House Speaker Paul Ryan threw his weight behind Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as a replacement for when he retires from his position in January.
The Wisconsin Republican told NBC Friday that “Kevin’s the right guy to step up.” Although, it’s unclear how much Ryan’s endorsement would boost McCarthy’s prospects.
The Majority Leader jockeyed to replace former Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in 2015 but abruptly bowed out of the race, citing a potential lack of support from the party at the time, particularly from the conservative Freedom Caucus.
And Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) thinks that even with Ryan’s backing this time, McCarthy may get a little *déjà vu*.
“Given the extraordinary fracture that exists in the Republican caucus between the more normal Republicans and the Freedom Caucus, it’s nearly an impossible task,” Gramendi told Cheddar Friday.
Additionally, half of the district that McCarthy represents relies on Medicaid, which is something the GOP wants to cut. Taking the party position as Speaker could damage McCarthy’s standing with his constituents, said Garamendi.
Ryan announced earlier this week he would not seek re-election, leaving the Republican party scrambling to find a replacement. Other potential candidates for Speaker include Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), who was shot at a congressional baseball practice last year, and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), who heads the Freedom Caucus.
But that’s only part of the party’s problem. Ryan’s retirement also suggests that the GOP could find it tough to hold onto its majority in the House at the midterm elections.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/rep-garamendi-d-ca-president-trump-is-destroying-the-american-government).
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to block states from regulating artificial intelligence. He argues that heavy regulations could stifle the industry, especially given competition from China. Trump says the U.S. needs a unified approach to AI regulation to avoid complications from state-by-state rules. The order directs the administration to draw up a list of problematic regulations for the Attorney General to challenge. States with laws could lose access to broadband funding, according to the text of the order. Some states have already passed AI laws focusing on transparency and limiting data collection.
The New York Times and President Donald Trump are fighting again. The news outlet said Wednesday it won't be deterred by Trump's “false and inflammatory language” from writing about the 79-year-old president's health. The Times has done a handful of stories on that topic recently, including an opinion column that said Trump is “starting to give President Joe Biden vibes.” In a Truth Social post, Trump said it might be treasonous for outlets like the Times to do “FAKE” reports about his health and "we should do something about it.” The Republican president already has a pending lawsuit against the newspaper for its past reports on his finances.
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House Republicans in key battleground districts are working to contain the political fallout expected when thousands of their constituents face higher bills for health insurance coverage obtained through the Affordable Care Act. For a critical sliver of the GOP majority, the impending expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits after Dec. 31 could be a major political liability as they potentially face midterm headwinds in a 2026 election critical to President Donald Trump’s agenda. For Democrats, the party’s strategy for capturing the House majority revolves around pinning higher bills for groceries, health insurance and utilities on Republicans.
President Donald Trump says a deal struck by Netflix last week to buy Warner Bros. Discovery “could be a problem” because of the size of the combined market share. The Republican president says he will be involved in the decision about whether federal regulators should approve the deal. Trump commented Sunday when he was asked about the deal as he walked the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors. The $72 billion deal would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.
The two-sentence footnote raised serious concerns about accuracy and credibility.
