $2.98.

Californians on the other end are paying $4.81 per gallon.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: News from the Supreme Court on Legal Docket. Plus, remembering PCA pastor Harry Reeder.

This is The World and Everything in It.

WORLD Radio transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of WORLD Radio programming is the audio record.