House speaker calls for Columbia University president's resignation amid ongoing protests

Table Of Content

• No Presidential Immunity for Personal Crimes Dressed in 'Official' Clothing
• Ashlyn Harris and Sophia Bush make red carpet debut at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
• Will Republicans return to the backup plan to empower interim speaker McHenry?
• Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.)
• Mike Johnson is the new speaker of the House. Here's what happens next.
• Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)
• More From the Los Angeles Times

Jordan also refused to comply with subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack as lawmakers tried to gather more information about his role. Scalise has hewed closely to Trump’s lies about the presidential election being stolen from him, and was among the 147 Republicans who voted against certifying Democrat Joe Biden’s election win. He was shot and suffered an injury to his hip in 2017 when an attacker fired on lawmakers on a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia.

No Presidential Immunity for Personal Crimes Dressed in 'Official' Clothing

Some conservatives rallied around Donalds as an alternative to McCarthy when he pursued the post in January. But when asked his preference for speaker, Donalds told reporters Tuesday he will see what the Republican body wants. As McCarthy slogged through 15 votes to become speaker in January, hard-right lawmakers floated Hern as an alternative, but the Oklahoma Republican backed McCarthy and did not pursue the gavel at the time. Councilmembers also have a lot of discretion over how strongly to enforce city ordinances such as the anti-camping ban, which forbids people who are unhoused from camping on public property close to locations such as schools, parks, libraries, and underpasses. That means a person living outside in a tent might have a significantly different experience depending on which district they live in.

Ashlyn Harris and Sophia Bush make red carpet debut at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Prior to dropping Jordan as their nominee, House Republicans debated such a move behind closed-doors, but the plans ultimately fell through as it became clear empowering McHenry would require Democratic support, a prospect some GOP lawmakers balked at. Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., in an effort to ensure the next nominee has the support to become speaker, has been circulating a unity pledge for members to sign and promise they will support the eventual nominee, regardless of who it is. Last Friday, after House Republicans voted to drop Jordan in a closed-door meeting, some members immediately declared their own candidacy, such as Hern and Scott. He’s also long faced scrutiny over a 2002 speech to a Louisiana gathering of white nationalists — a decision that in 2014 Scalise said he was misinformed about and regretted.

Will Republicans return to the backup plan to empower interim speaker McHenry?

Whoever wins the speakership will immediately be plagued by the same Republican disarray, with just weeks left to hash out a deal with Democrats to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. Although McCarthy had most of his caucus behind him, he needed a majority of the House to vote against his removal to stay in power. At the moment, the GOP has a four-vote majority, making the eight Republicans who voted against him more than enough to depose the now-former speaker. Schumer called for the next speaker to accept bipartisanship as the way forward, rather than relying solely on Republican votes for their policy proposals, and praised McCarthy for cutting deals to avoid a debt default and a government shutdown. Miller also said that he is “very firm” on limiting the powerful tool used by Gaetz to push McCarthy from the speakership. It currently just takes one member to use the tool to force a vote on ousting the speaker, which was something McCarthy agreed to back in January when he cut a deal with hardliners to win the speakership on the 15th round of voting.

Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.)

The hardline rebels who deposed Mr McCarthy are demanding a more conservative replacement to champion their priorities. The vote is unlikely to happen before next Wednesday, and could take days to resolve, leaving the House paralysed in the interim. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.

Scalise is an early favorite, but the divisions within the GOP conference — and the fact that Democrats intend to vote for Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) — could make the process of choosing the next speaker drag on for days. Regular business in the House will be on hold until someone wins the 218 votes necessary to become the next speaker. House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA), Judiciary Committee chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), and Republican Study Committee head Rep. Kevin Hern (R-OK) have been reportedly trying to drum up support, but others could also emerge as contenders.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)

In the vote’s immediate aftermath, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) — who had pledged to eject Johnson from the speakership if he advanced Ukraine aid — did not take action. She told reporters she hopes colleagues face backlash from constituents while they’re on recess this week and consider joining the effort to oust the speaker on their return to Washington. Patrick McHenry, who now temporarily wields the gavel as speaker pro tempore, announced during a meeting with fellow GOP lawmakers on Tuesday that the House Republican conference will hold a candidates' forum and try to elect a new speaker next week. The House stands in recess to allow the Republican conference and Democratic caucus to "meet and discuss the path forward," McHenry announced.

