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Speaker Kevin McCarthy said issues remain in negotiations with the Biden administration on raising the federal debt limit as the clock ticks down to the point when the US Treasury runs out of cash. 

A Republican-led investigation has accused Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of committing multiple crimes in office. The allegations came Wednesday during an extraordinary public airing of scandal and alleged lawbreaking that plunged one of the GOP’s conservative stars into new political and legal risk. For more than three hours, investigators presented findings alleging that Paxton sought to hide an affair, misused his office to help a donor, skirted protocols and built a culture of fear and retaliation in his office. The GOP-led House General Investigating Committee ended Wednesday’s hearing without acting on the findings. The panel's leader declined to discuss next steps or whether a recommendation to impeach or censure Paxton is possible.

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President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy say they and their lead negotiators have had a productive meeting at the White House on the impasse over the government's debt ceiling. Yet there was no agreement Monday as Washington races to strike a budget compromise and raise the nation’s borrowing limit in time to avert a potentially devastating federal default as soon as next week. Despite the lack of movement toward a possible agreement, both men appeared upbeat as they face a deadline, as soon as June 1, when the government could run out of cash to pay its bills.

The NAACP says new laws and policies championed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are "openly hostile" to Black Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals. It has issued a travel advisory accusing the state of "trying to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion …

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott has launched his presidential campaign. At an event in his hometown of North Charleston on Monday, Scott offered an optimistic message he hopes can contrast the two figures who have used political combativeness to dominate the early GOP primary field: former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Scott is the Senate's only Black Republican. His team acknowledges the challenge but notes that the political environment can change, that Scott won reelection by a commanding 20 points in November and that he has more money to start his campaign than any presidential candidate in history.

Mutual supporters of Sen. Tim Scott and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley are in a conundrum now that the two South Carolina natives are both candidates for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The two have a long history: They worked alongside each other in the state House, and then-Gov. Haley appointed Scott to a Senate seat in 2012. For his part, Scott has dismissed any awkwardness, saying they will remain friends. Haley has declined to comment on Scott when asked by The Associated Press.

Florida is banning gender-affirming care for minors, effective immediately. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a series of anti-LGBTQ+ bills on Wednesday. Others address drag shows and how schools handle the use of personal pronouns and bathrooms. Planned Parenthood immediately started canceling appointments for gender-affirming health care. DeSantis has promoted anti-LGBTQ+ legislation as he prepares to seek the GOP presidential nomination. His bill-signing ceremony at an evangelical Christian school had a campaign-like feel, with DeSantis throwing Sharpies to a cheering crowd. State Sen. Shevrin Jones, who is gay, said the governor chose a setting where he was likely to get praise for bigotry.

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