Biden, McCarthy narrow in on budget deal; Ukraine harasses Russian border regions; Celtics force Game 6; and more morning headlines

An upbeat President Joe Biden says a deal to resolve the government’s debt ceiling crisis seems “very close." He spoke late Friday, shortly after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pushed the deadline for a potentially catastrophic default back to June 5. That announcement seemed likely to drag negotiations between the White House and Republicans into another frustrating week. House Republicans led by Speaker Kevin McCarthy spent the day negotiating by phone and computers with the White House. One Republican negotiator, Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, called Biden’s comments “a hopeful sign” but also cautioned that there’s still “sticky points” impeding a final agreement.

Authorities say Russia’s southern Belgorod region that borders Ukraine came under attack from Ukrainian artillery fire, hours after two drones struck a Russian city in a region next to the Crimea Peninsula. The Kremlin’s forces meanwhile struck a clinic in Dnipro on Friday, killing two and wounding another 23, including two children. Ukrainian officials also said a Russian missile hit a dam in the Karlivka district of Donetsk province in eastern Ukraine. That placed nearby settlements under threat of severe flooding. Russia's Belgorod region was earlier this week the target of one of the most serious cross-border attacks from Ukraine since the war began 15 months ago.

A U.S. study suggests 1 in 10 people are getting long COVID after an omicron infection, a lower estimate than earlier in the pandemic. The National Institutes of Health is studying nearly 10,000 U.S. adults to help better understand why some people suffer debilitating health problems that can last for months or years after even mild COVID-19. In the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers identified a dozen key symptoms that help distinguish long COVID. They say doctors shouldn't use the list to diagnose patients — it's only a first step — but it might help future studies.

President Joe Biden has announced a new government strategy to fight hate, bias and violence directed at Jews. The document released Thursday outlines more than 100 steps the administration and its partners can take to combat an alarming rise in antisemitism. The strategy is centered around four goals: increasing awareness and understanding of antisemitism, improving safety and security for Jewish communities, reversing the normalization of antisemitism and building solidarity across communities to help counter hate. Biden says the recommendations send the message that “evil will not win” and “hate will not prevail” in America.