GOING TO BE HERE BEFORE WE KNOW IT. JAY O'BRIEN ON CAPITOL HILL, THANK. SO WHAT ARE PEOPLE ACROSS AMERICA ASKING ABOUT THESE KEY ISSUES? WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT KAREN TRAVERS JOINS ME LIVE NOW FOR MORE . KAREN, YOU TALK WITH RADIO HOSTS ACROSS AMERICA EVERY DAY . WHAT ARE YOU HEARING ABOUT THE DEBT CEILING STANDOFF? YEAH, THIS WAS A BIG TOPIC TODAY ON RADIO, ALEXIS , AND A LOT OF QUESTIONS WERE, DID ANYTHING GET DONE IN THAT MEETING YESTERDAY BETWEEN PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY? AND I GOT TO TELL YOU, PEOPLE PICKED UP ON THE FACT THAT THE TONE AFTERWARD IN THE STATEMENT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE AND IN THE COMMENTS FROM KEVIN MCCARTHY HERE AT THE WHITE HOUSE WERE ACTUALLY PRETTY POSITIVE. I THINK THERE WAS A BIT OF A NOTICING MAYBE DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION, SOME OF THE MEETINGS THAT THE FORMER PRESIDENT HAD WITH CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS WERE VERY CONTENTIOUS AND VERY TENSE . BUT YESTERDAY THERE WAS A LOT OF TALK ABOUT A GOOD MEETING AND PERHAPS A WAY TO REACH COMMON GROUND. NOW, DID ANYTHING GET SOLVED? NO, OF COURSE NOT. NOT IN ONE MEETING. BUT THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION. BUT, ALEXIS , THERE ARE BIG CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS AS WE HEAD TO THAT JUNE DATE WHEN THE GOVERNMENT COULD DEFAULT ON ITS DEBT, CONCERNS ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE COULD BE AN AGREEMENT REACHED AND QUESTIONS ABOUT WHEN THE REPUB INSIDE WILL LAY THEIR CARDS ON THE TABLE. I THINK IT'S REALLY INTERESTING IS THE PRESIDENT'S BEEN MAKING CLEAR ALL WEEK HE WANTS TO SEE SPECIFICS FROM REPUBLICANS ANCHORS ON RADIO TODAY. WE'RE REALLY PICKING UP ON THAT. AND ASKING ME WHETHER OR NOT THE PRESIDENT HEARD THAT. AND WHEN HOUSE SPEAKER KEVIN MCCARTHY WAS GOING TO START GIVING SPECIFICS ON WHAT GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS HE WANTED TO SEE CUT IN EXCHANGE FOR COOPERATION ON RAISING THE DEBT LIMIT, NOW, YOU'RE ALSO GETTING A LOT OF QUESTIONS ON THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SETTING END DATE FOR COVID-19 EMERGENCIES. WHAT ARE YOU HEARING? >> YEAH, THIS WAS A VERY BUZZY TOPIC THIS WEEK, I THINK, BECAUSE IT KIND OF CAME AS A SURPRISE THAT THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN ON MAY 11TH. THE ADMINISTRATION ENDING THE COVID PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY AND THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR EVERYDAY AMERICANS? MAYBE PEOPLE EVEN REALIZE THOSE EMERGENCIES WERE STILL IN PLACE. BUT THE BIG THINGS THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO KNOW IS THIS COULD IMPACT THE ACCESS TO FREE VACCINES, FREE TREATMENTS AND FREE TESTS. ANOTHER BIG ISSUE IS WHAT THIS MIGHT MEAN FOR THE ADMINISTRATION'S PLAN TO FORGIVE STUDENT LOAN DEBT. I ASKED THE WHITE HOUSE ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY BECAUSE, ALEXIS , THAT COURSES NOW IN THE COURT SYSTEM, THE SUPREME COURT IS GOING TO HEAR A CASE ON THAT VERY SOON. AND THE ADMINISTRATION HAS BEEN SAYING THAT THE EDUCATION SECRETARY IS RELIEVING DEBT FOR MILLIONS OF AMERICANS BECAUSE OF THE HARDSHIP FACED BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC. QUESTION IS , DOES LIMIT AT RELIEVING THE EMERGENCY, LIFTING THE EMERGENCY, UNDERMINE THEIR ARGUMENT? THE WHITE HOUSE INSISTS IT DOES NOT. BUT, ALEXIS , A LOT OF PEOPLE STILL WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THIS MIGHT MEAN FOR POTENTIAL RELIEF THAT COULD BE COMING THEIR WAY. >> UNDERSTANDABLY SO. THAT'S RIGHT. AND , KIRAN, PRESIDENT BIDEN, I KNOW, IS EXPECTED TO ISSUE A MEMO. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE AIMED AT SUPPORTING ACCESS TO FAMILY AND MEDICAL LEAVE FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES. SO WHAT CAN WE EXPECT THERE? YEAH, THIS IS ABOUT THE UPCOMING 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE ACT FMLA. THAT WAS A GROUNDBREAKING PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT GUARANTEED AMERICANS UP TO 12 WEEKS OF LEAVE WITHOUT LOSING THEIR JOBS. VERY SIGNIFICANT. AND TODAY, THE PRESIDENT WILL BE HIGHLIGHTING THAT HERE AT THE WHITE HOUSE WITH AN EVENT HE'LL BE JOINED BY FORMER PRESIDENT CLINTON. FIRST TIME WE'VE BEEN SEEING HIM HERE AT THE WHITE HOUSE IN A LONG TIME. AND AS YOU SAY, THIS IS A MEMO SPECIFICALLY ABOUT FEDERAL WORKERS AND THEIR LEAVE. BUT FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, THIS IS A CHANCE TO HIGHLIGHT THIS ISSUE BROADLY, TO SHOW THAT THE PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO PUSH . OF COURSE, HE TRIED TO MAKE THIS PART OF THAT BUILD BACK BETTER AGENDA, BUT RAN INTO BIG STUMBLING BLOCKS ON CAPITOL HILL FROM SOME IN HIS OWN PARTY, JOE MANCHIN OF WEST VIRGINIA. BUT THEY WANT TO KEEP THIS FRONT AND CENTER IS ALL ABOUT TALKING ABOUT INVESTING IN