McCarthy exited one private meeting calling it “a great discussion.” He indicated it’s the beginning of a long process over the next weeks. For example, some conservatives want McCarthy to impose a ban on earmarks, which allow lawmakers to direct federal dollars to local projects and programs in their home states, a legislative perk long derided as wasteful. To win over skeptics, McCarthy has been meeting with Republicans as they hammer out their internal party rules for the new Congress. While such rules generally don’t have much relevance for the public, they play an important role behind the scenes. The California Republican has been here before, having withdrawn from the speaker’s race in 2015 when it became clear he did not have enough support. The challenge ahead for McCarthy is not unique, as he races to shore up support before the new Congress convenes in January.

GOP representative thinks Jim Jordan "deserves more time to unify the conference"

Scalise endured lengthy hospitalizations, multiple surgeries and a painful rehabilitation. Democrats will also vote, but Republicans have a slim majority and hold the power to choose the next speaker. Republicans on Tuesday plan to kick off the process, in private, at an evening forum where candidates can address their colleagues. McCarthy’s chaotic election as speaker in January took 15 punishing rounds and left him in a weakened position that contributed to his unprecedented downfall. Now, top Republicans want party members to work it out behind closed doors before a floor vote. Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election.

Given that Republicans currently have a five-seat majority, House Democrats would need at least three Republicans to join them and vote in favor of Jeffries to hold the coveted speaker’s gavel. Gaetz told theGrio he is worried some of his “Republican colleagues would vote for Jeffries” to be Johnson’s successor in the event far-right Republican lawmakers make good on their threat to vacate him from the speakership. Johnson will face a major decision about whether to hold a vote on a bill for additional funding for Ukraine and other United States allies abroad including Israel and Taiwan. Greene has opposed this bill, arguing those funds should be spent at home to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. If he holds a vote on that legislation, Greene could move to hold a vote on her resolution. While a vote is not expected to be held on the motion in the coming days, the resolution leaves Johnson in a potentially vulnerable position as he considers bringing forward future legislation.

One organizer complained that the White House Correspondents’ Association — which represents the hundreds of journalists who cover the president — largely has been silent since the first weeks of the war about the killings of Palestinian journalists. The president made a grim speech about what he believes is at stake this election, saying that another Trump administration would be even more harmful to America than his first term. “We have to take this serious — eight years ago we could have written it off as ‘Trump talk’ but not after January 6,” Biden told the audience, referring to the supporters of Trump who stormed the Capitol after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election. "We're in overtime right now, right? So you don't blame the backup quarterback for the failures of the guy that just came out of the game," Perry told reporters. Johnson proposed taking up individual bills between now and Nov. 17, when current funding expires.

She also said empowering McHenry should be a “last resort” but was open to the idea, although she said her preference is a permanent speaker. GOP Rep. Dusty Johnson said he doesn't think now is the right time to try and empower Patrick McHenry. Earlier, when Jim Jordan walked onto the House floor, he didn't go right to his seat.

Steve Scalise meets with holdouts as House speaker battle drags on - ABC News

Steve Scalise meets with holdouts as House speaker battle drags on.

Posted: Thu, 12 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Jordan, a founder of the House Freedom Caucus, is likely to be the favored choice of the hard-line conservatives now driving the Republican Conference. The Judiciary Committee’s leader has played a key role in Republicans’ impeachment inquiry of Biden. When I was shot in 2017, it was Members of this Conference who saved my life on that field,” he wrote in a letter announcing his bid for speaker. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination in 2024, endorsed Jordan on his Truth Social platform just after midnight Friday. Trump had been in talks to visit Capitol Hill next week, most likely for that candidate forum, according to three people familiar with the discussions who spoke on the condition of anonymity before an official announcement.

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Many of the protesters are demanding universities to divest financial holdings in Israel. At Columbia, demonstrators have taken over a portion of the New York City campus, creating an encampment. Protest organizers said they wanted to bring attention to the high numbers of Palestinian and other Arab journalists killed by Israel’s military since the war began in October. O’Donnell went on to list the scores of journalists who have been imprisoned across the world, including Americans Evan Gershkovich and Austin Tice. The families of those journalists were in attendance as they have been at previous dinners.