US Domestic News Roundup: Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira ordered to remain in jail ahead of trial; Biden says he won't agree to bipartisan debt deal solely on Republicans' terms and more

Jones has engaged in "financial gymnastics" to hide his assets and avoid paying the judgments, spreading money to friends, family members, and shell companies, David Zensky, a lawyer for the families, said on Friday during a bankruptcy court hearing in Houston. White House, Republicans trade barbs as debt talks paused President Joe Biden's administration and congressional Republicans traded barbs on Saturday over raising the federal $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, with both sides casting the other's proposals as too extreme.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Pentagon leak suspect Jack Teixeira ordered to remain in jail ahead of trial

A U.S. judge on Friday ordered the Air National Guardsman accused of leaking military secrets to remain in jail as he awaits trial on charges he violated the Espionage Act. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy made the decision after lawyers for Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, asked for him to be released to house arrest pending trial. No trial date has been set.

Biden says he won't agree to bipartisan debt deal solely on Republicans' terms

U.S. President Joe Biden on Sunday said he was willing to cut spending but would not agree to a deal with Republicans in Congress on raising the U.S. federal debt limit and cutting the budget solely on their terms. Speaking at a news conference in Hiroshima in Japan, Biden said he would speak with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on his way home about the negotiations, but underscored that a U.S. default would have "serious" consequences and was not an option.

Tim Scott, lone Black Republican in U.S. Senate, to run for president

Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott has entered the 2024 presidential race, according to a filing with the U.S. election regulator on Friday, in what amounts to a long-shot bet that a message of unity and optimism can still appeal in a party where many voters are hungry for a bare-knuckled fight. The impoverished child of a single mother and the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, Scott often points to his personal story as proof that America remains a land of promise.

White House, Republican team say no progress in debt ceiling talks

A second meeting on Friday between White House and Republican congressional negotiators on raising the federal government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling broke up with no progress cited by either side and no additional meeting set. That came at the end of a day of acrimonious talks that were broken off for several hours, with less than two weeks to go before June 1, when the Treasury Department warned that the federal government could be unable to pay all its debts. That would trigger a calamitous default.

WNBA-Griner greeted by US VP Harris in return to court

Brittney Griner returned to the WNBA hardwood on Friday night in Los Angeles to cheers from a raucous crowd that included U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. The mood was celebratory as Griner, who was released from a Russian penal colony in a high profile prisoner exchange with the U.S. late last year, was embraced by Harris on the court before the game.

Biden says Republican debt ceiling offer 'unacceptable,' to talk with McCarthy

President Joe Biden on Sunday called Republicans' latest offers in talks on lifting the government's debt ceiling "unacceptable," but said he would be willing to cut spending together with tax adjustments to reach a deal. Speaking to reporters in Hiroshima, Japan, after a meeting of G7 leaders, Biden suggested some Republicans in Congress were willing to see the U.S. default on its debt so that the disastrous results would prevent Biden, a Democrat, from winning re-election in 2024.

Sandy Hook families seek to reverse payments Alex Jones made to wife

The families of Sandy Hook shooting victims said they had a strong case to reverse payments received by Alex Jones' wife and others in his family to help satisfy $1.5 billion in judgments they won against the bankrupt right wing conspiracy theorist over his lies about the 2012 elementary school massacre. Jones has engaged in "financial gymnastics" to hide his assets and avoid paying the judgments, spreading money to friends, family members, and shell companies, David Zensky, a lawyer for the families, said on Friday during a bankruptcy court hearing in Houston.

White House, Republicans trade barbs as debt talks paused

President Joe Biden's administration and congressional Republicans traded barbs on Saturday over raising the federal $31.4 trillion debt ceiling, with both sides casting the other's proposals as too extreme. Officials did not meet on Saturday, after two meetings ended on Friday with no progress cited by either side and negotiators saying they were not sure when fresh talks would take place.

Florida's DeSantis seeks to disqualify judge in Disney case

Lawyers for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican mulling a 2024 presidential run, are asking that a federal judge be disqualified from overseeing a dispute between DeSantis and Walt Disney Co, questioning the judge's impartiality in the case. Lawyers for DeSantis, who is being sued for allegedly targeting Disney for company leadership's political views, filed a motion on Friday in Tallahassee, Florida, asking U.S. District Judge Mark Walker be recused in the case.

Transgender Mississippi girl misses graduation after judge's ruling

A transgender Mississippi girl declined to participate in high school graduation on Saturday after a U.S. District Judge said the school district could bar her unless she dressed in clothes required for boys, a lawyer for the girl said. U.S. District Judge Taylor McNeel, an appointee of former Republican President Donald Trump, said in filing late on Friday after a hearing that he would not stop the Harrison County School District from barring the 17-year-old girl, local media reported. The girl was listed as L.B. in court papers.