California Republicans have McCarthy's back. For now.

Anaheim, Calif. — Kevin McCarthy has always had a strained relationship with hard-right activists in his home state. But as the party faithful gathered here over the weekend, the House speaker got a pass from an unlikely corner: GOP diehards who are often the first to bash the establishment. At a Republican state convention down the road from Disneyland — and as conservatives...

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Rep. Dean Phillips to step down from leadership position after his calls for a primary challenger to Biden

Rep. Dean Phillips will step down from his role as co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, but “will remain in his congressional seat representing MN-03 and will remain a part of the Democratic Caucus,” a spokesperson for the Minnesota lawmaker confirmed to POLITICO in a statement. “My convictions relative to the 2024 presidential race are incongruent...

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Jimmy Carter turns 99 at home with Rosalynn and other family

ATLANTA — Jimmy Carter has always been a man of discipline and habit. But the former president broke routine Sunday, putting off his practice of quietly watching church services online to instead celebrate his 99th birthday with his wife, Rosalynn, and their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren in Plains. The gathering took place in the same one-story structure...

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Gaming out Matt Gaetz’s bid to oust Kevin McCarthy

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has a big decision to make. In the run-up to preventing a government shutdown, any questions about what the Democrats would do in the event of a vote to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker were easily batted aside as too theoretical to entertain. “We haven’t given any thought to how to handle a hypothetical motion to vacate, because we are...

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Police chief who led raid of small Kansas newspaper has been suspended

The police chief who led a highly criticized raid of a small Kansas newspaper has been suspended, the mayor confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday. Marion Mayor Dave Mayfield in a text said he suspended Chief Gideon Cody on Thursday. He declined to discuss his decision further and did not say whether Cody was still being paid. Voice messages and emails from the AP...

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Four votes, three possible senators: A wild California campaign year lies ahead

Californians have been represented by Sen. Dianne Feinstein for more than three decades. A suddenly scrambled Senate race could give them three senators in the space of a year. Feinstein’s death has triggered a bewildering cascade of electoral consequences, infusing uncertainty into an epochal Senate contest that was already poised to dominate California’s election cycle. Congress...

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'It is a surrender': Why McCarthy reversed with his survival uncertain

When he walked into the Capitol on Saturday, Speaker Kevin McCarthy knew exactly what he'd do to stave off a shutdown: Call up a bill that abandoned the border policy and spending cuts he’d preached for weeks. McCarthy's move marked an abrupt shift after spending most of the year trying to placate all corners of his party — including a dozen-plus hardliners who have made...

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