If Republicans win control of the U.S. House of Representatives in November's midterm elections, they expect to use a powerful and potentially dangerous tool as leverage in their dealings with Democratic President Joe Biden: The federal debt ceiling. The U.S. Treasury is expected to reach its mandated $31.4 trillion borrowing limit in 2023, and Republicans ranging from hard-line conservatives to moderates see an opportunity to curb Biden's spending on Democratic initiatives.

HOW THE DEBT CEILING COULD BE USED TO COUNTER DEMS

The U.N. General Assembly voted on Monday to reject Russia's call for the 193-member body to hold a secret ballot later this week on whether to condemn Moscow's move to annex four partially occupied regions in Ukraine. The General Assembly decided, with 107 votes in favor, that it would hold a public vote - and not a secret ballot - on a draft resolution that would condemn Russia's "illegal so-called referenda" and the "attempted illegal annexation." The vote will likely be on Wednesday.

SEE HOW RUSSIA STEPPED UP ATTACKS AHEAD OF UN VOTE

A research farm in New Zealand is feeding cattle a new powder called Kowbucha, a probiotic that studies show reduces methane emissions from cow burps. Kowbucha is blended into a milk-like drink at a farm in Palmerston North and fed to cattle as part of a series of trials being carried out by New Zealand dairy giant Fonterra since 2021 to gauge how effective the probiotic is in reducing methane emissions in cows.

HOW MUCH CAN KOWBUCHA REDUCE METHANE EMISSIONS?

How much methane can one cow belch into the atmosphere in a year?

Monday's answer: Before a stellar NFL career, Herschel Walker played for the upstart USFL's New Jersey Generals, owned by Donald Trump.