>>Biden, Congressional Leaders To Meet Over Debt Ceiling
(Washington, DC) -- President Biden will welcome House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other top Congressional leaders to the White House today to try to resolve the standoff over the debt ceiling. Congress needs to pass legislation to raise the nation's borrowing limit by early June to avoid a potentially crippling default. McCarthy has said his chamber will not approve any deal that does not cut spending to address the growing budget deficit. Democrats, meanwhile, insist Congress must pass a clean debt-limit hike first then negotiate over spending cuts and budget reforms later. Biden has refused to negotiate directly over the debt limit.
>>Housing Market Confidence At Highest Point In A Year
(Washington, DC) -- Confidence in the housing market is at the highest it's been in nearly a year. Data from Fannie Mae showed that consumers' idea that mortgage rates will decrease pushed up housing market confidence to its highest level last month. The mortgage investor's Home Purchase Sentiment Index surged five-and-a-half points in April to just under 67, the highest monthly push in two years. But overall, the full index is still down nearly two percent from a year ago.
>>Writers Strike Causes GOT Spinoff, Daredevil To Pause Production
(New York, NY) -- The list of productions being impacted by the ongoing writers strike is growing. In a blog post Sunday, author George R.R. Martin confirmed the writers room for the Game of Thrones spinoff series "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight" has shut down. Martin said the series showrunner and his staff are on the picket lines as the Writers Guild of America's strike now enters its second week. The strike has also disrupted production of the Marvel Studios Disney-Plus series "Daredevil: Born Again." On Twitter, WGA East said members had began picketing where filming for the series was set to take place in New York and members of other unions working on the show had refused to cross the picket line.
>>Rutgers Faculty Unions Approve Contracts, Ending Stalemate With Administration
(New Brunswick, NJ) -- The three unions representing faculty at New Jersey's largest university -- Rutgers -- have formally approved four-year contracts with the university. In voting among faculty yesterday, 93 percent of the members approved the new contracts, which include across-the-board raises and additional job security for part-time -- or adjunct -- instructors. The controversial practice of replacing Rutgers employees with non-union workers is also ended under the new contracts. The unions' former contracts expired last July, leading to months of negotiations that culminated in the first faculty strike in Rutgers' nearly 260-year history.
>>New Tesla Battery Plant Set To Open Next Year
(Robstown, TX) -- Elon Musk is cutting the ribbon on a new battery plant in Texas that will some day power his Tesla cars. The first-of-its-kind factory will produce battery-grade lithium. He says the availability of battery-grade lithium will be a choke-point in the electric car world. The mineral, he says, is abundant. But there is a lack of refineries to process it. The 375-million-dollar plant outside Corpus Christi is set to open next year.
>>New Jersey Couple Sues Dunkin' Over Hot Tea
(East Orange, NJ) -- A couple is suing a New Jersey Dunkin' shop over tea. The incident happened last September in East Orange when a woman claimed she was served tea that was too hot. The lawsuit states the lid on the cup of hot tea was not properly secured nor was the cup properly secured in the cup carrier. According to the suit, the cup spilled onto the woman and caused serious injury.
