Politics

By David Morgan, Andrea Shalal and Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Negotiators for Democratic President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy held what both sides called productive talks on Wednesday to try to reach a deal to raise the United States’ $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default.

After a four-hour White House meeting, U.S. House Speaker McCarthy said negotiations had improved and would continue in the evening. He predicted the two sides would reach an agreement, though several issues remain unresolved.

“We’ve made some progress working down there. So that’s very positive,” McCarthy told reporters. “I want to make sure we get the right agreement. I can see that we’re working towards that.”

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said talks remain fruitful.

“If it keeps going in good faith, we can get to an agreement here,” she said at a briefing while discussions were taking place.

But the White House and congressional Democrats also accused Republicans of taking the economy hostage to advance an agenda they could otherwise not pass. They said Republicans need to make more concessions as they will need Democratic votes to pass any deal.

“Just listen to members of The House Freedom Caucus… now openly referring to the full faith and credit of the United States as a hostage,” Jean-Pierre, the White House spokesperson, said.

Ratings agency have taken note of the impasse with McCarthy insisting on spending cuts while Biden wants to hold spending steady.

Fitch put the United States’ “AAA” ratings on negative watch on Wednesday. The agency said it believes “risks have risen” that the debt ceiling will not be raised before the so-called X-date, when the Treasury runs out of money, adding that “increased political partisanship… is hindering reaching a resolution.”

A White House spokesperson said the Fitch rating is “one more piece of evidence that default is not an option and all responsible lawmakers understand that. It reinforces the need for Congress to quickly pass a reasonable, bipartisan agreement to prevent default.”

Moody’s, another rating agency, might change its assessment of U.S. debt if lawmakers indicate a default is expected. Moody’s currently has a top-notch “AAA” rating for U.S. debt, while rival rating agency S&P Global lowered its rating following a 2011 debt-ceiling showdown. A lower rating could push up borrowing costs.

Time is running short, as the Treasury Department has warned the federal government could be unable to pay all its bills by as soon as June 1 – just eight days away – and it will take several days to pass legislation through the narrowly divided Congress.

House Republican leaders said they would adjourn on Thursday for a week-long Memorial Day holiday recess scheduled but would call lawmakers back if needed for any votes, Punchbowl News reported.

McCarthy has insisted that any deal must not raise taxes and must cut discretionary spending, not hold it steady as Biden has proposed.

Any deal that Biden and McCarthy reach will have a narrow path for passage through the divided Congress, where McCarthy’s Republicans hold a 222-213 House majority and Biden’s Democrats control the Senate by a 51-49 margin.

The lack of progress has heightened concerns that Congress could inadvertently trigger a crisis by failing to act in time.

“We’re certainly getting to a place that’s too close for comfort,” said Shai Akabas of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank.

STOCKS SLIDE

The months-long standoff has spooked Wall Street, weighing on U.S. stocks and pushing the nation’s cost of borrowing higher.

U.S. stock indexes fell on Wednesday on debt-ceiling concerns.

“Up until yesterday, investors have been very optimistic,” said Angelo Kourkafas, senior investment strategist at Edward Jones. “But now as we get closer … we are seeing some caution again.”

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday said the United States will be unable to pay all its bills by early June but said she did not know exactly what day the government will run out of resources.

That would trigger a Wall Street meltdown and push the U.S. economy toward recession, with the default also hitting regular Americans, economists say. Medical providers that rely on government payments could be among the first to feel the heat.

Republicans want to cut discretionary spending for the 2024 fiscal year beginning in October by roughly 8%, while Democrats have pushed to hold it steady at this year’s rate.

Negotiators differ over Republicans’ proposals to impose new work requirements on benefits programs for low-income Americans and loosen energy permitting rules.

The White House has offered to limit discretionary spending for the coming two years, in line with previous bipartisan budget agreements. Republicans have offered spending caps for the coming six years.

Republicans have rejected White House proposals to set a minimum tax on corporations and billionaires and broaden the government’s ability to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, according to Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal, who leads the 101-member Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Congress regularly needs to raise the nation’s self-imposed debt limit to cover the cost of spending and tax cuts it has already approved.

(Reporting by David Morgan, Nandita Bose, Andrea Shalal, Gram Slattery, Moira Warburton, Richard Cowan and Steve Holland;Writing by Andy SullivanEditing by Scott Malone, Deepa Babington, Lisa Shumaker, Matthew Lewis and Lincoln Feast)

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By Michael Martina and Humeyra Pamuk

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department’s top China policy official Rick Waters is set to step down at a time of fraught relations between Washington and Beijing.

