Good morning. It is Sunday, May the 21st. I'm Ali Velshi. President Biden is on his way back to the United States,

cutting his G7 trips short in order to restart the crucial debt ceiling discussions that have broken down over the past few days while he's been abroad.

The breakdown of the

talks is somewhat surprising, considering that just five days ago, both Biden and House Speaker

Kevin McCarthy left a meeting sounding optimistic about how things were developing. Biden told reporters

he was confident about reaching a deal and that all parties were in agreement that default

was not an option. McCarthy had even said that it was,

quote, possible to get a deal by the end of the week, but signs of renewed discord spilled

back out on Friday when Republican aides paused the discussion, saying that it was, quote, not

productive. Democrats and Republicans remain far apart on a number of issues, including spending

cuts and work requirements for federal benefits, which McCarthy has said is a red line for him.

Talks between congressional Republicans and the White House have yet to resume.

And yesterday, McCarthy made his dissatisfaction public, tweeting, quote,

President Biden doesn't think there's a single dollar of savings to be found in the federal government's

budget. He'd rather be the first president in history to default on the debt than to risk

upsetting the radical socialists who are calling the shots for Democrats right now, end quote.

Now, McCarthy's tweet conveniently ignores the fact that never before have Republicans under

a president of either party ultimately refused

to raise the debt limit and that far-right members of his own conference are the ones preventing

him from scheduling the vote to get it done. The hostage-taking of the American economy by

Republicans has forced this high-stakes negotiation, but striking a deal with them is just one

of the options available to President

...