Daily Briefing: More Biden-McCarthy face time

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After a weekend of start-stop talks, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy are set to meet Monday to keep the government from running out of the cash to pay its bills. Also in the news: The U.S. has signed a new security agreement with Papua New Guinea to counter China's influence in the Pacific and SpaceX's second all-private crew of astronauts is docking at the International Space Station Monday morning.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Seven wonders in fewer than seven days? That's a lot of flights.

Now, here we go with Monday's news.

More talks amid partisan debt ceiling rancor

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy plan to meet again Monday after talks broke down this weekend over GOP demands for spending cuts as part of a deal to increase the debt ceiling.

The president and the speaker had a "productive" telephone conversation as Biden flew back Sunday from an economic summit in Japan, McCarthy announced.

A poster at a bus shelter shows the national debt in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2023.
A poster at a bus shelter shows the national debt in Washington, DC, on May 21, 2023.

Biden said Zelenskyy gave 'flat assurance' he won't use F-16s in Russia

President Joe Biden said Sunday that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told him personally he won’t use F-16 fighter jets to attack Russian territory. “I have a flat assurance from Zelenskyy that they will not," Biden said at a news conference in Hiroshima. Zelenskyy met with Biden and other world leaders in Japan, where Biden told Group of Seven leaders Friday the U.S. would assist with training Ukrainian pilots on modern fighter aircraft, including American-made F-16s. Read more

US President Joe Biden (L) walks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of a working session on Ukraine during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima on May 21, 2023.
US President Joe Biden (L) walks with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky ahead of a working session on Ukraine during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima on May 21, 2023.

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US signs new security pact with Papua New Guinea amid competition with China

The United States signed a new security pact Monday with Papua New Guinea as the U.S. continues to jostle with China for influence in the Pacific. Papua New Guinea is strategically located and its nearly 10 million people are the most among Pacific island nations. The State Department says the agreement would help improve security cooperation, enhance Papua New Guinea’s defense capacity and increase regional stability. But many in the Pacific are concerned about the increasing militarization. The move also comes after G-7 leaders gathered in Japan urged China to press Russia to end war in Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Papua New Guinea's Defence Minister Win Bakri Daki shake hands in Port Moresby on May 22, 2023.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) and Papua New Guinea's Defence Minister Win Bakri Daki shake hands in Port Moresby on May 22, 2023.

How will Tim Scott challenge Donald Trump in 2024?

Tim Scott, the lone Black Republican senator who showcases himself as a “sunrise” conservative, is expected to launch his historic yet underdog bid for president on Monday. The South Carolina senator will join an expanding field of GOP contenders looking to knock out Donald Trump, the former president who remains a muscular frontrunner despite qualms that he isn't the best to challenge President Joe Biden. Scott often talks about his racial heritage on the campaign trail, using an ad that has blasted Biden and the Democrats for promoting "victimhood" over "personal responsibility." Read more

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks during a town hall, Monday, May 8, 2023, in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., speaks during a town hall, Monday, May 8, 2023, in Manchester, New Hampshire.

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Brooks Koepka becomes first LIV golfer to claim major

For the fifth time in his career — and third time at the PGA Championship — Brooks Koepka has won a major championship. Koepka, who shot 3-under par Sunday to fend off a challenge from Viktor Hovland, became the first LIV Golf player to win a major title since defecting to the Saudi-backed tour. Koepka raced out to a remarkable start Sunday, deploying his short irons with precision. He birdied three consecutive holes That helped him open a three-stroke lead over Hovland, his playing partner in the final pairing of the championship round, through four holes. Read more

Brooks Koepka celebrates after winning the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.
Brooks Koepka celebrates after winning the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.

Quick hits

Photo of the day:  SpaceX's Axiom-2 mission journeys to the International Space Station

SpaceX's Axiom-2 mission is slated to dock at the International Space Station Monday morning, carrying the second all-private crew of astronauts on a multimillion-dollar journey. The crew, which includes  the first two Saudi Arabian government-sponsored astronauts, will remain there for eight days before returning back to Earth. Read more

The Axiom-2 astronauts blast off from Kennedy Space Center Sunday, May 21, 2023.
The Axiom-2 astronauts blast off from Kennedy Space Center Sunday, May 21, 2023.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Debt ceiling, Russia, Ukraine, China, Tim Scott, Brooks Koepka, SpaceX: Daily Briefing