US Domestic News Roundup: Republican White House hopeful Nikki Haley attacks Trump, DeSantis over Ukraine; Debt ceiling deal ignores US debt time bomb and more

In recent town hall events, Trump, the favorite for the Republican presidential nomination, said that he wanted the war to end, but that he would help Ukraine and Russia negotiate a settlement. Debt ceiling deal ignores US debt time bomb Republicans and Democrats are touting a hastily-written debt ceiling deal that staves off a devastating U.S. default, but does little to slow a massive buildup of total federal debt now on pace to exceed $50 trillion in a decade.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

Republican White House hopeful Nikki Haley attacks Trump, DeSantis over Ukraine

Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, U.N. ambassador under former President Donald Trump, went after her ex-boss and 2024 rival Ron DeSantis on Sunday over their refusal to say whether they want Ukraine to win its war against Russia. In recent town hall events, Trump, the favorite for the Republican presidential nomination, said that he wanted the war to end, but that he would help Ukraine and Russia negotiate a settlement.

Debt ceiling deal ignores US debt time bomb

Republicans and Democrats are touting a hastily-written debt ceiling deal that staves off a devastating U.S. default, but does little to slow a massive buildup of total federal debt now on pace to exceed $50 trillion in a decade. The deal's first problem, budget experts say, is it only curbs non-defense discretionary spending, or just about one-seventh of this year's $6.4 trillion federal budget. Defense, veterans' care and big-ticket safety-net programs are spared.

California probing whether Florida sent migrant flight to Sacramento

California's attorney general is investigating whether the government of the state of Florida played any role in sending more than a dozen migrants to the California capital of Sacramento without advance notice. Representatives of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis did not immediately respond on Sunday to a request for comment.

Hollywood directors reach labor pact, writers remain on strike

Hollywood's major studios reached a tentative labor agreement with the union representing film and television directors, likely averting a work stoppage that would have piled pressure on media companies to settle with striking writers. The Directors Guild of America (DGA) will ask its 19,000 members to approve the three-year contract, which was announced late on Saturday after three weeks of talks.

Fighter jets chase small plane in Washington area before it crashes in Virginia

The United States scrambled F-16 fighter jets in a supersonic chase of a light aircraft with an unresponsive pilot that violated airspace around Washington D.C. and later crashed into the mountains of Virginia, officials said. No survivors were found at the crash site, Virginia state police said.

McCarthy lauds U.S. debt ceiling deal, House conservatives divided

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Sunday lauded the debt ceiling deal he negotiated with Democratic President Joe Biden, but a prominent House conservative warned that McCarthy has "credibility issues" that may prompt some Republicans to seek his ouster as the top Republican in Congress. Representative Ken Buck, a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, said the deal had failed to deliver the deeper spending cuts that McCarthy had promised his party when he ran for speaker in January.

Deputy US Transportation chief expected to be FAA’s interim leader

Deputy U.S. Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg is expected to be named Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) next interim leader, two sources told Reuters on Sunday. The source cautioned that appointment wasn’t final and could change, the sources said. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news.

Body of man missing in Iowa building collapse found

The body of a man that had been missing since the partial collapse of a building in Davenport, Iowa, has been recovered, a city official confirmed on Sunday. The body of Branden Colvin Sr. was found on Saturday and his family has been notified, Sarah Ott, the city's chief strategy officer, said in an email.

Analysis-Crowded 2024 Republican race helps clear way for Trump's nomination

A growing number of contenders for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination could clear the way for a Donald Trump victory while throwing up roadblocks for his main rival Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, party members and strategists said. Republicans who fear Trump is too polarizing a figure to beat Democratic President Joe Biden in 2024 worry that if too many candidates jump into the party's contest, they will splinter the anti-Trump vote. That would allow the former president to clinch the nomination, just as he did in similar circumstances in 2016.

Federal judge rejects Tennessee drag show ban as unconstitutional

A federal judge has ruled that Tennessee's law restricting drag performances in public or where children were present was unconstitutional, striking a blow to efforts in U.S. states to regulate LGBTQ conduct. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee in February had signed the bill passed by the state's assembly that aimed to restrict drag performances, putting the state at the forefront of a Republican-led effort to limit drag in at least 15 states in recent months.

(With inputs from agencies.)