Tensions high at Columbia University after protesters defy deadline to leave as it happened US politics

Table Of Content

• Swing-district Republican attacks Democrats who heckled him over his support for Johnson
• GOP Rep. Bice considering running for Johnson's former leadership role
• Kevin McCarthy ousted as speaker, throwing Washington into chaos
• Questions swirl over the future of TikTok. Who could own it? How will the platform operate?
• Jordan says there will not be a resolution to empower McHenry
• Democrats 'chatting' about bipartisan support of McHenry in temporary role
• Jeffries indicates Democrats are open to empowering McHenry and says informal talks have "accelerated"

As of now, there is a widespread expectation on Capitol Hill that, in the aftermath of the passage of Ukraine aid, enough Democrats would be willing to cross the aisle for Johnson to prevail in such a vote. Greene filed a motion to vacate the speaker more than a month ago, but has not yet taken the steps needed to force a vote. So far, two other House Republicans have publicly backed the effort — Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Paul Gosar of Arizona. Johnson has defended his leadership in the face of the growing threats, saying that he will not resign and warning that a vote to oust him could cause chaos in the House. Last week he told Fox News’s Jesse Watters, “I don’t think about her at all,” when asked about Greene. The Georgia hard-liner introduced her motion to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in March, framing it as a warning to GOP leaders ahead of explosive debates on government spying and aid to Ukraine.

Swing-district Republican attacks Democrats who heckled him over his support for Johnson

The president urged the Senate to quickly send it to his desk for signature. The package contains a fourth bill aimed at implementing sanctions and policies to counter China, Iran and Russia. It also includes a version of a House bill that passed overwhelmingly in March that forces TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company or face a ban in the U.S. McCarthy said no deal has been reached yet, but said progress is being made as talks are ongoing. Follow the latest US political news here or read through the updates below.

GOP Rep. Bice considering running for Johnson's former leadership role

When Mr. McCarthy was booted out by a right-wing rebellion two weeks ago, the world learned that Mr. McHenry was the first name on his list. But Republicans were divided even on doing that, with some Jordan loyalists arguing that it would set a damaging precedent. Representative Jim Jordan, the hard-line Republican from Ohio, lost a second bid for speaker on Wednesday after running headlong into opposition from a group of mainstream G.O.P. holdouts who vowed to block the ultraconservative from the leadership post. Since mid-March, TikTok has spent $5 million on TV ads opposing the legislation, according to AdImpact, an advertising tracking firm. The ads have included a diverse group of content creators, including a nun, extolling the positive impacts of the platform on their lives and arguing a ban would trample on the 1st Amendment.

Kevin McCarthy ousted as speaker, throwing Washington into chaos

The House’s slim margin is what led to McCarthy’s removal at the hands of a band of eight GOP rebels – and now a similarly sized group of House Republicans could block Jordan’s ascension, too. Mr. Jeffries said Democrats would join Republicans to elect a speaker only if they agreed to change House rules to allow “governance by consensus”; in other words, allowing bills with bipartisan support to come to the floor. Representative Doug LaMalfa of California had said after voting against Mr. Jordan on the first ballot that he was prepared to support him on the second time around. Two other Republicans who voted for Mr. Jordan on Tuesday switched on Wednesday to supporting committee chairs. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, who spoke out against Mr. Jordan during a closed-door meeting of Republicans, cast her ballot for Representative Kay Granger of Texas, the Appropriations Committee chairwoman. Representative Pete Stauber of Minnesota voted for Representative Bruce Westerman of Arkansas, the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee on which both men sit.

Questions swirl over the future of TikTok. Who could own it? How will the platform operate?

Meanwhile, some centrist McCarthy supporters are challenging the Freedom Caucus. He and his allies, however, are working hard behind the scenes to shore up support. Most notably, the caucus wants to reinstate a parliamentary process that would make it easier to remove a speaker, the tool that ultimately led to Boehner’s resignation in 2015.

On Wednesday, he visited Columbia University and called on the university president to resign amid protests on campus during a tense news conference where the crowd repeatedly interrupted the speaker and at times loudly booed him. Sources told CNN earlier Wednesday that there was a "big push" to bring the bill to the floor once the House elected a new speaker. The House is now voting to pass a resolution in support of Israel in the war against Hamas – the first measure to come to the floor to be passed after Speaker Mike Johnson was elected this morning following three weeks of a speakerless-House. Sources say Jordan tapped former New York GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin – who is close with the freshman New York Republicans — to help lean on the holdouts, some of whom named Zeldin on the floor during speaker votes this week.

