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Tensions between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) bubbled up into the open last week as House GOP leaders dealt with hardline conservative rebels bringing action on the floor to a halt over the debt limit compromise with the White House.

McCarthy on Wednesday morning directly named Scalise when explaining to reporters why the conservatives rebelled, pointing to a “misinterpretation” between Scalise and Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.).

McCarthy answered “yes” when asked Wednesday evening if members of his leadership team were on the same page amid the floor drama.

But in an interview with Punchbowl News on Wednesday afternoon, describing the rebellion on the House floor, Scalise pointed to the conservative members feeling “misled by the speaker” over McCarthy’s handling of the debt limit deal compared to the commitments he made during the Speaker’s race in January — a gripe that Scalise neither affirmed nor beat down.

The two men publicly pointing to differing reasons behind the conservative rebellion represents a rare public display of the tensions between the GOP leaders managing a slim and spunky House majority. As the House reaches almost a full week of stalemate, it’s a situation that some members hope can be put to rest sooner rather than later.

“Cooler heads have got to prevail. They’re great people. They’re actually very similar,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said of Scalise and McCarthy, adding that he hopes they can work together. “They better.”

McCarthy and Scalise have never been described as being the best of friends, but any animosity has mostly stayed out of their public statements. 

During the historic 15-ballot Speaker election in January, Scalise — the most obvious potential alternative to McCarthy if he had been forced to drop out of the running — always publicly supported McCarthy, and gave one of the nominating speeches in favor of the Republican Speaker nominee on the floor.

But last week’s unexpected floor rebellion, in which 11 GOP members sunk a procedural rule vote for the first time since 2002, has exposed cracks between the leaders and in how the GOP leadership team functions. Clyde’s legislation

One key dynamic at the core of the floor rebellion was an allegation from Clyde that a member of leadership — he did not name who — had threatened to keep one of his legislative items from getting a floor vote if he did not vote for the rule vote for the debt bill on May 31. Clyde was one of 29 Republicans who did oppose that rule, forcing the GOP to rely on Democratic support to advance the debt limit bill.

McCarthy later named Scalise directly in relation to Clyde when explaining the chaos on the floor.

“The Majority Leader runs the floor. And yesterday was started on something else,” McCarthy said. “It was a conversation that the majority leader had with Clyde, and I think it was a miscalculation or misinterpretation of what one said to the other. And that’s what started this, and then something else bellowed into it.”

Scalise had a different account when asked about Clyde’s allegation at a press conference just hours before the 11 GOP members sunk the rule. Scalise said Clyde’s resolution, which would block the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from banning pistol brace attachments, did not yet have enough support in the GOP to pass — but that Scalise was working to get it to pass.

Clyde had told The Hill the day before that he spoke to leadership and was expecting a vote on his legislation the following week. But after Scalise’s comments, Clyde reiterated in a statement that he was threatened by leadership.

The stunning floor rebellion hours later, which blocked advancement of legislation relating to gas stoves and regulatory reforms, included Scalise and Clyde in a heated discussion on the House floor that later included other GOP rebels. Clyde was not one of the 11 GOP members who voted against the rule, but some who did — like Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) — specifically mentioned the alleged threat against Clyde when explaining the rebellion. Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) arrives for President Yoon Suk Yeol to address a joint meeting of Congress at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Debt limit bill tension

But others in the group of 11 rebels, including Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.) and Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), said that the alleged threat was only a “symptom” of a larger problem that sparked their votes against the rule.

“We had an agreement that had been forged by all of us together, and it was utterly jettisoned unilaterally by the Speaker,” Bishop said of the debt limit bill.

“We’re concerned that the fundamental commitments that allowed Kevin McCarthy to assume the speakership had been violated as a consequence of the debt limit deal,” Gaetz also said.

Bishop said leadership flouted an agreement struck in January during the Speaker’s race to revert total discretionary spending to fiscal 2022 levels. It is not clear whether such an agreement existed, though conservatives at the time called for a budget resolution within that framework — and GOP leaders have defended the debt bill as increasing defense spending and reverting other spending to around fiscal 2022 levels.

