Biden and McCarthy hold debt ceiling talks amid signs a deal is close

Default deadline pushed to 5 June as work requirements for food aid recipients reportedly emerge as final sticking point

President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy held a phone conversation on Saturday evening, according to a person familiar with their plans, amid signs that a deal in the ongoing debt ceiling negotiations was close to being struck.

McCarthy said earlier on Saturday that he was making progress" in negotiations on raising the federal government's debt ceiling, as the nation faced risk of default in little more than a week.