Several House Republicans who oppose Rep. Jim Jordan's speakership bid left a closed-door meeting with the Ohio congressman Thursday saying they have not changed their minds. What was clear was that Jordan’s path to become House speaker was almost certainly lost. He was opposed by 22 Republicans, two more than he lost in first round voting the day before. Jordan failed to secure enough votes to become the next House speaker in a second vote on his candidacy Wednesday.

Every lawmaker voting “present” lowers the overall tally needed to reach a majority. Choosing a speaker will be the first vote the House will take before new and returning lawmakers are even sworn into office on Tuesday. As set out under the Constitution, the session will begin at noon Jan. 3, with all the lawmakers seated on the House floor and members from both parties joining in the vote for speaker. GOP lawmakers are expected to rally their votes behind Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to be the next speaker despite reluctance from some who are wary of his hardline approach. Conservatives have been mounting an intense pressure campaign to persuade the final holdouts to support him.

TikTok has prevailed in challenging other laws in the U.S. seeking to ban the app. Last December, a federal judge blocked Montana’s first-of-its-kind statewide ban of TikTok, ruling that the law likely violated the First Amendment. An attempt by the Trump administration to force ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a ban also was found unconstitutional by federal courts on First Amendment grounds. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) spoke out against the TikTok ban bill before the final vote, saying the more pressing “clear and present danger” is the harm kids face from social media apps more broadly, including from U.S.-based companies. But MAGA Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio said Democrats “will come to regret” dismissing the Mayorkas impeachment articles, when a Republican-run Senate someday does the same to impeachment articles from a Democratic-majority House. Democrats take governing too earnestly to impeach a Republican on such overtly political grounds as those against Mayorkas.

Next House speaker vote scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow as bid to empower McHenry fails - NBC News

Next House speaker vote scheduled for 10 a.m. tomorrow as bid to empower McHenry fails.

Posted: Thu, 19 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

After about three hours, those exiting the room described the tone as "angry," with Wisconsin Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher muttering to reporters that he was heading to a chapel to get a rosary. LaLota wouldn't ascribe blame to any pressure campaign by Jordan's surrogates or conservative media champions. He said the threats are likely the byproduct of "extremists" who are "disgruntled" in a politically toxic environment. "I think there were all kinds of problems with the 2020 election. I've been clear about that," Jordan responded. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, a freshman Republican member from Wisconsin, left Washington on Thursday for what he called a fact-finding mission in Israel. "To legislate is about more than the name on the bill," McCarthy said, insisting Jordan has helped push critical legislation by others across the finish line.

Polls have indicated that Americans are markedly concerned about migrants entering the country from Mexico, which have surged under Biden’s presidency. The president has called for Congress to change immigration policy to give him the power to turn back more arrivals, but the Senate rejected a recent bipartisan deal to do so in part due to the opposition of Donald Trump. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee allowed the separation of migrant families during his first four years in office, and is reportedly planning mass deportations of undocumented people if returned to the White House. After winning their elections and weeks of preparation, Members-elect were sworn in as Members of the U.S. House of Representatives after the 117th Congress was gaveled into session at noon on Sunday, January 3, 2021.

During the Trump presidency, he built a national profile as a sharp-tongued critic and impeachment prosecutor, while also working with Republicans to pass criminal justice reform legislation. Right now, the Rules Committee, which determines what legislation gets a vote, is structured so that Republicans control what bills the House considers. Most people in Urbana have a Jim Jordan story, often suggesting that he isn’t as strident in person as he is in public. “If you interact with him in person, he’s not like he is on TV,” said Missy Esch, a 55-year-old retiree.

The bill now moves to President Biden, a supporter of the TikTok divest-or-ban measure. On Tuesday, Biden issued a statement saying he would sign it into law “as soon as it reaches my desk tomorrow,” focusing on the legislation’s package of $95 billion in foreign aid approved by Congress. U.S. lawmakers have expressed deep concern about TikTok’s Chinese ownership, suggesting that the Chinese communist regime could use the app to spy on Americans or use it to promulgate pro-China propaganda. Instead, they have excelled at winning internal party contests and taking control of some state parties. Now they also have claimed one of the nation’s most powerful political positions.

Jordan spokesman Russell Dye said tonight that the next speaker vote will be at 10 a.m. Six Republicans voted for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted on Oct. 3. Several others voted for Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who withdrew his name from consideration last week, and former Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Trump ally who didn't run for reelection in 2022 when he ran for governor in New York.

Members often liven up the proceedings by shouting or standing when casting their vote. Continue reading here for what you need to know going into the speaker’s election. Ciscomani was one of at least a dozen Republicans who had yet to throw their support behind Jordan. His lack of legislative experience has been a criticism that moderates and Democrats have deployed against him in recent days. But his office has pushed back, saying he has been instrumental in getting legislation through the committees he serves on without putting his name on it.