Norway Opens Corruption Probe Into Former PM and Nobel Committee Chair Thorbjoern Jagland Over Epstein Links 
UAE Plans Temporary Housing Complex for Displaced Palestinians in Southern Gaza 
Pentagon Ends Military Education Programs With Harvard University 
U.S.-India Trade Framework Signals Major Shift in Tariffs, Energy, and Supply Chains 
U.S. Sanctions on Russia Could Expand as Ukraine Peace Talks Continue, Says Treasury Secretary Bessent 
Trump Signs “America First Arms Transfer Strategy” to Prioritize U.S. Weapons Sales 
Trump Rejects Putin’s New START Extension Offer, Raising Fears of a New Nuclear Arms Race 
NATO to Discuss Strengthening Greenland Security Amid Arctic Tensions 
TrumpRx.gov Highlights GLP-1 Drug Discounts but Offers Limited Savings for Most Americans 
Ukraine-Russia Talks Yield Major POW Swap as U.S. Pushes for Path to Peace 
U.S. Announces Additional $6 Million in Humanitarian Aid to Cuba Amid Oil Sanctions and Fuel Shortages 
U.S. to Begin Paying UN Dues as Financial Crisis Spurs Push for Reforms 
Trump Says “Very Good Talks” Underway on Russia-Ukraine War as Peace Efforts Continue 
Trump Allows Commercial Fishing in Protected New England Waters 
Iran–U.S. Nuclear Talks in Oman Face Major Hurdles Amid Rising Regional Tensions 
Nighttime Shelling Causes Serious Damage in Russia’s Belgorod Region Near Ukraine Border 
New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients 
Democratic lawmakers in the House and in the Senate are scrambling to bring forward US President Joe Biden’s agenda through the upcoming infrastructure bills that are set to be passed this week. However, as the government’s funds appear to be in the balance as of late, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized the Republicans for refusing to vote towards suspending the debt limit.
Pelosi ripped into the GOP this week in her interview on ABC’s “This Week” for voting for the government to go into default by opposing the raise of the debt limit. The US government is expected to run out of funds by mid-October, raising the possibility of the government going into default that could affect financial markets and lead to missed social security payments and military pay. Congress has often raised the debt limit for decades, and during the Trump administration, the debt ceiling was raised three times.
“Isn’t that irresponsible beyond words?” Pelosi said during her interview regarding the GOP’s stance against raising the debt limit.
“We cooperated on three occasions when President Trump was president in order to lift the debt ceiling,” the House Speaker cited. “Even to have the discussion that it could possibly be in default lowers … our credit rating.”
Should the funding measure fail to pass the Senate, a government shutdown may occur by October 1. It already faces an uphill battle in the upper chamber due to the filibuster after legislation was passed by the House to continue funding the government in December and raise the debt limit in December of 2022.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has refused to vote to raise the debt limit, saying that the Senate Democrats, who hold the majority, can use the reconciliation process to raise the debt limit themselves.
Meanwhile, Pelosi has signaled that the votes for the Senate-passed bipartisan infrastructure bill will push forward this week regardless of the outcome of the Democratic-led budget resolution bill that would go into social infrastructure. House Democrats believe that it is a tactic to pressure certain senators to back the $3.5 trillion bill that would be spaced out in 10 years. This also comes as some Democrats are expressing skepticism over the bill getting enough votes from the Democratic majority by the time it goes to the floor for a vote.
