Biden's Overseas Trip Overshadowed by Debt Ceiling Crisis.

U.S. President Joe Biden called his Papua New Guinea counterpart James Marape to apologise for cancelling his visit to the Pacific islands nation and to inform him that Secretary of State Antony Blinken would travel in his place. Biden had been expected to meet 18 leaders from the region's main bloc, the Pacific Islands Forum, and sign a defence co-operation pact with PNG on Monday. Despite criticism from some opposition politicians that the deal could upset PNG's trade with China, Marape said the U.S. pact would not compromise the country's foreign policy of "friends to all, enemies to none".