Rep. Kevin McCarthy failed to secure the House speakership position again early Wednesday afternoon, losing in a series of votes.
In order to become the next House speaker, McCarthy needs to win a simple majority of votes, or 218 if all 435 members vote. McCarthy failed to reach a majority in the first three rounds of votes Tuesday, marking a historic defeat. It was the first time in 100 years that a nominee failed to win the gavel on the first round of votes.
McCarthy headed down a similar path Wednesday afternoon, coming up short again in the fourth and fifth round of votes.
The problem for McCarthy is a group of far-right Republicans who are refusing to back him, even after McCarthy made concessions to appease them. Still, McCarthy has shown no signs of giving up his bid.
“We’re not that far away,” McCarthy told reporters last night. “We only need 11 more votes to win.”
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo. 3rd District) called on former President Donald Trump to tell McCarthy, "Sir, you do not have the votes and it’s time to withdraw." Trump had earlier voiced his full support for the embattled nominee.
Voting will continue until a lawmaker receives a simple majority. Either McCarthy will be able to convince enough Republicans to support him, or to not vote for anyone and lower the threshold to reach a majority, or an alternate candidate will emerge. Until then, the House can’t swear in lawmakers, establish rules for the next two years, or pass new legislation. It remains unclear how long the process could take.
Updated with Cheddar writethrough.
Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case was allowed to linger on his campaign website after the judge ordered it deleted.
Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty to a felony on Friday just as jury selection was getting underway in his trial on charges accusing him of participating in efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.
Republicans dropped Rep. Jim Jordan on Friday as their nominee for House speaker, making the decision during a closed-door session after the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump failed badly on a third ballot for the gavel.
Canada has removed 41 of its diplomats from India as tensions rise between the two nations.
Mitt Romney said he believes right-wing media is the reason for the radicalization of the GOP party.
An Army private who fled to North Korea before being returned home to the United States last month has been detained by the U.S. military, two officials said Thursday night, and is facing charges including desertion and possessing sexual images of a child.
Israel bombarded Gaza early Friday, hitting areas in the south where Palestinians had been told to seek safety, and it began evacuating a sizable Israeli town in the north near the Lebanese border, the latest sign of a potential ground invasion of Gaza that could trigger regional turmoil.
The Justice Department has secured a $9 million settlement with Ameris Bank over allegations that it avoided underwriting mortgages in predominately Black and Latino communities in Jacksonville, Florida, and discouraged people there from getting home loans.
Israel pounded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes on Thursday, including in the south where Palestinians were told to take refuge, and the country's defense minister told ground troops to “be ready” to invade, though he didn’t say when.
Addressing the nation from the Oval Office, President Joe Biden has made his case for major U.S. backing of Ukraine and Israel in a time of war.
