Now is the excruciating part.
First was the hard part. Now is the excruciating part. US President Joe Biden and Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy have done what some analysts thought was impossible, by negotiating a deal on spending cuts in return for the House of Representatives agreeing to raise the limit on government borrowing. But now they have to get their lawmakers onside and pass it through Congress -- and soon. By June 5, the government could run out of cash and potentially default on its debts, throwing the US and global economies into chaos. The agreement would allow the US government to borrow more money to pay for its existing obligations until January 2025 -- a win for Biden since it means he won't have to deal with another nightmare showdown on the issue before the presidential election. But the deal is still a bit of a climbdown since Biden once refused to negotiate with the GOP on raising government borrowing at all. What's in the deal? It keeps non-defense spending flat in fiscal year 2024 and ups it by just 1% in 2025. It rescinds unobligated Covid-19 relief funds. And in a defeat for Democrats, the agreement broadens a minimum work requirement for some people receiving government food assistance. Plenty of Democrats are angry at the deal, which they believe gives too much away. But there's not much political sense in blocking it, since a debt default could cause a recession and doom Biden's reelection hopes -- potentially ushering Donald Trump back to the White House. Like any political agreement, this deal requires both sides to swallow some of their most cherished goals in order to meet somewhere in the middle. But can McCarthy make that happen with his party? Hardline Republicans are dismayed with the measure since it falls short of their absolutist attempt to dictate a political ransom note to Biden. Some of the most conservative Republicans are even accusing the speaker of reneging on agreements he made when he was running for the job in January. The question now is whether they will wield the ultimate threat -- of seeking to topple him as speaker over a deal they see as a cave-in to Biden and a repudiation of voters who sent them to Congress. It's going to be a nervous week in Washington, not least because of this remarkable point made by CNN's Zachary B. Wolf -- multiple billionaires currently have more cash in their bank accounts than the US government has left. |
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'Sometimes, I can see myself laying inside the coffin' |
An 11-year-old boy who was shot in the chest by a Mississippi police officer — after he called 911 for help — said he began praying and singing during what he thought would be his last moments alive, write CNN's Christina Maxouris and Devon M. Sayers. Aderrien Murry sang the gospel song "No Weapon Formed Against Me Shall Prosper" in the moments after his May 20 shooting, he told CNN's Nick Valencia in an interview Tuesday. He then told his mother to tell his family and his teacher he was "sorry for what he did." It's his prayers that helped save his life, Murry said. But the thoughts of what could have happened still haunt him. "Sometimes, I can see myself laying inside the coffin. Those are my thoughts at night, my only ones," Murry said, speaking softly throughout the interview, but often with a wisdom well beyond his young age. "Sometimes I think people are watching me. But my main thought is me dead, inside the coffin." Nearly 10 days after the shooting, Murry told CNN he still has pain in parts of his body, has trouble breathing and isn't able to do things like run or jump. But he's alive, and that, he said, is "because of the grace of God." |
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Aderrien Murry, right, and his mother Nakala, show CNN where he was shot. |
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