House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
At the top of Kevin McCarthy’s to-do list as he begins his role as House Speaker is adopting a new rules package for the chamber when it convenes Monday evening.
McCarthy, who was elected speaker after a historic 15 ballots, made a series of concessions to conservative Republicans in order to secure the votes he needed to win the position. Those deals will be center stage as the House votes on whether to pass the new rules package.
Among the biggest concessions, McCarthy agreed to allow a single lawmaker to call a vote to oust the speaker; a condition on which he initially said he would not budge. The California Republican also agreed to holding a vote on congressional term limits, putting more House Freedom Caucus members on the powerful House Rules Committee, and to mandate 72 hours for bills to be reviewed before votes, among others.
Even more concessions could be revealed during the evening vote. At least two Republicans have already said they are skeptical of the new rules package, which could make things challenging for McCarthy since he can only afford to lose four votes on legislation and still overcome Democratic opposition.
Most U.S. cities would have to replace lead water pipes within 10 years under strict new rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency as the Biden administration moves to reduce lead in drinking water and prevent public health crises like the ones in Flint, Michigan and Washington, D.C.
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, the diplomat with the thick glasses and gravelly voice who dominated foreign policy as the United States extricated itself from Vietnam and broke down barriers with China, died Wednesday, his consulting firm said. He was 100.
Officials in a rural Arizona county who delayed canvassing the 2022 general election results have been criminally charged, the state's top prosecutor said Wednesday.
