Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



US House speakership up in air as resistance to Jim Jordan hardens
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 18 - 10 - 2023

Republican Jim Jordan has lost the first vote in his bid to become US House of Representatives Speaker after stiffer-than-expected opposition from members of his own party.
Despite intense lobbying, 20 Republicans refused to vote for the right-wing Ohio congressman.
The Trump ally abandoned plans for another vote until Wednesday morning.
Congress's lower chamber has had no Speaker since Kevin McCarthy was ousted two weeks ago in a right-wing revolt.
Without a leader, the House is unable to pass any bills or approve White House requests for emergency aid. That includes potential help for Israel amid its war with Hamas.
Mr Jordan earned 200 votes in the first ballot on Tuesday, but he needs 217 to secure the Speaker's gavel.
The Democratic nominee, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, earned more votes - 212 - than Mr Jordan, but Democrats are the minority party in the House, so it was not enough.
Mr Jordan vowed to "keep working" and expressed confidence he would ultimately emerge victorious.
"We're making progress. I feel good about it," he told reporters. "We're gonna keep going."
Mr Jordan can only afford to lose four Republican votes in a chamber that his party controls by 221-212.
The House Judiciary Committee chairman initially said a second vote was planned for Tuesday, but later said it would instead take place at 11:00 (15:00 GMT) on Wednesday.
Republicans who refused to pick Mr Jordan voted instead for Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker who was ousted on 3 October, or picked other candidates.
Three even voted for Lee Zeldin, a New York congressman who retired from the House in January this year.
A bloc of New York Republicans who voted against Mr Jordan cited his opposition to benefits for survivors of the 9/11 attacks, among other political issues.
But another New York Republican, Elise Stefanik, called Mr Jordan "a patriot, an America First warrior who wins the toughest of fights".
Jordan has a record of feuding with members of his own party. He is a founding member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, a group once labelled "legislative terrorists" by former Republican Speaker John Boehner.
Jordan held meetings after Tuesday's vote with some of the Republicans who voted against him.
Several, however, suggested they would not budge, and some indicated the number of votes against Mr Jordan might actually grow.
Colorado Republican Ken Buck said the Ohio congressman had still not acknowledged former President Donald Trump's 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
Another Republican who voted against Mr Jordan, Mario Diaz-Balart, of Florida, said he did not feel "pressure at all" to change his vote.
He added that any effort to "intimidate" him would end any negotiations. "If that's the case, that's where you lose me," he said.
Oregon's Lori Chavez-DeRemer, another of the anti-Jordan holdouts, suggested granting interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, a North Carolina Republican, additional powers to allow the House to function during the impasse.
Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican who supports Mr Jordan, told the BBC he was surprised at how many people had voted against him.
Revelling in the Republican dysfunction, Democrats are depicting Mr Jordan as an extremist.
California's Pete Aguilar described him as "a vocal election denier".
California Democrat Nancy Pelosi - a two-time former Speaker - told reporters Mr Jordan had clearly underestimated resistance to him.
Republicans, she told reporters, were "taking lessons on mathematics and how to count".
In a news conference, Democratic minority leader Mr Jeffries offered to work with Republicans to find a Speaker that could suit both parties.
"There have been ongoing informal conversations that have been undertaken over the last few days," he said.
"There's a possibility those can accelerate now that Jim Jordan clearly does not have the votes for Speaker."
If support for Mr Jordan collapses, the next potential Speaker candidate is Minnesota's Tom Emmer, who is the third highest-ranking Republican in the House.
The last Speaker, McCarthy, needed 15 rounds of voting over four days in January to win the gavel.
Fierce resistance to Ukraine war funding among Republican hardliners, including Jordan himself, contributed to the unprecedented vote that led to Mr McCarthy's ouster this month.
The speakership is second-in-line to the presidency after the vice-president. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.