This week in politics: Biden casts 2024 as 'battle' for America's soul; McCarthy ushers in GOP debt plan

Joe Biden's plan to run for reelection was one of Washington's worst-kept secrets, but few knew how the president planned to cast his 2024 reelection bid.

In a 3-minute campaign video released Tuesday, Biden was explicit that he sees the upcoming contest as part of the continued "battle for the soul of America."

But polling shows some voters might not have an appetite for a sequel. 

The president's age also remains a persistent question, including among a Democratic base who say they would prefer someone else run.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy scored a needed win as he prepares to have a showdown over spending with the White House. 

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By a 217-215 vote, the Republican-controlled House passed a debt ceiling plan that seeks to cut $4.5 trillion from the budget and returns discretionary spending to fiscal year 2022 levels. 

Now comes the hard part—negotiating with Biden, who has firmly claimed the GOP plan hurts "hard-working" Americans the most.

Senate Democrats want Chief Justice John Roberts to talk about ethics rules that govern the Supreme Court, but he isn't interested. 

Also, a civil trial brought by a columnist who has accused former President Donald Trump of rape began this week. And outside of Washington, state legislatures again gripped the nation's attention when Montana's first openly transgender woman elected official was silenced.

What happened this week in politics?

• President Joe Biden wants to "finish this job" in a second term in the White House as he still grapples with questions about his age.
• Speaker Kevin McCarthy successfully led the House to pass a Republican debt ceiling plan that includes $4.5 trillion in cuts and raises the debt ceiling until May 2024.
• Montana state lawmaker Rep. Zooey Zephyr has been barred from the chamber floor after criticizing a ban on gender-affirming care for transgender children. 
• Chief Justice John Roberts rebuffed a call to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the high court's ethics amid a series of high-profile controversies involving his colleagues.
• Former President Donald Trump''s legal troubles continued as a civil trial alleging he raped and defamed a professional writer began.

Biden's reelection kicks off

Within hours of the announcement that Biden is running again, the president's team convened with progressive groups and Democratic officials to discuss messaging in key battleground states.

What's clear from the debut campaign video is Biden wants to contrast his administration with Trump—who is still the GOP frontrunner—and his allies, whom Biden describes as "MAGA extremists" ready to rollback "bedrock freedoms." 

But unlike four years ago Biden will have to defend his record, which has been struck with multiple crises including deep anxieties about the U.S. economy.  

Then there's the question of whether the 80-year-old president is up to juggling the most demanding job in the country coupled with a grueling campaign. It's something Biden admitted he took a "hard look" at when making his decision.

Politics: Biden, addressing age, says voters can 'judge whether or not I have it'

More: How old will Joe Biden be if re-elected as president in 2024? This one chart breaks it down.

"One of the things that people are going to find out is, they're going to see a race, and they're going to judge whether or not I have it or don't have it," he said.

Most Democrats, according to multiple polls, say they prefer a different presidential nominee, with Biden's age topping their concerns. 

McCarthy delivers on debt plan

Republican Kevin McCarthy avoided what would have been an embarrassing failure had the House not passed a debt limit plan.

The measure's odds of passing in the Democratic-controlled Senate are slim, but it sets up negotiations between the speaker and Biden on how the government spends your money and pays its bills.

At the outset the president rebuked the GOP plan, saying he would not negotiate on the debt ceiling, arguing it should be raised by Congress without parameters.

But someone’s got to blink.

Politics: Biden says McCarthy risking default on national debt: 'What are MAGA Republicans doing in Congress?'

If the federal government defaults on its payments this summer, experts warn it could throw the country into a recession.

Montana silences trans lawmaker

The Republican-run Montana House voted to prohibit Democratic state Rep. Zooey Zephyr from participating on the chamber floor.

The reason? 

She refused to apologize after saying legislators would "have blood on your hands" after passing a bill that bans gender-affirming care for transgender for minors.

The move is another flashpoint in a year defined largely by transgender rights, which is likely to be the next culture war in the 2024 election. It's something social conservative activists are banking on for next year.

Politics: Republicans lean into anti-trans messaging ahead of 2024. But will it mobilize voters?

More: Tennessee Three push gun reform in White House meeting with Biden

A recent national NBC News poll found 48% of Americans think the country has gone “too far” in accepting transgender people. The same survey showed 43% believe the country has “not gone far enough."  

Roberts to Senate Dems: No thanks

Chief Justice John Roberts isn't interested in speaking to the Senate Judiciary Committee about ethical questions orbiting other justices.

Roberts noted how it is "exceedingly rare" for the chief justice to testify before the panel, plus he cited worries about separation of powers and judicial independence.

Courts: Chief Justice John Roberts declines to testify on ethics, Clarence Thomas revelations

More: Clarence Thomas revelations prompt bipartisan Senate bill to require a Supreme Court code of conduct

Regardless, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the committee's chair, said changes "must happen whether the court participates in the process or not."

Trump defamation trial 

Trump's legal problems once again were among the top headlines in an unprecedented civil suit centered on accusations of rape against a former president.

E. Jean Carroll, a writer, alleges he raped her at a Manhattan department store in 1996. She detailed the incident in a 2019 memoir, and the suit accuses Trump of lying about her after she wrote about the alleged rape.

"I'm here because Donald Trump raped me," Carroll said during the first day of testimony in her defamation lawsuit against the ex-president.

Trump blasted the entire process online from his Truth Social website, saying her account is a "fraudulent" and "false story."

More: 'I'm here because Donald Trump raped me': E. Jean Carroll testifies; Trump attacks

Because this is a civil case, Trump's not at risk of a criminal conviction for sexual assault, but it brings another dark cloud over his 2024 campaign.