US Domestic News Roundup: Fresh round of debt ceiling talks kick off as US default worries grow; Biden says he won't agree to bipartisan debt deal solely on Republicans' terms and more

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.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Fresh round of debt ceiling talks kick off as US default worries grow

U.S. President Joe Biden and House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy plan to meet over the debt ceiling on Monday, with just 10 days before the Treasury expects to start running out of money in what would be an unprecedented default upending the global economy. Staff members from both sides reconvened at McCarthy's office in the Capitol on Sunday evening for talks that lasted about two-and-a-half hours, after McCarthy said he had a "productive" call with Biden earlier in the day.

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.

'Killers of Flower Moon' star says Native Americans need allies like Scorsese

Lily Gladstone, who grew up on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and stars in Martin Scorsese's study of white society's treachery, said the director was a powerful ally in telling the world what communities like hers had always known. In the film "Killers of the Flower Moon", which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Gladstone plays Mollie Burkhart, a member of the Osage Nation whose family members die under suspicious conditions in 1920s Oklahoma.

Idaho college murders suspect to appear in court after indictment

The graduate student accused of stabbing four University of Idaho college students to death is expected to appear in court on Monday for his arraignment and to enter a plea on first-degree murder charges. Bryan Kohberger, 28, is scheduled to be appear in a Latah County courtroom for an arraignment hearing in front of District Judge John Judge. Last week, a grand jury indicted him on four counts of murder and one count of burglary.

Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott poised to make White House bid official

Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, is set to kick off his 2024 presidential campaign on Monday, betting that his optimistic message will sell in a party in which many voters are still firmly behind former President Donald Trump. While Scott formally acknowledged his candidacy in a filing with the federal election regulator on Friday, his speech to supporters in his hometown of North Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday is expected to mark the start of campaigning.

Warner Bros Discovery chief booed at Boston University graduation, videos show

Warner Bros Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav was booed by students after taking the stage at Boston University to accept his honorary degree and give the 2023 commencement speech, amid an ongoing strike by film and television writers over pay, videos that surfaced on social media show. The Hollywood Reporter first reported the incident on Sunday. Boston University did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Exclusive-Texts tie DeSantis closely to Trump insider Lev Parnas in 2018 race

Ukrainian-American businessman Lev Parnas and his business partner were arrested in 2019, accused by the U.S. government of funneling a Russian oligarch's money into American political campaigns. One recipient of Parnas' donations -- Florida Governor Ron DeSantis -- has said he was barely an acquaintance. "The governor does not have a relationship with these individuals," DeSantis' spokesperson at the time, Helen Aguirre Ferré, said in a statement on Oct. 10, 2019. Six days later, DeSantis told reporters that Parnas "was just like any other donor, nothing more than that."

Explainer-Could Biden use the 14th Amendment to raise the debt ceiling?

President Joe Biden on Sunday said he believes he has the legal right to invoke the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to raise the federal government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling but does not have the time to do so. Some fellow Democrats have been urging him to try to use that untested legal theory to bypass the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and raise the borrowing limit.

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.