Waters, deputy assistant secretary of State for China and Taiwan who leads the department’s recently created China House policy division, will leave his role on June 23 and remain a member of the senior foreign service, according to a State Department spokesperson.

Waters announced his intention to leave his post at a staff meeting earlier on Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

“We thank him for his two years of skillful service on China and Taiwan issues, to include his standing up the Office of China Coordination and his leadership over the Office of Taiwan Coordination,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

Waters did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Reuters reported two weeks ago that the State Department delayed human rights-related sanctions, export controls and other sensitive action to try to limit damage to the U.S.-China relationship after an alleged Chinese spy balloon traversed the United States in February.

The report referenced an email Waters sent to staff that relayed instructions to postpone some actions so the department could focus on a “symmetric and calibrated response” to the balloon.

Relations between the world’s two largest economies are at their worst in decades, according to many analysts, as the strategic rivals clash over issues ranging from Taiwan to trade.

“China House is already strengthening the administration’s work to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific and out-compete China,” said Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink.

“There are few people in the U.S. government who understand the PRC (People’s Republic of China) better than Rick Waters, and standing up China House under his leadership will be a lasting legacy. Rick is a strategic thinker who has skillfully advanced U.S. policy on China,” said Kritenbrink, adding that the State Department is in the process of choosing Waters’ successor.

President Joe Biden’s administration has sought high-level meetings with China in an effort to keep ties from veering toward conflict, particularly since the diplomatic crisis over the balloon’s flight past sensitive U.S. military sites.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken postponed a planned February trip to China after the balloon incident, but the White House has said efforts are continuing to facilitate visits by Blinken, as well as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo.

Waters has led China House – officially the Office of China Coordination – since it was launched in December as a reorganization of the department’s China desk to sharpen policies. He has served as deputy assistant secretary for about two years.

Some Biden administration critics have questioned U.S. overtures to China, arguing that past decades of engagement have failed to change its line on a range of trade, security and human rights issues.

Congressman Mike McCaul, the Republican chair of the House of Representative’s Foreign Affairs Committee, cited the Reuters report in a letter he sent to Blinken dated May 19, demanding information related to actions toward China.

“For the U.S. to succeed in its strategic competition with the PRC, it is essential that it be willing to unflinchingly hold the PRC accountable for its aggression and malfeasance, and that it be well-organized and effective in doing so,” McCaul wrote.

The Biden administration has recently seen other changes among senior officials focused on China.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who has driven much of the department’s approach toward China, announced on May 12 that she is retiring.

And a former top official for China on Biden’s National Security Council, Laura Rosenberger, stepped down this year to head a U.S. government-run nonprofit that manages unofficial relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan.

(Reporting by Michael Martina and Humeyra PamukEditing by Don Durfee and Lisa Shumaker)

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By Andrea Shalal and Nandita Bose

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House on Wednesday criticized Republicans and said averting default is the responsibility of every single member of Congress and that preventing such a situation is not a concession.

House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, said on Tuesday the only concession he will make is raising the borrowing limit, which indicated at the time that Republicans are not willing to give any more than raising the debt ceiling in exchange for their demands.

“Don’t take our word for it. Just listen to members of The House Freedom Caucus… (they) are now openly referring to the full faith and credit of the United States as a hostage,” said White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

Jean-Pierre said the result of default would be “millions of jobs lost, devastated retirement accounts, and a recession.”

Negotiators for President Joe Biden and McCarthy reconvened at the White House earlier to try to strike a deal to raise the United States’ $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default.

Time is running short, as the Treasury Department has warned the federal government could be unable to pay all its bills by as soon as June 1 – just eight days away – and it will take several days to pass legislation through the narrowly divided Congress.

Jean-Pierre said the White House will continue to negotiate in good faith to reach a “reasonable bipartisan budget agreement” and it still believes there is an opportunity to get to such an agreement.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Nandita Bose in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot)

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By Jacqueline Thomsen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Jabari Wamble, U.S. President Joe Biden’s pick for a federal judgeship in Kansas, asked on Tuesday to have his nomination withdrawn from consideration in the Senate, a letter obtained by Reuters showed.

He became the second Biden judicial nominee to drop out in as many weeks. Michael Delaney, a former New Hampshire attorney general selected by Biden for a spot on the Boston-based 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, last week asked to withdraw amid bipartisan criticism in the Senate.

