Reuters US Domestic News Summary

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Biden, McCarthy meeting ends with no deal on debt ceiling

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ended discussions on Monday with no agreement on how to raise the U.S. government's $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and will keep talking with just 10 days before a possible default that could sink the U.S. economy. The Democratic president and the top congressional Republican have struggled to make progress on a deal, as McCarthy pressures the White House to agree to spending cuts in the federal budget that Biden considers "extreme," and the president pushes new taxes on the wealthy that Republicans reject.

US Supreme Court backs three men in Cuomo-era New York corruption cases

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday gave a big boost to two real estate developers and a former state university official convicted of fraud for rigging bids for one of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's signature projects, the latest reversal for the Justice Department in a major corruption inquiry. The justices threw out lower court decisions upholding the 2018 convictions of Steven Aiello, Joseph Gerardi and Alain Kaloyeros, who were charged as part of a corruption crackdown by federal prosecutors in Manhattan centered on the state capital of Albany. The justices acted in light of their May 11 ruling overturning the related convictions of former Cuomo aide Joseph Percoco and construction executive Louis Ciminelli.

Striking Hollywood writers lament residuals slide

Writer Kyra Jones knew she would be taking a financial hit when she agreed to join the writers' room for the Hulu comedy series "Woke." The first payment she received for her share of the show's digital rentals was a mere $4, before taxes, barely enough to buy a latte. The streaming residual check amounted to one-third of the $12,000 Jones received in residuals for writing one episode of the ABC drama "Queens."

Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott launches presidential bid with optimistic message

Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, formally kicked off his 2024 presidential campaign on Monday, betting his upbeat message will sell in a party in which many voters are still firmly behind former President Donald Trump. In a speech to supporters in his hometown of North Charleston, South Carolina, Scott, 57, leaned heavily into his personal experience as the impoverished child of a single mother as proof that America remains a nation of opportunity.

TikTok sues Montana after state bans app

TikTok Inc on Monday filed a lawsuit challenging the state of Montana's new ban on use of the Chinese-owned app, the first state to bar the popular short-video sharing service. TikTok argues the ban, which would take effect on Jan. 1, violates First Amendment rights of the company and users. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Montana, also argues the ban is pre-empted by federal law because it intrudes upon matters of exclusive federal concern and violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which limits the authority of States to enact legislation that unduly burdens interstate and foreign commerce.

Western states reach 'historic' deal to help save Colorado River

Seven U.S. states that depend on the overused Colorado River on Monday reached agreement to cut consumption and help save a river that provides drinking water for 40 million people and irrigation for some of the country's most bountiful farmland. Arizona, California and Nevada will reduce intake by 3 million acre-feet (3.7 billion cubic meters) through the end of 2026, an amount equal to 13% of their river allotment, under a deal brokered and announced by the Biden administration.

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.”

E. Jean Carroll seeks $10 million in damages from Trump over post-verdict statements

Writer E. Jean Carroll sought on Monday to amend the first of her two defamation lawsuits against Donald Trump to demand at least $10 million in additional damages, citing comments he made on CNN after a jury found him liable for sexually abusing her. A federal jury in Manhattan on May 9 found Trump sexually abused Carroll in the 1990s and then defamed her by lying about it in October 2022. The jury ordered him to pay Carroll $5 million in damages. Trump has appealed the verdict and has called Carroll's claims a "complete con job."

Florida sued for barring Chinese citizens from owning homes, land

A group of Chinese citizens living in Florida sued the state on Monday to strike down a new law that would bar citizens of China and several other countries from owning homes and land in the state. The four plaintiffs represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said in the lawsuit filed in Tallahassee, Florida federal court that the state law, which takes effect July 1, is unconstitutional and violates a federal law banning housing discrimination.

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.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)