i will stay with it until we can get it done. the negotiations we re having with speaker mccarthy is about the outlines of what the budget will look like, not about default. house speaker kevin mccarthy and president joe biden remain on the same page about not letting the u.s. default on its debt, but time is really running out to get a deal in place before the deadline. we ll have much more on the negotiations and that time line in just a moment. plus, a federal judge sends a message to an insurrectionist handing out the longest sentence to a january 6th defendant to date. and also ahead we ve got new details on presidential campaign fund-raising for florida governor ron desantis including some questionable actions by his gubernatorial staff. good morning and welcome to way too early on this friday, may 26th. i m jonathan lemire, thanks for starting your day with us. with less than a week until the united states could default on its debts house lawmakers have left
after he was found guilty of trafficking a man to britain to harvest one of his kidneys. ike ekwere madu s wife, beatrice, was given a four and a half year sentence. the judge also handed down a ten yearjail term to a medic who helped them. the victim a 21 old street traderfrom lagos was offered $8000 and was promised a better life in britain, but only realised what was going on when he met doctors in hospital. the couple had planned to give the organ to their daughter who has a kidney disease. justicejohnson handed down the sentence at the old bailey in london. the wealth and power inequality and disparity between you and c could not be more marked. you, ekweremadu are a senator in nigeria s national assembly. you have held high political office. you had many staff, including domestic staff, maids, chefs and drivers. you own multiple properties around the globe. there is evidence of as many as a0. more than £400,000 went into your bank account over a six month period. b
uk port authorities apologise and say there ll be a review of plans ahead of the easter weekend. hello and welcome. i m ben thompson. we begin in eastern ukraine, where russia s mercenary wagner group claims it s in control of the fiercely contested town of bakhmut. the head of the group unfurled a russian flag at bakhmut s city hall and declared this. translation: this is the private military company s translation: this is the private military company s flag, - translation: this is the private military company s flag, in - translation: this is the private military company s flag, in the i military company s flag, in the legal sense, military company s flag, in the legalsense, it military company s flag, in the legal sense, it is ours. it remains. the commanders who captured the building in the district will carry on and put these flags up. that s a claim disputed by kyiv, which says its forces still hold the town. the wagner chief also paid tribute to the leading russian m
of the country s most influential aboriginal leaders, yunupingu, who has died at the age of 7a. hello and welcome. let s look at some of the main stories in the uk. uk passport office workers are staging five weeks of industrial action over pay, pensions and job security. union reps say walking out now will cause maximum disruption, because people will be trying to renew their passports in time for summer travel. the british government has called the industrial action disappointing and says it s working to manage the impact it may have. our employment correspondent zoe conway reports. it s at this time of year that the passport service is at its busiest as people get their passports renewed in time for the summer. the pcs union says it s going on strike now to cause maximum disruption. 1,900 civil servants are directly involved in issuing passports. the union says more than 1,500 of them will go on strike. the union says there needs to be a dramatic improvement on last year
at the port of dover uk authorities apologise, and say there ll be a review of plans ahead of the easter weekend let s return to some breaking news this hour and schools in england face fresh strikes this spring after members of the national education union rejected the government s pay offer. rejected the government s pay teachers have been gathering for the union s annual conference in harrogate, where pay and workload are among the issues being discussed. ministers say the pay offer is fair and reasonable . live now to our uk education editor branwen jeffreys who is in harrogate. bring us up to date. the government says the pay offer is fair but the unions do not agree. i says the pay offer is fair but the unions do not agree. unions do not agree. i have ust ste ed unions do not agree. i have ust stepped out fl unions do not agree. i have ust stepped out of i unions do not agree. i have ust stepped out of the i unions do not agree. i have just stepped out of the c