This episode contains strong language. Republicans are set to take control of the House of Representatives for the first time in four years. The transition is shaping up to be chaotic. Today, the 118th Congress will gather for the first time in the Capitol, yet there is still a question mark over who is going to be the Republican speaker of the House. Why is there still a fight over leadership?Guest: Catie Edmondson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.Background reading: Representative Kevin McCarthy is struggling to break through a wall of entrenched opposition to his speakership from hard-right lawmakers even after agreeing to weaken his leadership power.Mr. McCarthy has so far faced no viable challenger. But if he is unable to secure the votes, an alternative could quickly emerge. Here are the Republicans to watch. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.
The 118th Congress has its first session today, with a peaceful transition of power from one party to another. The lawmakers arriving in Washington came with their families, ready for what seems like it will be a chaotic transition at least over in the House.
This podcast episode discusses an anti-tax and anti-spend manifesto used to recruit populist candidates, as well as the power gained by standing out and opposing government, spending, and taxes.
Kevin McCarthy's journey to becoming House Speaker was fraught with challenges, including a difficult task of winning over the loyalty of hard-right Republicans. One of his early lessons was the power held by the right-flank of his own party, and this was exemplified by a move to withdraw endorsement after a video was released that could have cost Presidential candidate Trump the election.
Kevin McCarthy didn't tell his House members to stand by Trump but voted to overturn the election giving the hard right House Republicans the red meat of election denialism.
The hard right wing of the house Republican party is demanding a kind of leader that Kevin McCarthy has to somehow make himself into in order to become speaker, despite their small numbers and the fact that they lost in the November elections.
Ukrainian forces used American supplied rockets to hit a building where a significant number of Russian soldiers were sleeping, killing reportedly up to 400 of them, while Russian officials claim the death toll is approximately 60. Additionally, tens of thousands of people flocked to the Vatican City to pay their respects to former Pope Benedict XVI, who passed away at the age of 95 and notably became the first living pope to resign in over 600 years when he retired in 2013.