The Debt Ceiling Wasn’t Always So Politicized

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This afternoon, President Joe Biden met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in their first sit-down since February. The meeting produced no breakthroughs on the federal debt ceiling, even as a deadline for default looms in early June. I called my colleague Russell Berman, who has been watching the ongoing stalemate closely, for help creating a short guide to this moment.

First, here are four new stories from The Atlantic:

• The astonishing E. Jean Carroll verdict
• What could turn Biden’s reelection upside down
• EVs make parking even more annoying.
• “What GOP voters have told me since Trump’s indictment”