US Domestic News Roundup: What to watch for in the Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling meeting; Jurors set to deliberate in civil rape case against Donald Trump and more

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

What to watch for in the Biden-McCarthy debt ceiling meeting

U.S. President Joe Biden meets Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday afternoon for closed-door talks as a potentially catastrophic June default looms. The 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT) meeting is not expected to produce anything close to a final agreement on raising the debt limit, but will be closely scrutinized by global investors, U.S. voters and Washington lawmakers.

Jurors set to deliberate in civil rape case against Donald Trump

Jurors on Tuesday will begin deliberating whether Donald Trump raped writer E. Jean Carroll more than two decades ago and then defamed her by claiming she made up the story. Lawyers for Carroll and the former U.S. president delivered closing arguments on Monday in Manhattan federal court after seven days of a civil trial.

Texas driver charged with manslaughter after deadly Brownsville crash

A Texas man accused of crashing his car into a group of pedestrians near a Brownsville homeless shelter housing migrants, killing eight people, has been charged with manslaughter and aggravated assault, police said on Monday. The driver, identified as 34-year-old George Alvarez, ran a red light, lost control of his sports utility vehicle, and struck 18 people as the car flipped on its side, Brownsville Police Chief Felix Sauceda said.

US debt limit default could hit in early June to early August -think tank

The U.S. government will begin defaulting on its payment obligations between early June and early August without an increase in the federal debt limit, the Bipartisan Policy Center said on Tuesday, flagging pressure from a drop in tax revenue. The front end of the centrist think tank's latest estimate for the so-called "X-date" - when the government runs short of cash to pay its obligations - lines up with that of U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who warned last week that a default could come as early as June 1.

Hundreds of migrants amass near US-Mexico wall with COVID ban set to end

Long lines of migrants have amassed this week in the border city of Tijuana, near the sprawling wall that divides Mexico from the United States, in the final days of a three-year long COVID-19 policy that blocked people crossing from seeking asylum. The policy, known as Title 42, is set to expire at midnight on May 11, prompting a rush of migrants to the border, now huddled under black plastic or makeshift tents waiting to cross into the U.S.

Michael Cohen calls Trump's $500 million suit against him "pure retaliation"

Donald Trump's onetime lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen asked a court to throw out the former U.S. president's $500 million lawsuit against him, calling it an "abusive act of pure retaliation and witness intimidation." Cohen's lawyers in a filing late Monday in Miami federal court said the lawsuit combined the "worst of Mr. Trump's vindictive impulses," and that its timing was no coincidence.

Senators asks billionaire for list of gifts to Supreme Court Justice Thomas

The Senate Judiciary Committee has asked Texas billionaire Harlan Crow to detail gifts he or his companies have made to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the panel said on Tuesday. "Recent investigative reporting has identified multiple instances in which you or entities you own or control have made payments, purchased real estate, or provided gifts, travel, or other items of value to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and members of his family," read the letter from committee Democrats including its chairman, Senator Dick Durbin.

Drugmakers set strategy for legal fight against US pricing regulation

Some of the world's biggest drugmakers are laying legal groundwork to fight the U.S. plan to negotiate drug prices for its Medicare health coverage, including the argument that a ban against speaking about these talks violates constitutional rights, according to six industry sources. The Biden Administration's signature drug pricing reform, part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), aims to save $25 billion through price negotiations by 2031 for Americans who pay more for medicines than any other country.

Biden, McCarthy start debt ceiling talks as clock ticks to default

U.S. President Joe Biden and top Republican lawmakers will declare their positions face to face on Tuesday on raising the $31.4 trillion U.S. debt ceiling, with an unprecedented default looming in three weeks if Congress does not act. Ahead of the 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT) Oval Office session, there were no signs that either side would immediately agree to any concessions that would head off a default as early as June 1.

Explainer-How Disney's and DeSantis' dueling lawsuits might play out

Walt Disney Co and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis have been embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute, starting when the company criticized a Florida law last year, which has led to dueling lawsuits. THE DISNEY LAWSUIT AGAINST DESANTIS