Wamble, the son-in-law of Democratic U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, wrote in his letter to Biden that he feels that “it is best” to remain in his current position as a federal prosecutor in Kansas. Wamble did not give detailed reasons for his withdrawal.

A source familiar with the withdrawal, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were concerns within the White House that Wamble would receive a “not qualified” rating from the American Bar Association, the lawyers’ group that assesses the qualifications of judicial nominees. No Biden nominee has yet received such a rating.

Wamble initially was tapped by the Democratic president last year for a seat on the Denver-based 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the nomination expired in the Senate. Biden in February then nominated Wamble instead to serve as a district court judge in Kansas.

The U.S. Constitution gives the Senate the authority to confirm presidential judicial nominations.

Following his withdrawal, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said Biden is proud to have nominated Wamble, “who has dedicated his life to serving the people of Kansas.”

Politico was the first to report Wamble’s withdrawal.

(Reporting by Jacqueline Thomsen; Editing by Will Dunham and David Bario)

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By James Oliphant

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made his entrance into the 2024 presidential race official on Wednesday ahead of an event on Twitter with billionaire Elon Musk where he is expected to publicly announce his campaign.

DeSantis, 44, filed a document with the Federal Election Commission declaring his candidacy. His long-expected foray changes the shape of the contest for the Republican nomination, as he likely will emerge as former President Donald Trump’s biggest rival.

The nominee will face President Joe Biden, a Democrat, in the November 2024 general election.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla and Twitter with 140 million Twitter followers, said his own appearance will not constitute an endorsement but will reflect his desire to make the service more of a town square.

By late afternoon, Musk was promoting the event on Twitter in a post that rapidly gained more than 2 millon views. The Twitter event is at 6 p.m. EDT (2200 GMT).

DeSantis on Wednesday will also convene a meeting of his top donors at a Miami hotel, where they will immediately launch his fundraising efforts.

DeSantis’ central argument for his candidacy likely will be that he is the only Republican who can defeat Biden, the winner over Trump in the 2020 election.

“We must reject the culture of losing that has impacted our party in recent years. The time for excuses is over,” DeSantis said at an event in Iowa earlier this month.

In the weeks leading up to his presidential bid, DeSantis has toured the country, visiting states such as Iowa and New Hampshire that will hold early nominating contests. He has boasted of his record as Florida’s governor, including his battles with the federal government over pandemic policies.

His decision to wait until now to jump in has given Trump space to batter DeSantis with a series of attacks, costing the governor standing in national polls and frustrating some allies who might have preferred DeSantis step into the ring earlier.

A pro-Trump Super PAC called MAGA Inc has already spent more than $14 million on television ads and other media attacking DeSantis, according to disclosures to the Federal Election Commission.

DeSantis allies are also spending money to boost his candidacy. The pro-DeSantis Never Back Down Super PAC purchased $1.4 million in ads that aired between May 5 and May 19, according to AdImpact, an advertising tracking firm.

DeSantis and his advisers were determined to wait to enter the race until the Florida Legislature could hand him a series of policy victories – and lawmakers have done just that.

He signed measures that severely restricted abortions in the state, made it easier for residents to carry concealed weapons, expanded a voucher program to allow students to attend private schools and eliminated funding for diversity programs at public universities, among other things.

DeSantis remains in a pitched battle with Walt Disney Co over the company’s criticism of laws prohibiting the teaching of gender identity concepts in public schools. The company has filed a federal lawsuit accusing DeSantis of weaponizing state government to punish its operations.

Other declared Republican candidates include Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Tim Scott, a U.S. senator from South Carolina.

(Reporting by James Oliphant, additional reporting by Alexandra Ulmer, Jasper Ward and Ben Klayman; Editing by Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell, Howard Goller and Cynthia Osterman)

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By David Morgan, Andrea Shalal and Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Democratic President Joe Biden and top congressional Republican Kevin McCarthy’s negotiators held what the White House called productive talks on Wednesday to try to close a deal to raise the United States’ $31.4 trillion debt ceiling and avoid a catastrophic default.

Time is running short, as the Treasury Department has warned the federal government could be unable to pay all its bills by as soon as June 1 – just eight days away – and it will take several days to pass legislation through the narrowly divided Congress.

U.S. bond giant PIMCO said it believed negotiators needed to strike a deal by the middle of this week to make that deadline.

Biden and McCarthy, the speaker of the House of Representatives, remain divided on how to move forward.

But White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said talks remain productive.

“If it keeps going in good faith, we can get to an agreement here,” she said at a briefing.

