House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
At the top of Kevin McCarthy’s to-do list as he begins his role as House Speaker is adopting a new rules package for the chamber when it convenes Monday evening.
McCarthy, who was elected speaker after a historic 15 ballots, made a series of concessions to conservative Republicans in order to secure the votes he needed to win the position. Those deals will be center stage as the House votes on whether to pass the new rules package.
Among the biggest concessions, McCarthy agreed to allow a single lawmaker to call a vote to oust the speaker; a condition on which he initially said he would not budge. The California Republican also agreed to holding a vote on congressional term limits, putting more House Freedom Caucus members on the powerful House Rules Committee, and to mandate 72 hours for bills to be reviewed before votes, among others.
Even more concessions could be revealed during the evening vote. At least two Republicans have already said they are skeptical of the new rules package, which could make things challenging for McCarthy since he can only afford to lose four votes on legislation and still overcome Democratic opposition.
The Supreme Court is reinstating a regulation aimed at reining in the proliferation of ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers that have been turning up at crime scenes across the nation in increasing numbers.
Thousands of Los Angeles city employees, including sanitation workers, lifeguards and traffic officers, walked off the job Tuesday for a 24-hour strike alleging unfair labor practices.
A federal judge has temporarily banned Sacramento from clearing homeless encampments for at least 14 days, citing the extreme heat forecast this month in California's capital city.
