US NATIONAL NEWS
Who might replace McCarthy as House speaker? What are Republicans already demanding for their vote?
Published
3 years agoon
By
Willie David
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Republicans, it’s a question with no clear answer: Who becomes House speaker after Kevin McCarthy?
It’s not at all certain that any of the GOP candidates will be able to round up enough votes — 218, if all lawmakers are present and voting — to ascend to one of the most powerful positions in government, second in line to the presidency.
Two longtime party stalwarts and hard-liners, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, have begun making their case though phone calls and texts to colleagues.
With the House trying to pick a new leader as soon as next week, others are waiting in the wings, including Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, who as chair of the Republican Study Committee leads the largest faction of Republicans in the chamber.
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.
“Look, just like in January where you had all the circus on the House floor, I think this is circus-like and chaotic right now,” said Rep. Garret Graves, R-La. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Republicans on Tuesday plan to kick off the process, in private, at an evening forum where candidates can address their colleagues. Republicans would vote on an endorsement, with only a majority tally needed. But a decision could be delayed.
Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination in 2024, is 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.
The real contest could come as soon as Wednesday when the House next convenes. But that attempt to elect a speaker could easily be delayed if there is no consensus choice by then.
Democrats will also vote, but Republicans have a slim majority and hold the power to choose the next speaker. Don’t expect a crossover or nonpartisan candidate.
A look at the lawmakers vying to be speaker and the demands they are already facing from some Republicans:
Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana
Scalise, now the top-ranking Republican in the House, is seen as an ardent conservative. He would be a logical pick for many Republicans. He brings years of experience in leadership. Scalise was majority whip from 2014-2018 and minority whip from 2019-2022.
He is dealing with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, and undergoing chemotherapy treatment. The toll of the treatments has been obvious as he makes his way around the Capitol. That is raising questions for some about whether Scalise can take on the demanding role of speaker, which usually entails a nearly nonstop schedule of fundraisers and campaign events.
But Scalise has a reputation as a fighter and has told reporters he feels great. 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. Scalise endured lengthy hospitalizations, multiple surgeries and a painful rehabilitation.
“I firmly believe this Conference is a family. 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.
Both moderate Republicans, such as Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales, and far-right lawmakers, including Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, have spoken favorably about the potential of Scalise leading the House, creating the possibility that his candidacy could unite the party’s feuding factions.
Looming large over the race for speaker is a possible endorsement from Trump.
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’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.
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio
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.
The Ohio Republican, first elected in 2007, had tried to help McCarthy’s ultimately doomed effort to hold Republicans together. Jordan had been a key McCarthy advocate since Republicans regained the majority.
Jordan, 59, was also one of Trump’s closest allies when Trump was president. Trump even awarded Jordan the Presidential Medal of Freedom five days after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
“I feel like I can unite the conservative voters across the country and reach out to the moderates in our conference as well,” Jordan told reporters Wednesday.
He is leading the push against the “weaponization” of the Justice Department, which has brought several cases against Trump. Jordan was one of Trump’s chief defenders on the Judiciary Committee during Trump’s two impeachments.
Perhaps most significantly, Jordan worked closely with Trump and White House aides in the weeks and days before the Capitol riot, strategizing about how Congress could help Trump overturn his loss to Biden. 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.
Jordan once coached wrestling at Ohio State, and former wrestlers said in 2018 that he turned a blind eye to complaints that a now-dead team doctor was sexually abusing the athletes. Jordan has denied those allegations.
Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla.
Hern leads the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative group in the House, and has a reputation as a policy-focused lawmaker.
Compared with Scalise and Jordan, Hern, 61, has not been in the House for long, elected in 2018. But he points to his experience in the business world — he made millions as a McDonald’s franchisee and was part of its national leadership team — as an asset.
“I think you have to have a different set of skill sets,” Hern told reporters this week. He added: “Strife is something that’s common when you have people working together and finding common solutions for it takes experience.”
During the January speaker contest, Hern was one of the alternatives nominated by holdout conservatives as an alternative to McCarthy.
Hern was one of the 147 Republicans to vote against certifying the 2020 election.
Republicans are digging in for a long contest to choose a speaker. Democrats are uniting around Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York as their choice for speaker, just as they did in January.
Several far-right Republicans have pointed out that the speaker does not have to be a House member and suggested naming Trump or one of his close allies to the job. Such a move would be without precedent, and Trump has made it clear he’s focused on winning the presidency.
What demands are Republicans making to the candidates?
One of the many factors that led to McCarthy’s downfall was the multitude of promises — some seemingly conflicting and contradictory — that he was forced to make as he tried to pass legislation and hold together the party’s narrow majority. So the promises made by the next speaker will be closely watched.
Gaetz singlehandedly set in motion McCarthy’s ouster by filing a “motion to vacate” under a change to House rules. Some Republicans say the one-person threshold was a grave mistake and want the rule set at a higher number before the next speaker takes charge.
But changing House rules in the middle of a session could prove a tall order and hard to accomplish without Democratic support.
Other hard-line Republicans are readying their demands as well. Some were eyeing steep spending cuts as well as targeting some federal agencies and officials, including defunding special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecutions of Trump.