McCarthy told reporters on Wednesday that any deal must cut discretionary spending, not hold it steady as Biden has proposed, and not raise taxes.

“I’m sending our negotiation team down to the White House to try to finish up the negotiations,” McCarthy said. “The off ramp here is to solve the problem – to spend less than we spent last year. That’s not that difficult.”

He said he believed the two sides would reach a deal and avoid default.

Any deal that Biden and McCarthy reach will have a narrow path for passage through the divided Congress, where McCarthy’s Republicans hold a 222-213 House majority and Biden’s Democrats control the Senate by a 51-49 margin.

The compromises needed to win both chambers’ approval will also cost each party some votes from its most partisan members.

The lack of progress has heightened concerns that Congress could inadvertently trigger a crisis by failing to act in time.

“We’re certainly getting to a place that’s too close for comfort,” said Shai Akabas of the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank.

Ratings agency Moody’s might change its assessment of U.S. debt if lawmakers indicate a default is expected. Moody’s currently has a top-notch “Aaa” rating for U.S. debt, while rival rating agency S&P Global lowered its rating following a 2011 debt-ceiling showdown. A lower rating could push up borrowing costs.

STOCKS SLIDE

The months-long standoff has spooked Wall Street, weighing on U.S. stocks and pushing the nation’s cost of borrowing higher.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday said the United States will be unable to pay all its bills by early June, adding that it is difficult to be precise about the specific day the government will run out of resources.

That would trigger a Wall Street meltdown and push the U.S. economy toward recession, with the default also hitting regular Americans, economists say. Medical providers that rely on government payments could be among the first to feel the heat.

Republicans want to cut discretionary spending for the 2024 fiscal year beginning in October by roughly 8%, while Democrats have pushed to hold it steady at this year’s rate.

Negotiators differ over Republicans’ proposals to impose new work requirements on benefits programs for low-income Americans and loosen energy permitting rules.

The White House has offered to limit discretionary spending for the coming two years, in line with previous bipartisan budget agreements. Republicans have offered spending caps for the coming six years.

Republicans have rejected White House proposals to set a minimum tax on corporations and billionaires, cancel subsidies for oil and gas producers, and broaden the government’s ability to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs, according to Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal, who leads the 101-member Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Congress regularly needs to raise the nation’s self-imposed debt limit to cover the cost of spending and tax cuts it has already approved.

Each party faces opposition to the talks from within, with hardline Republicans insisting on the sharp spending cuts they passed in a House bill last month and progressive Democrats opposed to spending cuts or new work requirements.

Biden spent months saying he would not negotiate on raising the debt limit only to reverse course and begin talks with McCarthy in the last few weeks.

(Reporting by David Morgan, Nandita Bose, Andrea Shalal, Gram Slattery, Moira Warburton and Richard Cowan;Writing by Andy SullivanEditing by Scott Malone, Deepa Babington, Lisa Shumaker and Matthew Lewis)

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By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted 221 to 203 on Tuesday to overturn Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules that aim to drastically cut smog- and soot-forming emissions from heavy-duty trucks.

The White House said President Joe Biden would veto the measure that now goes to his desk after being passed by the Senate in April. It said the EPA rule “cuts pollution, boosts public health, and advances environmental justice.”

Republicans argue the new rules, finalized in December, are overly challenging to implement, will increase supply chain costs and will make trucks too expensive for small business owners.

Republican Senator Deb Fischer said “every American consumer will feel the effects of this rule and its price increases.”

Democratic Representative Frank Pallone said the “Republican bill would have dire consequences for EPA’s ability to fulfill its mission to protect public health and welfare from dangerous pollution.”

Under the Congressional Review Act, a simple majority vote in both chambers of Congress can reverse recently finalized rules, but that action must win approval of the president.

The standards tighten yearly emissions limits, the first update to clean air standards for heavy duty trucks in more than two decades, and are 80% more stringent than current standards.

The EPA estimates by 2045, the rule will result in up to 2,900 fewer premature deaths annually, 1.1 million fewer lost school days for children and $29 billion in annual net benefits.

“It’s really important, especially for protecting the health of the 72 million people living near truck freight routes in America,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan told Reuters in December.

The EPA in April proposed new pollution cuts for larger vehicles.

