Cashing Out: Talks between Democrats and Republicans resume today about lifting the federal debt limit, with borrowed money expected to run out on June 1^st and the government headed for a financial cliff. “I remain optimistic because I’m a congenital optimist,” President Biden told reporters Sunday. He said, “I really think there’s a desire on their part, as well as ours, to reach an agreement, and I think we’ll be able to do it.”

  Republicans want to attach drastic spending cuts to an agreement to raise the debt limit. One thing they want is to re-cycle Covid-era relief funds that have not yet been spent.

  The national debt is not money for future spending, it’s money already spent. But the Republicans are threatening not to pay even though the 14^th amendment says, “The validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned.” 

The War Room: Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 18 Russian missiles aimed at the Capital Kyiv today, six of them hypersonic, evidently foiling one of the assailant’s most serious attacks on the city so far.  

  Missile debris injured at least three people in Kyiv and damaged the city’s zoo as well as other central neighborhoods, city officials said. The assault “was exceptional in its density — the maximum number of missile attacks in the shortest period of time,” one senior official wrote on Telegram.

  Ukrainian defense officials say the US-donated Patriot missile defense batteries were critical in knocking down all of the inbound missiles.  

Russia, Russia, Russia: John Durham, the Trump-era special counsel who spent four years counter-investigating the inquiry into Donald Trump’s campaign relationship with Russia, issued a report accusing the FBI of having “discounted or willfully ignored material information that did not support the narrative of a collusive relationship between Trump and Russia.” 

  The report is likely to be criticized or ignored by Democrats as a partisan defense of Donald Trump.

  Durham’s 306-page report does not accuse the bureau of politically motivated misconduct that former President Trump and his allies have claimed occurred. But the report says, “An objective and honest assessment of these strands of information should have caused the FBI to question not only the predication for Crossfire Hurricane, but also to reflect on whether the FBI was being manipulated for political or other purposes,” and that, “Unfortunately, it did not.”

It’s Political: Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis acts like a candidate for president but has yet to declare himself, and The NY Times says there’s a reason.

  “Allies have abandoned him,” according to the report by Shane Goldmacher, Maggie Haberman, and Jonathan Swan. They write that, “Tales of his icy interpersonal touch have spread. Donors have groused. And a legislative session in Tallahassee designed to burnish his conservative credentials has instead coincided with a drop in the polls.”

  The reporters say that DeSantis has given Donald Trump an opening to pummel him without having a campaign to fight back. They write that, “His staunchest supporters privately acknowledge that DeSantis needs to recalibrate a political outreach and media strategy that has allowed Trump to define the race.”

  But DeSantis is still bolstering his far right credentials. Yesterday he signed a law that bans Florida’s public universities and colleges from spending money on diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Florida Rules: In the alternate universe otherwise known as Florida, a fifth grade teach is under investigation for showing her class the Disney animated movie “Strange World” that features an openly gay character. 

  Florida teachers are prohibited from talking about gender and sexual identity under the Parental Rights in Education Act, otherwise known as “Don’t Say Gay.”

  Teacher Jenna Barbee said every student in her class had a signed parent permission slip that said PG movies were allowed.

  The parent who complained to the Florida Dept. of Education is Shannon Rodriguez, who is also a member of the board of education endorsed by Moms for Liberty. “It is not a teacher’s job to impose their beliefs upon a child: religious, sexual orientation, gender identity, any of the above,” Rodriguez said at a public board meeting. “But allowing movies such as this, assist teachers in opening a door, and please hear me, they assist teachers in opening the door for conversations that have no place in our classrooms.”

  Barbee told CNN, “These students are talking about things way beyond this (movie). This door that she’s talking about, it’s been open.

The Shooting Gallery: Mass shooting of the day: Three people were killed and nine wounded yesterday, including two cops, when an 18-year-old went on a spree in Farmington, New Mexico. The killer, who wielded a semi-automatic weapon, was killed by the police.

The Spin Rack: Staff members in the Fairfax office of Virginia Rep. Gerald Connolly were attacked yesterday by a mentally ill man wielding a metal baseball bat. Two women were taken to the hospital with injuries not considered life threatening. One of them was an intern in her first day on the job. — The importance of religion to Americans is declining, according to a new report from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). Just 16% of Americans surveyed said religion is the most important thing in their lives, down from 20% 10 years ago. — A former employee of Rudy Giuliani is suing him for $10 million charging sexual assault and harassment, wage theft and “other misconduct.” Noelle Dunphy says sex with Giuliani was a requirement of the job. Her lawsuit says some of the proof includes recorded conversations. The lawsuit also says Giuliani took Viagra “constantly.”

Below the Fold: Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart at 81 is the oldest model to appear in the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. Her suit has more fabric than all this year’s other models combined.

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