Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was elected House speaker early Saturday morning on the 15th roll call for the leadership position as five Republicans voted “present” to lower the majority threshold to the 216 he received. Six Republicans voted “present” and all 212 Democrats voted for their leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Never-Keveners Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) had switched to “present” votes on the previous ballot.
The 15th round immediately followed a rollicking 14th roll call, in which Boebert and Gaetz voted “present” to lower McCarthy’s threshold. But it wasn’t enough with Gaetz and Boebert the only “presents” on that round, making McCarthy’s 216 votes one short of a majority. Two votes going to Rep. Jim Jeffords (R-OH) and two to Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ). When Gaetz refused McCarthy’s apparent plea to change his vote, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) confronted Gaetz – as briefly shown on camera before an unidentified interloper subdued Rogers. After McCarthy lost his 14th round, a motion to adjourn until noon Monday was about to pass until a number of Republicans reversed their votes just as the vote clock wound down, to push for the 15th roll call ‘round midnight.
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UPDATE VIII – Kevin McCarthy finally flipped the erosion of votes for his House speakership with roll call XII Friday afternoon, adding 13 votes for 213 – after having slipped from 202 to 200 supporters earlier in the week -- but still short of taking the gavel. In roll call XIII, McCarthy added one more vote as Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), who had voted “present” in several previous ballots, backed the California Republican. Democratic support for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) remains unwavered at 212 votes. Rep. David Trone (D-MD) even showed up after undergoing surgery Friday morning in order to maintain the unanimity. The House was to return 10 p.m. Friday to take up a 14th ballot.
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Two Years -- Congress members memorialized the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol on its second anniversary Friday (above), led by House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY) and his predecessor, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
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Good Jobs Report, But – The economy added 233,000 new jobs in December, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The unemployment rate fell by 0.2 points to 3.5%, and the news spurred the stock market to a rally. However, the unnaturally low unemployment rate indicates that the Federal Reserve’s aggressive interest rate hikes have not cooled the economy sufficiently to curb high inflation.
--Compiled and edited by Todd Lassa