US debt ceiling saga just 'sabre-rattling' across party divide

The US debt ceiling crisis continues as the June 1 deadline approaches, but economist Mark Frost argues that there is no need to panic and that the partisan fighting over the government borrowing limit is just theatrics. Frost believes that the debt default will never happen as it would undermine the value of the dollar, and Social Security payments can always be made back up without harming the dollar's value.

Meanwhile, market strategist Todd "Bubba" Horwitz warns that the taxpayer will pay the government's credit addiction, and that the federal government should not be operating in a negative. He also believes that the American economy is in a major recession, which nobody will admit to.

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NATO's liaison office in Japan part of plan to destabilize China and Russia

Tokyo is working towards opening a NATO liaison office, with Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi justifying the move by the swirling Russo-Ukrainian conflict and growing instability across the world.

So what's really behind the development?

US jobless claims highest since October 2021, raising chance for Fed Rate pause

The number of Americans claiming unemployment benefits has hit an 18 month high, according to the Labor Department's weekly data. Economists had predicted claims of around 245,000, but the actual figure was 264,000, the highest since October 2021. The increase could prompt the Federal Reserve to hold off on interest rate hikes in its efforts to combat inflation.

The Fed has identified strong job and wage growth as key factors contributing to inflation. The labor market has been the driving force behind the US economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, with hundreds of thousands of jobs added since June 2020. The Fed has raised rates by ten times since the end of the pandemic in March 2022, but after its last hike, it indicated it would closely monitor data and assess the effectiveness of its actions in returning the US to its 2% inflation target.

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🇪🇺 European Broadcasting Union bans Zelensky from addressing Eurovision audience

According to a statement from the broadcaster, "the Eurovision Song Contest is an international entertainment show, and governed by strict rules and principles," with "the non-political nature of the event" being one of the cornerstones of the event.

The EBU added that "this principle prohibits the possibility of making political or similar statements as part of the Contest."

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Russian Defense Ministry denies reports about Ukrainian counteroffensive

Russian troops are still engaged in fighting in the western part of Artemovsk, Maryinka and Avdeevka, and overall, the situation in the special military zone is "under control," the ministry said.

Officials further stated that while there were no ongoing operations at both the Kherson and Zaporozhye fronts, Russian forces were carrying out counterattacks against Ukrainian forces based in the direction of Malo-Ilyinovka.

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🇺🇸 Sniff Central: Biden urges "all the kids under the age of 15” to come onto stage at the end of his speech

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📹 Hundreds of migrants gather outside US border fence as Title 42 deadline nears

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🇮🇶 Iraq suspends use of Airbus A220 airliners over faulty engines

The decision was made after "the engine of the aircraft with registration number YI-ARI was damaged during a landing at Baghdad International Airport on April 30; two days later, the crew of another A220 aircraft informed about the same failure while heading to Tunisia," a statement by the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority read.

The authority noted that other air carriers, including Swiss Airlines and EgyptAir, had experienced the same technical issues with the engines of A220 aircraft, forcing them to stop using the airliners.

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💰 ‘Money out of thin air’: US congressman likens crypto to dollar

💬 "They'll accuse the US government of making money out of thin air. Maybe we do, but we're the US government," Democrat Brad Sherman said, while discussing crypto investors.

Sherman’s remark comes against the backdrop of global de-dollarization and mounting inflation plaguing Western countries.

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❗️Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov lashed out at the West for openly abusing the norms of international law against Russia, during his speech at the St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.

💬 "The special military operation is being carried out on the basis of Article 51 of the UN Charter, which provides for the right to individual and collective self-defense, of which the UNSC was promptly notified," the top diplomat clarified.

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⚡️ VIDEO: 🇵🇰 Imran Khan arrives at Islamabad Hight Court for his bail hearing under heavy security cover

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🇹🇷 “This is America”: Turkish interior minister accuses US of meddling in Turkish elections

💬 “Everyone in this country already knows this, US President himself declares this. The attack on Muharrem Ince ... it is clear where it came from, it is clear where it was coordinated. This is America. In recent days, Biden has stepped up his people in Turkiye,” Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in an interview.

Ince, a third-party contender in Turkiye’s presidential election, announced on Thursday that he was withdrawing from the race three days before the vote, pointing to an apparent smear campaign as the reason for his pullout.

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🇷🇺 ‘We’re ready’: Russian soldier on anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive

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📹 Sergey Lavrov points to the West’s cynicism, recounting instances where they have “trampled on” international law themselves

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📹 “Western elites are trying to divide the world”: Lavrov describing the West’s “syndrome of exceptionalism”

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📹 Russian troops capture Ukrainian defense post in Donetsk region

The attacking force was supported by armored units furnished with T-90, T-80, T-72B3 main battle tanks, and BMP-2 IFVs.

Russian troops managed to take control of the Spornoye settlement and a defense post, obliterating dozens of Ukrainian soldiers, machine gun nests, and approaching Ukrainian reinforcements.

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‼️ Islamabad High Court grants bail to Imran Khan in Al-Qadir Trust case for 2 weeks: media

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❗️Latest statements by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

▪️The pumping of weapons into Ukraine by the West will continue, but Russia is prepared for it;

▪️People in the West should know that their governments are pursuing a misguided policy;

▪️Moscow values its relationship with Ankara, as it maintains a sovereign position;

▪️Encroachments on Russian property abroad are unacceptable;

▪️It is necessary to implement the second part of the Black Sea grain deal, which requires the West to ease restrictions on Russian agricultural and fertilizer exports, to extend the initiative;

▪️Moscow rejects accusations of Turkish presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu: Russia does not interfere in the domestic affairs and elections of other states.

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Catch our Fault Lines show where we provide updates and analysis on all the most vital stories! Here's our line-up for today:

🔺To kick things off, we’ll be discussing the crisis at the border where Title 42 expires as well as the upcoming Turkish elections
🔺Next, we’ll cover the situation in Pakistan where Imran Khan’s supporters protest his arrest
🔺Finally, we’ll speak about Nina Jankowitz suing Fox News and more banks falling victims of bank runs

More trending stories coming your way! Tune in to Radio Sputnik at 7am EST|4am PST|12pm CET via the website or app!

📻Also in the United States at 105.5FM, 104.7FM, 102.9FM, 1390AM, 1140AM

What can happen at US southern border post Title 42?

There was a torrent of warnings as to what would follow once the public health emergency order known as Title 42 expired, with dire forecasts made by a spate of Republican governors, while Texas border cities declared a state of emergency, bracing for a tsunami of illegal immigration.

Sputnik explores a number of possible immediate scenarios that might unfold