Was the debt ceiling fight worth it?

+ how to raise a spelling bee champion US Edition - Today's top story: COVID-19 clawbacks, spending caps and a cut – what House Republicans got in return for pushing the US to the brink of default [View in browser]( US Edition | 30 May 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Top headlines - [What Erdoğan’s reelection means for Turkey and the world]( - [Regulating AI: Guardrails, accountability and competition]( - [What’s a “night mayor”? Here’s why more cities are hiring them]( Lead story With the risk of default still looming, Democratic and Republican leaders are racing to pass the debt ceiling deal agreed to over Memorial Day weekend. President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy expressed confidence that they’ll find the votes before June 5, when the U.S. is expected to run out of money to pay all its bills. Republicans brought the U.S. to the brink of default over their concerns that federal spending and the resulting national debt are too high. So, as lawmakers continue to work out the finer details of the deal, how did the GOP do? [Not very well, if you ask]([Raymond Scheppach](, a former official at the Congressional Budget Office who’s now a professor of public policy at the University of Virginia. The deal “does hardly anything to address America’s long-term debt problem,” he writes, “which to me shows why a debt ceiling standoff is not the right way to solve it.” [[Sign up here for our Understanding AI series – four emails delivered over the course of a week.](] Bryan Keogh Deputy Managing Editor and Senior Editor of Economy and Business House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has billed the deal as a victory for his party. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite [COVID-19 clawbacks, spending caps and a cut – what House Republicans got in return for pushing the US to the brink of default]( Raymond Scheppach, University of Virginia The White House and House Republicans agreed to a deal just days before the US is expected to default – but they still have to get it approved by Congress. Science + Technology - [How can Congress regulate AI? Erect guardrails, ensure accountability and address monopolistic power]( Anjana Susarla, Michigan State University Figuring out how to regulate AI is a difficult challenge, and that’s even before tackling the problem of the small number of big companies that control the technology. - [‘Man, the hunter’? Archaeologists’ assumptions about gender roles in past humans ignore an icky but potentially crucial part of original ‘paleo diet’]( Raven Garvey, University of Michigan If hunter-gatherers went beyond nose-to-tail eating to include the undigested plant matter in a prey animal’s stomach, assumptions about gendered division of labor start to fall apart. - [Your body naturally produces opioids without causing addiction or overdose – studying how this process works could help reduce the side effects of opioid drugs]( John Michael Streicher, University of Arizona Unlike opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl that travel throughout the body, the opioids your body produces are released in small quantities to specific locations. Politics + Society - [From its birth 50 years ago, hip-hop has spread throughout Europe and challenged outdated ideals of racial and ethnic identity]( Armin Langer, University of Florida Born out of the pain and anger in Black American communities, rap music struck a similar chord throughout Europe, as immigrants struggle to retain their ethnic identities on the margins of society. - [What Erdoğan’s reelection means for Turkey’s political system, economy and foreign policy]( Ahmet T. Kuru, San Diego State University Long-term Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was reelected with 52% of the vote. Will he push the country further down an autocratic, anti-West path? Education - [What it takes to become a spelling bee champ]( Pawan Dhingra, Amherst College The road to becoming a champion speller is made easier with support from family and friends, but ultimately it depends on an individual student’s commitment to learning, a scholar writes. Arts + Culture - [Why more cities are hiring ‘night mayors’ and establishing forms of nighttime governance]( Jess Reia, University of Virginia Nighttime is much more than a source of danger or an occasion to party – it’s a portal into a different world, with rhythms, challenges and lifestyles of its own. Economy + Business - [After the ALS ice bucket challenge and the rise of MrBeast, stunt philanthropy might be here to stay]( Monica Lea, University of Nebraska Omaha The person with the most YouTube followers calls himself ‘YouTube’s biggest philanthropist.’ From our international editions - [Why more foam makes for the best beer-drinking experience – and always has]( - [Being queer in Africa: the state of LGBTIQ+ rights across the continent]( - [Melbourne earthquake 2023: are they becoming more common? A seismology expert explains]( Today's graphic 📈 [A chart showing how fast different projectiles can fly in comparison. The chart also includes the average width of the Grand Canyon for comparison.]( From the story, [China’s hypersonic missiles threaten US power in the Pacific – an aerospace engineer explains how the weapons work and the unique threats they pose]( - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? You might be interested in our weekly and biweekly emails: • [Weekly Highlights]( • [Science Editors' Picks]( • [This Week in Religion]( • [Politics Weekly]( • [Global Perspectives]( • [Global Economy & Business]( Trying out new social media? Follow us: • [Mastodon]( • [Post.news]( • [Instagram]( • [LinkedIn]( - - About The Conversation We're a nonprofit news organization dedicated to [helping academic experts share ideas with the public](. We can give away our articles thanks to the help of foundations, universities and readers like you. 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