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The current House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, has already cleared the first hurdle to being elected Speaker of the House, winning the nomination from members of his own party – but with more than 30 members refusing to support him. The result will force him to negotiate with some of his party’s most extreme right-wing representatives, as the speaker of the House is ultimately confirmed by a simple majority of those who voted. That means Mr. McCarthy can only afford to lose a handful of Republican votes if he wants to lead the House. The GOP last night was projected to finally win a slim majority in the US House of Representatives with 218 seats, giving the GOP control of the lower chamber of Congress. But Democrats have retained control of the Senate, already securing 50 seats with hopes of retaining another in a runoff in Georgia next month. Many Senate Republicans have criticized their leader, Mitch McConnell, since the election, but the Kentucky Republican was re-elected to the minority leadership role on Wednesday.
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Pelosi will announce leadership plans today
With Republicans now expected to take control of the House, the next critical step in Democrats’ calculations is whether Nancy Pelosi will remain their leader. And today, it seems, is the day they will learn her decision, as her deputy leader said: Andrew Naughtie17 November 2022 11:28 1668682800
Mike Pence says the Jan. 6 panel has “no right” to his testimony
Former Vice President Mike Pence told CBS News that he will not testify before the House Select Committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol. “Congress has no right to my testimony,” he said. “We have separation of powers … I think it would set a terrible precedent for Congress to call a vice president of the United States to talk about the discussions that took place in the White House.” Alex Woodward17 November 2022 11:00 1668679200
37 Republican Senators Just Tried and Failed to Block Same-Sex Marriage Protection
The US Senate voted 62-37 in favor of a bill that would enshrine federal recognition of same-sex and interracial marriages. The critical November 16 procedural vote follows the US Supreme Court’s overturning of constitutional protections for abortion rights, raising fears among civil rights groups and LGBT+ advocates that the conservative justices would challenge marriage equality and other rights previously defended by the court. A final vote on the bill could come as early as Thursday. Alex Woodward November 17, 2022 10:00 am 1668675600
How Young Voters Saved the Democrats
Exit polls found that younger voters aged 18-29 were the only age group to overwhelmingly support Democrats in the midterm elections. Sixty-three percent of voters in that age group voted for Democratic House candidates, according to the poll, while 35 percent voted for Republicans. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is a millennial congresswoman, predicted that the youth vote numbers were the harbinger of a “generational shift” in politics. John Bowden of the Independent reports: Alex Woodward17 November 2022 09:00 1668672000
The election naysayers failed miserably in 2022. The candidates who defeated them are gearing up for 2024
Voters rejected Republicans in crucial statewide races run on false campaign narratives and endless complaints. After being beaten, newly elected officials are warning that the GOP movement of Trump loyalists and conspiracy theorists is far from over. Among the 94 races for statewide office this year, only five new candidates who boosted election fraud won their races, according to an analysis by the pro-democracy group United States Action. “Trying to delegitimize democracy is not a winning strategy,” said Democratic Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who defeated Trump-backed conspiracy theorist Christina Karamo. “But we still have a presidential election [in 2024] in which we expect many of the same challenges.” Alex Woodward17 November 2022 08:00 1668668400
Katie Hobbs, who defeated Kari Lake, tells supporters: ‘Arizonians chose to solve our problems over conspiracy theories’
Addressing a victory rally the morning after her projected victory, Arizona Gov.-elect Katie Hobbs said Arizona voters “chose to solve our problems over conspiracy theories” after defeating famous election denier and loyalist of Trump, Kari Lake. “We chose sanity over chaos and we chose unity over division,” he said Tuesday. “We chose a better Arizona and we chose democracy.” Ms. Lake’s defeat is the latest in a series of defeats in an anti-democratic movement fueled by conspiracy theories to subvert the electoral process to ensure GOP victories across the US. “The attacks on democracy will not end today with this victory. It’s up to all of us to continue to stand up for it,” Ms Hobbs said. “Most of all we must reject the false choice between democracy and the defense of an economy that works for everyone.” Alex Woodward17 November 2022 07:00 1668661200
Far-right figures appear on Trump as 2024 campaign kicks off: ‘Turn a blind eye’
Some of Donald Trump’s staunchest – and most notorious – supporters are making it clear they definitely disagree with his decision to launch a third presidential campaign after the disgraced former president announced his 2024 bid last night. Right-wing commentator Ann Coulter told him “you’ve had your chance, with a Republican House and Senate.” “You handed domestic politics over to your son-in-law and Gary Cohn. You handed over foreign policy to your son-in-law and to a country that gave your son-in-law $2 billion,” he wrote. “Shut the f*** up, forever.” Alex Woodward17 November 2022 05:00 1668654049
Trump has to overcome the long arc of history to win re-election
If Donald Trump is to once again win the presidency after losing to Joe Biden in 2020, he will be in very unique company indeed – that of Grover Cleveland. Cleveland, who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, is the only person to successfully win two non-consecutive terms. Can Trump become the second? Andrew Buncombe of the Independent writes: Alex Woodward17 November 2022 03:00 1668650449
Kevin McCarthy faces “a nearly impossible task” if Republicans win the House
The Independent’s Washington editor Eric Garcia talks to Brendan Buck, who worked for Republican House Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, to better understand what a slim majority means for Kevin McCarthy’s caucus . In short: The GOP has a “brand problem.” “And even though there was a lot of frustration with the direction of the country, they didn’t think the Republicans were a safe place to go to steady the ship,” he said of midterm voters. “And that should make us take stock of how we talk about ourselves and how we present ourselves and what we are – what our principles are. I actually don’t expect much of this reflection to take place.” Alex Woodward17 November 2022 02:00 1668645254
Karen Bass is expected to become the next mayor of Los Angeles
Rep. Karen Bass beat billionaire developer Rick Caruso in the race to become mayor of America’s second-largest city, according to an Associated Press forecast. Ms. Bass becomes the first woman and only the second African-American to hold the position. Mr. Caruso, who spent more than $100 million of his own money on his campaign, appeared to be chipping away at the veteran lawmaker’s lead in polls ahead of Election Day. But figures suggest he was on course to win with 53.1 percent of the vote to his 46.9 percent. The pair clashed in discussions about topics such as the city’s homelessness crisis, crime and the cost of living. Graeme Massie has the full story: Phil Thomas17 November 2022 00:34
