The US-China relationship / LGBT rights in the United States / US debt ceiling

Henry Kissinger. Evan Vucci/AP 

 

The US-China relationship  

Kissinger: May have ten years to avoid world war 

 

China and the US must stabilize their relations if the world is not to be plunged into a third world war. This is what former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger says in an interview with The Economist.  

 

Kissinger, who will soon turn 100 years old, believes that the rapid development of AI will increase the tensions between the countries. He believes that the US and China only have five to ten years to find common ground.  

 

- We are in a stage similar to the lead-up to the First World War, where none of the countries have room for political concessions and where any change in the balance of power can have catastrophic consequences, he says.  

 

DeSantis signs into law Thursday. Wilfredo Lee / AP  

 

LGBT rights in the United States 

DeSantis halts treatment for young transgender people  

 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a law banning minors from undergoing gender-affirming treatment. People who are not of legal age should not have access to hormone treatment such as puberty blockers.  

 

DeSantis signed several laws on so-called culture war issues. Among other things, pubs and other establishments are prohibited from admitting children to drag shows. In addition, schools are prohibited from asking children which pronoun they prefer.   

 

- We will not deal with the pronoun Olympics in Florida, DeSantis said according to the BBC.  

 

According to multiple sources CBS News spoke with, he will announce his candidacy in the Republican primary next week.

US debt ceiling  

McCarthy: May vote on debt ceiling next week 

 

Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy believes that the House of Representatives could vote on an agreement on the debt ceiling as early as next week, writes CNBC.  

 

- I mean that if you compare where we are today with where we were a week ago, we are in a better place, he told journalists outside the congress on Thursday.  

 

The ongoing negotiations must result in a proposal that can be approved by both the House of Representatives, which is controlled by the Republicans, and the Senate, where the Democrats are in the majority.