McCarthy readies for floor showdown in Speakership bid as opponents dig in heels
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is expected to go to the House floor to fight for the Speakership as his GOP opponents signal their stance is hardening. McCarthy this week started posturing for a floor showdown and turning up the heat on those withholding support. On Newsmax on Monday, McCarthy warned that House Democrats could pick the Speaker if Republicans “play games” on the House floor on Jan. 3. He shot down a question from CNN on Tuesday on whether he would step down in the race for Speaker if he does not get support from 218 Republicans. And on Fo
Read MoreGOP rivals walk high-wire when it comes to criticizing Trump
Republicans eyeing presidential bids in 2024 are trying to strike a very delicate balance when it comes to weighing in on former President Trump, aiming to criticize his actions and rhetoric without appearing to attack the man himself and alienate his supporters. The high-wire act was on full display in recent days as Republicans, including some who are weighing a 2024 campaign, were quick to condemn antisemitism after Trump dined with a white nationalist, but in many cases qualified their criticism or avoided going after Trump altogether. Former Vice President Mike Penc
Read MoreRail strike bill is rare rift between Democrats, unions
Senators predict they will have at least 60 votes to pass legislation approved by the House Wednesday to stop a nationwide railway strike, but a companion proposal to give railway workers more sick leave doesn’t have much Republican support. As a result, the Democratic-controlled Congress is poised to impose a labor deal on railway workers that was rejected by four freight rail unions — a rare rift between Democrats and organized labor. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) as of Wednesday afternoon had given colleagues little idea of how he would structure the
Read MoreWhy Biden’s repeated call for an assault weapons ban could be a political winner
President Biden has time and time again called for an assault weapons ban that can’t pass in Congress, but his efforts show that gun control is no longer an issue the Democratic Party is dodging as it did decades ago. Recent mass shootings that have devastated communities across the U.S. — 600 so far in 2022 — have reinvigorated Biden’s call for an assault weapons ban, even though Congress doesn’t have the Democratic supermajority it needs for a bill to pass. Still, the issue has evolved into more of a political winner for the party, unlike the early 2000s, when the Nati
Read MoreRubio stokes 2024 chatter with planned book release
There's a possible new entrant in the 2024 GOP book primary: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.). Rubio, who finished third in the 2016 GOP primary race, is set to release a new book, titled "Decades of Decadence," on June 13 with jockeying underway for the 2024 presidential primary. The 272-page book is set to be released by Broadside Books, an imprint of HarperCollins. HarperCollins did not list any further details
Read More