愛污传媒

World

    • 'A disaster': U.S. Speaker fight exposes Republican leadership vacuum

    Share
    NEW YORK -

    With House Republicans riven by infighting, unable to coalesce around a pick for speaker, former President Donald Trump had an emphatic message for the new GOP majority.

    "Do not turn a great triumph into a giant & embarrassing defeat," Trump warned in all-caps on his social media platform Wednesday morning, urging the 20 or so insurgents to "close the deal" and back Kevin McCarthy.

    It didn't help. Only one voter budged: a previous McCarthy backer who opted to vote "present" instead.

    The stalemate is more than an embarrassment for McCarthy, who is now the first person in a century to muddle through multiple ballots -- six so far -- and appears no closer to clinching the job than when voting began. The revolt is raising alarms within the party as members warn they are sabotaging their new, narrow majority and alienating voters as they struggle to perform their most basic function: electing their own leader.

    The episode also poses more profound questions about the party's identity and future. It's a fresh reminder of Trump's waning influence inside the GOP -- even among the most vocal supporters of his Make America Great Again political movement -- as he again seeks the party's presidential nomination, exposing a leadership vacuum with no obvious alternative to unite the party and guide it through practical governing responsibilities and political challenges.

    Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich warned that the anti-McCarthy Republicans were "playing with fire."

    "This is the greatest danger we've had as a party since 1964," Gingrich said in an interview, referring to the Republican National Convention that saw moderates facing off against conservative insurgents. The Republican base, he said, is "watching chaos in the House and they're watching the potential for a Never-Trump and an Always-Trump collision that could be devastatingly divisive."

    The party's allies in conservative media were equally distressed.

    "This is a disaster for the Republicans," Fox News host Steve Doocy said Wednesday on "Fox & Friends." Sean Hannity said Tuesday night that House Republicans "are now on the verge of becoming a total clown show if they're not careful."

    On Tuesday, McCarthy failed to win the required majority on three ballots as a group of 20 Republican rebels insisted on a more conservative alternative. On Wednesday, the anti-McCarthy group ticked up to 21 through three more failed votes.

    Until a speaker is chosen, the elected representatives to the House cannot be sworn in, leaving Congress' lower chamber in a suspended state of dysfunction.

    The extraordinary infighting rippled across the Republican ecosystem as the 2024 election cycle gets underway.

    "What I'm hearing from grassroots Republicans, donors, candidates and even federal elected officials is that there's a significant leadership vacuum on the Republican side," said Harmeet Dhillon, a California attorney who is challenging Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel to lead the party's organizing committee.

    Dhillon declined to issue an endorsement in the speaker's election, noting only that "there's a feeling that the old guard doesn't get it."

    The chaos stood in sharp contrast with Democrats, who are largely united behind President Joe Biden heading into the new presidential election season.

    As one of the failed Republican House votes unfolded Wednesday, Biden appeared alongside Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell at a Kentucky event designed to highlight the bipartisan infrastructure package the Democratic president signed into law in 2021. Trump responded by lashing out at McConnell in a racist attack against McConnell's wife, Trump's former transportation secretary.

    "This is who they are. Crisis, confusion, disarray. It's unfortunate," Pete Aguilar, the House Democratic Caucus chair, said at a news conference.

    Much of the dysfunction plaguing the current-day GOP is linked to the party's embrace of Trump's slash-and-burn politics and the former president's weakened political standing. McCarthy exemplifies that model, having traveled to Mar-a-Lago in early 2021 to visit Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection -- a move that helped cement Trump's political resuscitation and was widely seen as part of an effort by McCarthy to bolster his speaker bid.

    But while Trump explicitly called for his supposed loyalists to back McCarthy on Wednesday morning, none of the 20 House Republicans who opposed McCarthy the day before -- all from the so-called MAGA wing of the party -- heeded Trump's call.

    That's even after Trump phoned McCarthy's Republican critics and asked them to "knock it off," Colorado Republican Lauren Boebert said on the House floor Wednesday as she nominated Florida Republican Byron Donalds to the speakership instead.

    In a moment of rare public defiance of Trump's wishes, Boebert said Trump needed to instead "tell Kevin McCarthy that, `Sir, you do not have the votes and it's time to withdraw."'

    As Trump struggled to exert his influence, several would-be rivals in the upcoming presidential primary offered their own brand of leadership from afar.

    New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, coming off a strong reelection victory in November, criticized the Republican-led House.

    "Should we really be surprised that a bunch of morons in Congress are holding things up? Of course not," Sununu said in a statement.

    Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is expected to launch a White House bid after he leaves office later this month, used the moment to highlight his own executive leadership.

    "Republicans are hungry for meat-and-potato conservative results from the new majority in Washington like Republican governors are already delivering, but all they're getting is a handful of mixed nuts," Hogan said. "It's time to move past this circus and show the country that we can govern with competence and common sense."

    Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, another potential 2024 Republican contender, suggested his party's struggle to elect a new speaker was a somewhat typical challenge for the party that does not occupy the White House.

    "We need to have this fight out in public. We need to have it out loud. And we need to then resolve it," Christie said in an interview. "This is what happens when you're a party out of power that doesn't have a clear national leader."

    No matter how quickly the speaker's fight is decided, the GOP's broader leadership vacuum will persist for the foreseeable future.

    By month's end, the RNC must settle its leadership battle as McDaniel fights for a fourth term. At stake is the future of the GOP's national infrastructure and tens of millions of dollars in Republican resources.

    By late spring, the Republican presidential nomination fight will begin in earnest, pitting ambitious candidates across the political spectrum against Trump in a fight for party supremacy.

    And by next fall, the GOP's delicate House majority will be tasked with governing responsibilities involving the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, among other legislative responsibilities with significant real-world consequences.

    Christie suggested the new presidential primary season -- set to play out over the next year and a half -- is designed to determine the next generation of Republican leadership.

    "By the time we get to the convention in July of 2024, I suspect it will be resolved," Christie said.

    But Gingrich, a longtime Trump ally, warned the leadership fight could have lasting ramifications, leading the base to wonder why they donated money to Senate and House candidates "to get this mess."

    "I think the guys in the House are doing substantial damage to the Republican Party and don't even realize it," Gingrich said.

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

    A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

    A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

    Canada

    • Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.

    • Speed was a possible factor in a Tuesday night rollover involving a semi-truck that left 17 cows dead. In a news release Wednesday, Calgary police said officers were called to the area of Stoney Trail S.E. and Macleod Trail S.E. around 8:10 p.m. for a reported rollover involving a semi-truck carrying 95 cattle.

    • A Real Canadian Superstore in B.C.'s Fraser Valley was evacuated Tuesday night due to a "suspicious" fire in the toilet paper aisle, according to authorities.

    • The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    • He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    • Vancouver Fire Rescue Services received its first shipment of new firefighting gear on Wednesday, advancing the department's plans to reduce cancer risk for its members.

    • A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Entertainment

    Business

    • Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

    • Things could be looking up for Waterloo, Ont.-based company and former tech darling Sandvine, after being removed from the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List earlier this week.

    Lifestyle

    • A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    • The Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia's Kootenay National Park has undergone a $29-million makeover.

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

    The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

    • Legend has it that on a dark evening in 1988, friends of Supt. Joe Atherton quietly buried his body on the site of the old provincial RCMP headquarters in Vancouver.

    • Since the record-breaking atmospheric river hit Metro Vancouver last Friday, 266 drivers have filed ICBC claims for water damage to their vehicles. In some places, flood water was so deep, cars floated away with the drivers still inside, and the engine running.

    • Brittany La Torre and her husband Marc moved into their West Vancouver home just six months ago, but after last weekend's storm brought a torrent of muddy water and debris into their basement, knocking out power, they're not sure whether they'll be living in it six months from now.

    • He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    • Brampton is looking to the federal and provincial government to address the growing number of its vulnerable international students being exploited and trafficked.

    • A proposed inner-city apartment complex development by Anthem Properties is raising concerns for some residents of Hillhurst and West Hillhurst.

    • A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

    • Speed was a possible factor in a Tuesday night rollover involving a semi-truck that left 17 cows dead. In a news release Wednesday, Calgary police said officers were called to the area of Stoney Trail S.E. and Macleod Trail S.E. around 8:10 p.m. for a reported rollover involving a semi-truck carrying 95 cattle.

    • One person has died and others have been injured after a two-vehicle collision involving a tractor trailer and a car on Highway 7 in eastern Ontario, according to police.

    • Homeowners with a variable rate mortgage in Ottawa can expect to see some savings thanks to a significant rate cut by the Bank of Canada.

    • A Zamboni driver in western Quebec has been arrested on suspicion of impaired driving after a low-speed crash at a hockey rink on Monday.

    • A pedestrian is in critical condition after being struck by a car in Saint-Michel Wednesday evening.

    • Nigel Berkley and CRARR plan to file complaints with the police ethics commissioner and the human rights commission after Berkley was repeatedly stopped while driving his mother's car over four months.

    • Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante will not be seeking re-election.

    • An Edmonton tow truck operator has been charged after police say he refused to release a vehicle to its owner.

    • The City of Edmonton has a long road ahead to replace aging ice arenas as demand for ice time increases.

    • The leader of Alberta's Official Opposition rolled up his sleeves for his COVID-19 and flu shots today, opting to receive them in front of media because he's concerned about vaccine uptake.

    • A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

    • The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    • A volunteer treasurer is facing charges after funds went missing from Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston鈥檚 riding.

    • A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

    • A 59-year-old man has died following a crash involving three vehicles that started after a tire fell off a car on the Trans-Canada Highway Wednesday morning in the RM of Tache.

    • A Manitoba inmate who was released from custody by mistake has been arrested, according to Winnipeg police.

    • Former Saskatchewan Party MLA Gary Grewal is defending his conduct and disagreeing with a recent report from the Conflict of Interest Commissioner (COIC) 鈥 which found he broke rules that prohibit MLAs from being involved with government contracts.

    • Southey RCMP say drivers should expect delays on Highway 6 Wednesday night after a serious crash.

    • Regina police says officers will provide an update Thursday in its search for the suspect of a homicide that took place in the city during the summer of 2023.

    • Detective Robert Hofstetter examined Erb鈥檚 home after her death and came to several conclusions based on the blood stains he found there.

    • A psychologist who recently assessed Geovanny Villalba-Aleman believes he may have experienced a psychotic break before stabbing three people in a gender studies class at a University of Waterloo.

    • Things could be looking up for Waterloo, Ont.-based company and former tech darling Sandvine, after being removed from the U.S. Department of Commerce Entity List earlier this week.

    • The race to form government is heating up ahead of the provincial election on Monday. Both the Saskatchewan NDP and the Saskatchewan Party feel they have the momentum as each leader has been focusing on different areas of the province as the campaign trail nears its end.

    • Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

    • The Saskatoon civic election is drawing closer, with mayoral candidates outlining their visions to keep the city competitive and attract businesses.

    • A Sudbury jury has found Felicity Altiman guilty of second-degree murder in the December 2020 stabbing death of a Sudbury man.

    • It only took minutes for North Bay pharmacist Brian Chute to be out $1,500 after fraudsters deceptively swapped his bank card with another.

    • The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    • Under tough cross-examination at the London courthouse on Wednesday, Rachel Johnson, 21, was asked a number of times why there was a delay in calling 911

    • A 27-year-old man is miraculously alive after his pickup went over Hawk Cliff near Port Stanley. Fire fighters estimate that from the top to bottom of the embankment is around 270 feet.

    • OPP have confirmed that a transport truck driver crashed into a historic home just southeast of London this morning.

    • A haunted house in the Town of Innisfil is causing a real scare for some people a week before Halloween.

    • Barrie police conducted a search on Wednesday of the last place Autumn Shaganash was seen in hopes of giving her family some answers to her mysterious disappearance.

    • A 34-year-old motorcyclist has died following a collision in Barrie鈥檚 south end on Tuesday.

    • Windsor Fire and Rescue Services has been working to prepare for heightened HAZMAT risk ahead of relaxed restrictions around the transportation of some hazardous materials across the Ambassador Bridge.

    • As hospitals elsewhere in Ontario reintroduce mask mandates due to rising respiratory illnesses, Windsor hospitals are taking a more measured approach.

    • Now that production is set to begin at Windsor鈥檚 battery plant, NextStar is looking for some employees to make that production happen.

    • Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.

    • When 16-year-old Kaydence Bourque was struck and killed in a crosswalk on Cedar Hill Cross Road in Saanich in 2021, the community was shaken to the core.

    • A man who fired at least 19 gunshots at an RCMP detachment in northern British Columbia, narrowly missing officers inside, has won a reduced prison sentence from the province's highest court, which ruled the sentencing judge failed to fully weigh the man's mental illness at the time.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • Graduate students looking to become mental-health professionals will have more opportunities to study in the University of Lethbridge鈥檚 Master of Education Counselling Psychology program.

    • A dazzling light display is making its return to Lethbridge this holiday season.

    • As part of anniversary celebrations, the City of Lethbridge is inviting the community to see VisitLethbridge.com Arena like they never have before.

    • The lack of 24-hour public washrooms has been a long-standing issue in the Sault, especially considering the rise in homelessness.

    • The union representing the fire rangers with the Ministry of Natural Resources says money won鈥檛 fix the systemic problems in the workplace.

    • Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