Former congresswoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) warned Friday that Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) ascending to become House Speaker could cost the party their majority in the chamber.
Driving the news: Jordan, a conservative hardliner endorsed by former President Trump, defeated Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) in an internal vote Friday, less than a day after Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) dropped out of the race.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) won the GOP nomination for speaker in an internal vote on Friday, the second Republican to win the speaker nomination in the past three days.
Why it matters: Republicans are on day 10 of not having a speaker, and Jordan faces an uphill climb in getting the 217 votes needed to secure the gavel amid strong tensions within the highly fractured conference.
A group of House Democrats is urging the Biden administration to use its influence to limit civilian casualties in Gaza after Israel ordered an evacuation of the northern Gaza Strip.
Why it matters: It’s a rare instance of dissent in a Congress that has been overwhelmingly supportive of the Israeli government in the Hamas-Israel war.
On video obtained by Axios, former President George W. Bush — in his first comments about the attack on Israel — warned that the expected Israeli ground offensive in Gaza is "going to be ugly for a while."
Why it matters: Bush, calling himself "kind of a hardliner," said out loud what other leaders won't — that he believes there'll be a temptation for the public to buckle and think peace is an option.
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) is launching a bid for House speaker, challenging House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for the Republican nomination.
Why it matters: Scott's decision to throw his hat in the ring comes in the wake of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) withdrawing his name after falling short of the votes needed to secure the gavel due to conservative hardliners vowing to back Jordan on the floor.
Alabama will see a new monument honoring 4 million enslaved Black people who were emancipated at the end of the Civil War.
Why it matters: The "National Monument to Freedom" expected to be open next year, would mark the closest the U.S. has come to a national monument to the victims of enslavement.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is leading a bipartisan group of senators to Israel this weekend, his spokesperson said.
Why it matters: The senators are set to meet with at least three top-ranking Israeli officials to discuss a planned military assistance package to help the country in its fight against Hamas.
Why it matters: Credible intra-party challenges to congressional incumbents are rare, but Phillips' criticism of President Biden and public flirtation with a presidential primary run have rankled many in the Democratic establishment.
The U.S. Capitol complex is enhancing security due to the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas, the House and Senate's top security officials said in bulletins on Thursday.
Lawmakers in both parties are expressing growing openness, both in public and in private, to a bipartisan deal to elect a House speaker as Republicans are continually thwarted in their efforts to do it alone.
Why it matters: With House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) withdrawing despite winning his party’s nomination, some Republicans are concerned nobody can win the job with just GOP votes.
Hamas' attack on Israel is testing the "America First" movement that's shaping the GOP race for president, as the party's leading candidates —Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis — appear wary of boosting U.S. military aid abroad.
Why it matters: The crisis in the Middle East — along with Ukraine's war against Russia — have shed light on how Republicans are wrestling over what the U.S. role in world affairs should be.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) attempted to strike a deal on Wednesday with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), five sources familiar confirmed to Axios.
Driving the news: Jordan offered to nominate Scalise for speaker on the House floor on the first ballot on the condition that Scalise return the favor if he failed to win after the first round of voting.
Why it matters: It leaves Republicans without a GOP nominee for the job nine days after former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted – to the growing frustration of GOP lawmakers.
"We are a broken conference,"Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) declared Thursday after leaving a closed-door, two-hour meeting in which House Republicans made no progress in their efforts to unite behind a new speaker.
Why it matters: Just one day after defeating Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to become the GOP's speaker nominee, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) withdrew from the race — seeing no path forward to winning the 217 votes necessary to be elected speaker on the House floor.
