Debt and Debate: A Washington think tank that tracks federal spending says the US will be dangerously close to default on its debt after Memorial Day. 

  “Come early June, Treasury will be skating on very thin ice that will only get thinner with each passing day,” Shai Akabas, director of economic policy for the Bipartisan Policy Center, told The NY Times.

  President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy again yesterday failed to reach agreement on raising the national debt ceiling, although McCarthy described their meeting as “productive” and the best meeting the two have had so far.

  Although it’s coming down to the wire. “I believe we can still get there,” McCarthy told reporters last night. 

  McCarthy has been pressing for budget cuts of 22 percent in exchange for allowing the government to borrow more money to keep operating. McCarthy and his aides have accused White House officials of being unreasonable. While demanding draconian cuts, McCarthy says he would allow military spending to continue growing. “I don’t think you should put America in jeopardy,” he said, calling reductions to the Pentagon’s budget “off the table.”

  Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has repeatedly warned that the US could be unable to pay its bills as soon as June 1. That means the two sides need to reach a deal within days to put everything in action. Yellen has also said that the odds of the government getting to mid-June before defaulting were “quite low.”

The War Room: A military unit made up of Russians living in Ukraine called Freedom of  Russia Legion has claimed responsibility for an attack inside Russian territory in Belgorod.  Shelling damaged an administrative building, several residential buildings, and a kindergarten in the area, according to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, who said there were no fatalities.

  The appears to be the first time that Ukrainian-aligned forces have attacked across the border against Russian targets. Russia is expressing outrage as if they are innocent victims.

 It’s Political:  South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott announced that he’s running for president, adding to a growing list of hopefuls looking to elbow out Donald Trump. The 57-year-old Scott enters the primary field having already raised $22 million.

  Scott brings to the race an upbeat message of religiosity and positivity. He’s against abortion. A native of North Charleston, he was raised by a single mother who worked as a nursing assistant while caring for him and his brothers. He’s the only black member of the Senate and says his family went from “cotton to congress” in his grandfather’s lifetime.

  He’ll be up against another South Carolinian, former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is also expected to announce, as is Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey. Chris Sununu, the popular Republican governor of New Hampshire, is making noise that he might run as well.

Barrier Buster: Authorities last night arrested a man who was attempting to crash a U-Haul box truck through security barriers outside The White House. News reporters said a swastika flag was spotted near the truck in the aftermath. Police said the driver was threatening President Biden and Vice President Harris.

Count Corrupula: Andrew Tate, the former kick boxer, online influencer, and self-proclaimed “king of toxic masculinity,” moved to Romania because, as he told his followers, because “I like living in a society where my money, my influence and my power mean that I’m not below or beholden” to any laws. 

  Tate has claimed to be a trillionaire with 19 passports. He thought Romania was a haven for “anything goes,” but the dual US/British citizen seems to have found the limits. Now he and his younger brother Tristan are awaiting trial on charges of human trafficking, rape, and forming an organized criminal group. Tate is accused of luring vulnerable women to his compound to perform in online sex videos. 

  The Tates’ hot cars have all been confiscated, including a Rolls-Royce, a Porsche, an Aston Martin, and a BMW.  The Romanian lawyer defending Tate said that after his arrest his client, “stopped thinking about Romania being so corrupt.”

The Obit Page:  Buddy Melges, the first competitive sailor to win both Olympic gold and sailing’s top prize, the America’s Cup, has died at age  93. 

  Melges dominated in the three-person Soling keelboat event at the 1972 Olympics, knocking off, Paul Elvstrom, who had won four Olympic Gold medals.

  Melges grew up in the little town of Zenda, Wisconsin, on the shores of Geneva Lake. He was once known as “The Wizard of Zenda.” 

  In 1992 he teamed up with the wealthy Bill Koch in the America’s Cup to successfully defend US possession of the trophy 4-1.

The Spin Rack: Bryan Kohberger, the former criminology graduate student accused of stabbing to death four Idaho college students, stood silent in court yesterday when asked to enter his plea. The judge entered “not guilty” for him. — Delaware’s Democratic Sen. Tom Carper announced Monday that he will not seek re-election for a fifth term. He’s 76. — The Chinese-owned video app TikTok has sued to stop the state of Montana from banning it starting January 1^st. The complaint filed in federal court says the ban is “unconstitutionally shutting down the forum for speech for all speakers on the app.” — Former columnist E. Jean Carroll, who just won a $5 million judgement against Donald Trump, is seeking $5 million more after Trump mocked her during his appearance on a CNN town hall broadcast, calling her “a wack job.” Trump said on CNN, “this is a fake story, made up story” after a New York jury found that Trump had sexually assaulted and later defamed Carroll. 

Below the Fold: Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend of four years, former Los Angeles television reporter Lauren Sánchez, are engaged to be married. He gave her a 20 carat diamond and The NY Post has dubbed her “Queen of the Amazon.”

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