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FORMER PRESIDENTS, CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS GATHER FOR OPENING OF OBAMA PRESIDENTIAL CENTER
Published
6 days agoon
June 18, 2026
CHICAGO (FNN NEWS) — The long-awaited Barack Obama Presidential Center officially opened Thursday with a star-studded dedication ceremony on Chicago’s South Side, drawing former presidents, national leaders, celebrities, and thousands of invited guests.
The ceremony began at 11 a.m. CDT with Chicago native and Grammy Award-winning singer Jennifer Hudson performing the national anthem.
Obama Center Opens
Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama delivered remarks celebrating the opening of the center, which is designed to serve as a cultural, educational, and civic engagement hub.
The opening marks the formal debut of one of the most anticipated presidential centers in modern history. The campus opens to the public on Juneteenth and is expected to attract visitors from across the United States and around the world.
Former Presidents in Attendance
Among the dignitaries attending the ceremony were:
- Former President Joe Biden
- Former President George W. Bush
- Former President Bill Clinton
- Former First Lady Jill Biden
- Former First Lady Laura Bush
- Former Secretary of State and former First Lady Hillary Clinton
National Leaders and Celebrities Attend
The event also attracted prominent political leaders, civil rights advocates, entertainers, and business leaders, including:
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom
- Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
- Civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Al Sharpton
- Media icon Oprah Winfrey
- Comedians David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Stephen Colbert
- Actor Tom Hanks
- Tennis legend Billie Jean King
- Chicago Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts
Several attendees, including Newsom and Shapiro, are widely viewed as potential contenders for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination.
A Landmark for Chicago’s South Side
The opening of the Obama Presidential Center represents a significant milestone for Chicago’s South Side, bringing national attention, tourism, and economic development opportunities to the community.
Thousands of invited guests attended the ceremony, while residents and supporters gathered at a free public watch party to celebrate the historic occasion.
The center is expected to serve as a lasting tribute to the legacy of the nation’s 44th president while inspiring future generations of leaders through civic engagement, education, and public service.
About the Obama Presidential Center
The Obama Presidential Center is a world-class campus dedicated to preserving and advancing the legacy of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. The center includes museum exhibits, public gathering spaces, educational programming, and community resources aimed at fostering leadership and civic participation.
Politics
State Department Offers Up to $15 Million in Rewards for MS-13 Leaders Wanted on Terrorism, Drug Trafficking Charges
Published
6 days agoon
June 18, 2026
WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — The U.S. Department of State announced Thursday that it is increasing reward offers totaling up to $15 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of two senior leaders of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), a transnational criminal organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).
Reward Offers Increased
The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Yulan Adonay Archaga Carías, also known as “Porky,” and up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Víctor Eduardo Morales Zelaya, also known as “Cuervo.”
The reward offers were announced by Thomas “Tommy” Pigott, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State.
MS-13 Leadership in Honduras
According to federal court documents, Archaga Carías and Morales Zelaya are the highest-ranking members of MS-13 operating in Honduras. Authorities allege they direct the gang’s criminal operations, including:
- Drug trafficking
- Money laundering
- Murder
- Kidnappings
- Other violent criminal activities
Federal authorities also allege the two men are responsible for coordinating the importation of significant quantities of cocaine into the United States. Both remain fugitives.
Among America’s Most Wanted
Archaga Carías is listed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and is also among the most wanted fugitives sought by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) established under Executive Order 14159. The task force is a permanent, whole-of-government initiative focused on dismantling criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in the United States and abroad.
How to Provide Information
The reward offers were authorized by the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security under the Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program (TOCRP), which supports global law enforcement efforts to combat transnational criminal organizations.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the FBI through WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram at +1-832-267-1688.
Individuals located outside the United States may also contact the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. Those within the United States may contact their local FBI field office.
Confidentiality Guaranteed
U.S. officials emphasized that all identities of individuals providing information will be kept strictly confidential. Government officials and employees are not eligible for rewards based on information obtained through their official duties.
US NATIONAL NEWS
Rubio, Jaishankar Discuss Strait of Hormuz Security During Diplomatic Call
Published
2 weeks agoon
June 13, 2026
WASHINGTON (FNN NEWS) — U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to discuss recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a State Department readout released Friday.
According to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott, the conversation focused on maritime security and commercial shipping in one of the world’s most strategically important waterways.
Focus on Maritime Security
During the call, Rubio stressed that commercial vessels operating in the Strait of Hormuz should immediately comply with instructions issued by U.S. forces as they work to maintain regional peace and security.
The secretary also emphasized U.S. concerns regarding the transportation of Iranian oil and warned that violations of U.S. enforcement measures would not be tolerated.
Critical Global Waterway
The Strait of Hormuz serves as a vital shipping route connecting the Persian Gulf to international markets and is one of the world’s most important energy transit corridors. Any disruption to commercial traffic through the region can have significant implications for global energy supplies and international trade.
The call highlights continued diplomatic coordination between the United States and India on regional security issues and freedom of navigation in key international waterways.
