Daily Briefing: Volcanoes are erupting on three continents

Active volcanoes have prompted ash warnings and set nerves on edge in Italy, Mexico and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Also in the news: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has reiterated a June 1 deadline for an unprecedented default on the national debt and the Denver Nuggets bested LeBron James' Los Angeles Lakers and are on the way to the NBA finals.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Have a hockey jersey? Don it to get some free Chipotle today.

Now, here we go with Tuesday's news.

Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano is spewing gas, smoke and ash

For more than a week, the 17,797-foot mountain just southeast of Mexico City and known affectionately as “El Popo,” has been increasingly explosive, spewing great plumes of gas, ash and incandescent rock into the air. The activity led the Mexican government to raise the warning level and on Monday, local, state and federal officials held drills for the possibility of evacuations. The situation in Mexico comes as active volcanoes also prompted warnings in Italy and the Democratic Republic of Congo in recent days. Read more

• More world news: The U.S. wants to spend billions on spy submarine to fend off ocean-deep China.

E. Jean Carroll seeks further damages from Donald Trump

Writer E. Jean Carroll asked a court Monday to impose "very substantial" new damages on Donald Trump for his verbal attacks on her after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. A day after a jury this month assessed Trump must pay $5 million in damages for sexual abuse and defamation, Trump said during a CNN town hall that Carroll was a "whack job" who told a "made-up story" and called the trial a "rigged deal." Trump has appealed the verdict and the $5 million judgement against him. Read more

More news to know now

• Confusion over the status of Bakhmut has intensified after Russian officials said the region ''was completely taken.''
• The European Union issued a record $1.3 billion fine against Meta over data privacy.
• The FBI is investigating the death of a tribal member in Arizona after U.S. Border Patrol agents shot him.
• Police sometimes ignore kids missing from foster care.
• On today's 5 Things podcast, Paste BN White House Correspondent Joey Garrison checks in on the debt ceiling. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your smart speaker.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Biden goes mano-a-mano with McCarthy

President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appeared to make progress but did not reach an agreement during a pivotal White House meeting Monday evening on raising the debt ceiling 10 days before a potential default.

The high-stakes Oval Office meeting came after negotiations took a step backwards over the weekend amid long-standing disagreements on spending cuts sought by Republicans.

• So far, talks have centered on what Republicans want, such as stricter work requirements for recipients of food stamps.
• The White House is now trying to flip the debate by pushing a key piece of the Democratic agenda: Tax increases on the wealthiest Americans.
• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reiterated the June 1 deadline for default in a letter Monday, and even if a deal is reached by then it's not guaranteed how long it will take to pass through Congress.

Supreme Court ducks challenge to California ban on foie gras

The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal challenging California's 11-year-old ban on foie gras, rejecting the argument raised by duck and goose farmers that the prohibition flouted federal law. The denial, made without comment from the court, leaves in place a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit that upheld the ban. It was the third time farmers had brought their challenge to the Supreme Court. Read more

• This senator is holding up military appointments because of abortion policy. 
• I'm a foster kid with a degree. That shouldn't be rare, but it is. We can change that.

Just for subscribers:

• Most families gave up on virtual school. What about students still thriving online?
• A prosecutor blasted a female pedophile: Your childhood trauma is no excuse for what you did.
• Kroger and Albertsons say merger will save customers money. How much?
• Texas children's clinic loses doctors amid gender-affirming care inquiry.

These articles are for Paste BN subscribers. You can sign up here. 

Nuggets sweep LeBron James, Lakers, advance to first NBA Finals

LeBron James had 40 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, including a playoff career-high for points in a half (31), but that wasn’t enough against the relentless ‒ and better ‒ Denver Nuggets. The top-seeded Nuggets eliminated the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers with a 113-111 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals Monday and made franchise history. Denver will play the winner of Miami-Boston in the Finals starting June 1. Read more

• Did LeBron James just play his last NBA game? Lakers star says: ''I got to think about it.''
• NBA great Carmelo Anthony announces his retirement after 19-year career.

Quick hits

• Ray Stevenson, actor in ''Thor,'' ''RRR'' and ''Ahsoka,'' dies at 58.
• This old pharmacy was remodeled into a home, listed at $799,500.
• Celebrate Amazon Gaming Week with the best device deals on Luna, Eero and Fire HD.
• Review: Halle Bailey keeps Disney's live-action ''Little Mermaid'' remake from being all wet.

Photo of the day:  Cannes Film Festival 2023

Hollywood's biggest names are returning to the South of France for the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, where first-time filmmakers and household names are competing for the celebrated Palme d'Or award. Click here for more photos from Cannes.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at Paste BN, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this – subscribe to Paste BN here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.