Under the proposal, EPA estimates 50% of vehicles like buses and garbage trucks could be electric vehicles (EVs) by 2032, along with 35% of new short-haul freight tractors and 25% of new long-haul freight tractors. Medium-duty vehicle rules are projected to cut emissions by 44% by 2032 over 2026 standards.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Sonali Paul)

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By James Oliphant

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, whose impassioned battles over pandemic lockdowns and divisive cultural issues have endeared him to conservatives, will announce on Wednesday he is seeking the Republican presidential nomination, placing him on a collision course with former President Donald Trump.

DeSantis will make the announcement on Twitter during a discussion with Twitter CEO Elon Musk, DeSantis’ political team confirmed. At the same time, he will file a document with the Federal Election Commission declaring his candidacy.

NBC first reported the planned announcement.

Musk confirmed his appearance on a webcast during a conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal, saying he was not endorsing DeSantis.

“I’m not at this time planning to endorse any particular candidate, but I am interested in Twitter being somewhat of a town square,” Musk said.

DeSantis was re-elected handily to a second term in November. His rising profile among Republicans and fundraising prowess likely make him the biggest threat to Trump’s hopes of becoming the Republican nominee for the White House again.

The two men were close allies during Trump’s four years in the White House – Trump endorsed him during his first campaign for governor – but DeSantis has since forged his own political identity. At 44 he may represent the future of the party more than does the 76-year-old Trump.

“Announcing on Twitter is perfect for Ron DeSantis. This way he doesn’t have to interact with people and the media can’t ask him any questions,” said a Trump adviser who asked not to be identified.

DeSantis will convene a meeting in Miami of his top donors, who will immediately launch his presidential fundraising efforts.

During the coronavirus pandemic, DeSantis became the national face of resistance to mask and vaccine mandates and has been a virulent critic of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who headed the government’s COVID-19 response in both the Trump and Biden administrations.

In stump speeches, he has argued his policies made possible Florida’s economic recovery from the pandemic, turning the state into a magnet for hundreds of thousands of new residents. Florida has consistently outpaced the country in job growth over the last two years.

“His pandemic response effectively made him the governor of Red State America,” said Justin Sayfie, a Florida lobbyist and a former aide to former Florida Governor Jeb Bush.

In the months leading up to his presidential bid, DeSantis has toured the country, visiting states like Iowa and New Hampshire that will hold early presidential nominating contests next year and talking up his accomplishments in Florida.

But his decision to wait until now to join the fray has allowed Trump to batter DeSantis with a fusillade of attacks, costing him standing in national polls.

AGGRESSIVE AGENDA

DeSantis has rebuffed critics, pushed his priorities through the legislature and punished his enemies. His Democratic opponent in his 2022 re-election campaign, Charlie Crist, called DeSantis a “wannabe dictator.”

When Walt Disney Co, one of Florida’s biggest employers, opposed the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law that limited discussion of LGBTQ issues in schools, DeSantis moved to strip the company of its self-governing status.

Disney has since filed a federal lawsuit against the governor, accusing him of weaponizing state government to retaliate against the company.

When an elected Democratic state attorney said he would not prosecute anyone for defying DeSantis-backed limits on abortion, DeSantis removed him from his position.

He has made crusading against what Republicans call “woke” education policies a centerpiece of his politics while supporting conservative candidates for local school boards.

He backed a legislative measure that prohibits the teaching of “Critical Race Theory” – an academic doctrine that views U.S. history through the lens of oppression – in state public schools despite little evidence it was being taught.

Republican lawmakers in Florida handed DeSantis a bevy of conservative victories in its recent session: They expanded the state’s school voucher program, prohibited the use of public money in sustainable investing, scrapped diversity programs at public universities, allowed for permitless carry of concealed weapons and, perhaps most notably, banned almost all abortions in the state.

The widespread abortion ban may help DeSantis appeal to the party’s evangelicals, but may damage him significantly in the November 2024 general election should he make it that far. Pro-business Republicans have also been critical of his feud with Disney, arguing that it is at odds with the party’s traditional hands-off approach to regulation.

Republicans nationwide have taken notice of his aggressive approach to governing. DeSantis and his affiliated political action committee raised more than $200 million in support of his gubernatorial re-election bid.

Also watching has been Trump, who has taken to deriding his one-time protégé at rallies, nicknaming him “DeSanctimonious” and claiming credit for making DeSantis the political rising star he is today.

On the stump, DeSantis has a wholly different style than the bombastic Trump: low-key, buttoned-down and prone to favoring policy over personal attacks. His campaign speeches can sometimes feel like PowerPoint presentations.

A key question going forward will be how DeSantis responds to what will certainly be a nearly endless stream of insults and insinuations from Trump. So far, he has attempted to dismiss them as “noise” and said he is focused on “delivering results.”

