On Thursday night, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., announced his withdrawal from the race for the vacant House speaker role. This leaves the Republican party without a clear frontrunner for the role, and they are now tasked with holding another vote in the coming days to select a new speaker. The House remains closed until a new speaker is chosen.
News Mash
A Colorado jury has reached a split verdict in Adams County Court for two Aurora police officers on trial for the death of Elijah McClain. Officer Randy Roedema was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide and third-degree assault, while Officer Jason Rosenblatt was found not guilty of manslaughter and assault. The verdict brings closure to a case that has been closely watched by many in the community and beyond, though the consequences for Roedema remain to be seen.
House Republicans are struggling to decide on a new Speaker of the House after the ousting of Rep. Kevin McCarthy last month. Rep. Steve Scalise has been the front-runner, but has failed to gain the necessary votes to become Speaker. House Republicans have been unable to come to an agreement on a plan to replace McCarthy, leaving the House in a state of disarray with no clear path forward.
On Thursday, former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn pleaded guilty to illegally disclosing the tax return information of former President Donald Trump and thousands of wealthy Americans. Littlejohn admitted to the crime in a Washington, D.C. court and is now facing up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. His sentencing is scheduled for August 5th.
The NYPD has issued a warning to law enforcement personnel across the United States in response to a call to action from Hamas for a "Friday of al-Aqsa flood." The warning is in light of the potential for reactionary unrest and exploitative violence beyond the region, although there is no reported credible threat. Law enforcement personnel have been urged to remain vigilant and take necessary precautions.
Key takeaways: House Republicans remain divided and unable to elect a new speaker. Rep. Mike Rogers expressed concern that the party’s narrow majority may never…
Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has won the majority of votes in the House GOP conference to become the new House Speaker, but he faces difficulty in uniting the 217 Republicans necessary to vote for him due to petty and more esoteric disagreements. This follows previous Republican rebellions, such as the battles between then-Speaker John Boehner and the House Freedom Caucus. Meanwhile, a traumatic event recently struck the immediate family of a TPM writer, involving a car accident and a sailing accident. These events have been difficult for both the family and Scalise as he attempts to gain the necessary support.
President Joe Biden expressed shock at images depicting what he said were militants chopping off the heads of young children, but the White House has since clarified that he was referring to news reports about beheadings, which have not included or referred to photographic evidence. Reports of baby beheadings have spread across social and mainstream media, prompting the White House to urge both sides to de-escalate the conflict and work towards a peaceful resolution.