Speaker of the House, Republican Mike Johnson fell short in his bid to retain the top post in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday.
With voting still ongoing, at least three Republicans voted against Johnson, likely leaving the incumbent House speaker short of the majority he needs to remain in the job.
Republicans control the chamber by a razor-thin 219-215 majority. According to the "time-freezing" rules of the American Congress, members still had a chance to change their vote or to cast a vote if they had abstained.
House Republicans have been defined by internal divisions over the last two years. Johnson was elevated to speaker after the party ousted Kevin McCarthy mid-term.
The House went through 15 rounds of voting over four days in 2023 before finally electing McCarthy speaker.
The conservative Christian lawyer Louisiana representative emerged as a consensus pick, but has since struggled to keep his party unified
Ahead of the vote, Johnson - arguiably the most conservative Speaker of the House in modern American history - said he would keep trying if he fell short on the first round of balloting. .So far, no other Republican has publicly hinted at challenging Johnson for the role.
Johnson has sought to build a close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump, who endorsed him on Monday following weeks of uncertainty.
"A win for Mike today will be a big win for the Republican Party," Trump posted online on Friday. Trump returns to the White House on Inauguration Day, January 20th.
Trump said the U.S. and Iran were making progress in peace talks, though direct negotiations remain premature. Meanwhile, Israel, reportedly, ...
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A Pentagon official provided the first official estimate of the cost of the U.S. war in Iran on Wednesday (29 April), telling lawmakers that $25 billion had so far been spent on the conflict, most of it on munitions. Earlier, Donald Trump said that the U.S. had "militarily defeated" Tehran.
The U.S. Congress failed on Friday (27 March) to resolve a six-week funding impasse that has disrupted airports and left tens of thousands of federal workers without pay, raising fears of further travel chaos during the busy spring break period.
The fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal is again stirring debate in Britain. Could the repercussions of the disgraced U.S. financier and convicted child sex trafficker force greater political accountability in the UK - or will they fade as yet another passing Westminster storm?
A delegation from Georgia's ruling party visits Washington for a Congress and sovereignty summit this week, however analysts say Georgia remains largely absent from current U.S. regional priorities.
U.S. President Donald Trump said that Iran wanted to negotiate and make a deal in comments to reporters on Wednesday (6 May). But earlier, he warned Washington would ramp up attacks if no agreement was reached.
Argentinian authorities are reconstructing the journeys of Dutch citizens who presented with symptoms of deadly hantavirus after visiting Argentina and Chile as part of a luxury cruise trip, the country's Health Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday (6 May)
The United Arab Emirate said it was dealing with missile and drone attacks from Iran for the second day in a row on Tuesday (5 May), despite denials from authorities in Tehran who threatened a "crushing response" if the UAE retaliated.
The 61st Venice Biennale has opened under grey skies and political tension, with disputes over Russia and Israel, resignations on the jury, and protests marking the start of one of the art world’s most high-profile events.
Trump said the U.S. and Iran were making progress in peace talks, though direct negotiations remain premature. Meanwhile, Israel, reportedly, struck senior Hezbollah and Hamas figures and tensions over Hormuz and Tehran’s nuclear programme continue.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 7th of May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Global investors are showing early signs of diversification away from U.S. Treasuries as worldwide debt levels climbed to a record $353 trillion by the end of March of 2026, according to a new report from the Institute of International Finance (IIF) published on 6 May.
Conflicts well beyond Southeast Asia are set to dominate talks as leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) regional bloc gather in the Philippines, with the crisis in the Middle East looming large over fuel‑import‑dependent economies.
The United States is closely monitoring American passengers aboard a luxury cruise ship affected by a hantavirus outbreak, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on 6 May.
A federal judge in New York released a handwritten document described as a suicide note purportedly written by late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, nearly seven years after his death in a Manhattan jail cell. The document was released late Wednesday (6 May).
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