It may not be in DeSantis’ interest to fire back. He needs to win over some portion of Trump’s supporters. Instead, he likely will try to walk a careful line between not denigrating Trump while making clear he favors many of the same policies with perhaps a steadier hand on the tiller.

Prior to his election as governor in 2018, DeSantis served as a U.S congressman for three terms. His wife, Casey DeSantis, is considered his closest political adviser. The couple has three children.

(Reporting by James Oliphant, additional reporting by Alexandra Ulmer, Jasper Ward and Ben Klayman; Editing by Ross Colvin, Alistair Bell and Howard Goller)

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By Sharon Bernstein and Julia Harte

(Reuters) – South Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday passed a ban on most abortions after fetal cardiac activity begins, around six weeks.

The hotly contested bill, which Republican Governor Henry McMaster is expected to sign, passed mostly along party lines, with the notable exception of the state senate’s five women members, who opposed it.

The Republican-backed bill, which bans most abortions before many women know they are pregnant, is a revised version of an earlier measure that the state Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional earlier this year. It allows abortions up to 12 weeks in cases of rape and incest, and also provides an exception for medical emergencies.

“We’ll see you in court,” Planned Parenthood South Atlantic posted on Twitter moments after Tuesday’s vote by the South Carolina state senate.

But it was not immediately clear whether the new ban would be overturned like the prior one, because the state Supreme Court now has a new member who is more conservative.

Abortions are currently allowed in South Carolina through the first 22 weeks of pregnancy, one of the most permissive abortion laws in the region.

Out-of-state abortion seekers have sought care in South Carolina since a number of other states across the U.S. South greatly restricted abortions after the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022 eliminated a nearly 50-year-old federal right to abortion by overturning the Roe v. Wade decision.

(Reporting by Sharon Bernstein and Julia Harte; Editing by Leslie Adler and Chris Reese)

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By Tiyashi Datta

(Reuters) – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis will announce on Wednesday he is entering the 2024 presidential race during a Twitter Spaces discussion with billionaire Elon Musk, the first time such an announcement will be made on social media.

Musk and DeSantis will host the event on Twitter Spaces at 6 p.m. ET (2200 GMT) and the session will be moderated by tech entrepreneur and close Musk confidant David Sacks.

WHAT IS TWITTER SPACES?

It is a feature on Musk-owned social media platform Twitter where users can have live audio conversations. They can join, listen and speak in a “Space,” according to Twitter.

Any user with 600 or more followers can host a Space. Up to 13 people can speak in a Space at any given time, including the host and two co-hosts. Spaces are public and can be accessed by anyone.

Musk has previously appeared on Spaces to talk about Twitter’s performance, his plans for electric vehicle maker Tesla, and the global economy.

WHAT HAS MUSK SAID ABOUT DESANTIS?

Musk, who tweets liberally on politics and economics, said during a conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday he was not “at this time planning to endorse any particular candidate.”

Musk, a self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist,” said in November he would support DeSantis in 2024 if the Florida governor were to run for president.

“My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist. I had hoped that would the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far,” Musk had said on Twitter.

In June last year he said DeSantis would easily defeat Biden in the election.

IS MUSK A REPUBLICAN?

Musk, who had previously said he supported Democrats and had voted for President Joe Biden, urged his Twitter followers in November to elect a Republican Congress in U.S. midterms.

Musk, chief executive of Tesla, has been critical of the Biden administration for their proposals to tax billionaires and give more tax incentives to union-made EVs.

Twitter, which Musk bought last year, reinstated former U.S. President Donald Trump’s Twitter account in November, following his ban from the social media service for inciting violence. Twitter then reinstated the account of Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene who had been banned for violating its COVID misinformation policies.

WHO IS DAVID SACKS?

Sacks, a venture capitalist, is the founder of business networking site Yammer and a former colleague of Musk’s at payment service PayPal. According to NBC, he is a major Republican donor supporting DeSantis and is considered to be part of Musk’s inner circle on decisions about Twitter.

WILL TWITTER BENEFIT FROM THE SPACES CHAT?

Musk said on Tuesday: “I am interested in Twitter being somewhat of a town square.”

Twitter is eyeing political ad dollars after several corporate advertisers have fled since Musk took over in October.

The company said in January it will reverse its 2019 ban on political advertisement, bringing its policies closer to Meta Platform’s Facebook and Alphabet Inc’s YouTube.

(Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Chris Reese)

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