Scalise was not a key negotiator in either the debt limit deal with President Biden or during the Speaker’s race — in both, Reps. Garret Graves (R-La.) and Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) were key McCarthy deputies.  

The No. 2 House Republican highlighted the members’ frustration about feeling betrayed when explaining the floor impasse to Punchbowl News.

“There was a lot of anger being expressed. And frankly, you know … a lot of the anger they expressed was that they felt they were misled by the speaker during the negotiations in January on the speaker vote,” Scalise said. “Whatever commitments were made, they felt like he misled them, and broke promises. And they expressed that.”

“I don’t know what those promises were. [I] understand some of them went and talked to [McCarthy] and when they left they still publicly were expressing anger with him over what they perceived as broken promises, and that’s got to get resolved,” Scalise said.

In a demonstration of mending the issue with Clyde, Scalise released statements from himself, the Georgia congressman and gun rights groups in support of the pistol brace rule repeal. The measure is slated for a vote on Tuesday, Clyde said after emerging from a meeting with Scalise hours after the sunk rule vote.

The offices of McCarthy and Scalise did not provide any additional comment for this story. Majority of California voters in new poll says Feinstein should resign JPMorgan reaches settlement with Epstein victims

McCarthy and Scalise are far from the first party leaders to have bumps in the road. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) had a working dynamic sometimes described as “frenemies.” 

Senate Majority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said that McCarthy and Scalise will “work together when they need to work together,” noting that it was a very high stakes environment to get the debt limit bill across the finish line. 

“They pull it together when they need to. And I think that’s indicative of a relationship that works on a professional level when it needs to,” Thune said.

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M’s star Raleigh caps torrid series with 31st HR

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M's star Raleigh caps torrid series with 31st HR

CHICAGO — There is no stopping Cal Raleigh at the moment.

Raleigh has a major-league-leading 31 homers after he helped the Seattle Mariners take two of three against the Chicago Cubs over the weekend. The switch-hitter went deep four times and drove in six runs in the series.

“Just trying to have good at-bats, really,” Raleigh said. “Trying to stay consistent. Really just trying to home in on my approach and not worry too much about what the pitcher is trying to do to me.”

Raleigh had two hits, walked twice and scored three runs in Seattle’s 14-6 victory Sunday. He is batting .327 (37-for-113) with 16 homers and 34 RBIs in his past 29 games.

Raleigh was the designated hitter for the series finale after being behind the plate Saturday. He hammered the first pitch of his at-bat against Colin Rea — a 93.8 mph fastball — for a two-run shot in the top of the first on a hot afternoon at Wrigley Field. The massive drive to center had an exit velocity of 105 mph.

The DH walked in the third and singled and scored in the fifth. After popping out softly for the final out of the sixth, he walked again in the eighth and scored on Randy Arozarena‘s two-run double.

“Thirty-one home runs, he just continues to march through history here,” Mariners manager Dan Wilson said. “It’s fun to watch. … He’s a smart player, so later in the game, not getting too anxious, not trying to out of the zone, not trying to get away from his identity as a hitter and who he is. Just staying right where he needs to stay.”

The 28-year-old Raleigh, who agreed to a $105 million, six-year contract with Seattle in March, is the first switch-hitter to mash at least 30 homers before the All-Star break. He needs four more homers to match Ken Griffey Jr. for the most before the break in Mariners history.

“I think a lot of people don’t watch to pitch to him, and then if you do and fall behind, he hits a lot of homers, obviously,” Seattle pitcher Logan Gilbert said. “He can beat you in a lot of different ways, and it seems like he’s doing it every game, too.”

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Shoeless Jazz: Yanks star loses both cleats, scores

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Shoeless Jazz: Yanks star loses both cleats, scores

NEW YORK — Shoeless Jazz crossed the plate, a century after Shoeless Joe.

Both of Jazz Chisholm Jr.‘s cleats flew off his feet as he scored from second base in the New York Yankees‘ 4-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles in an unusual morning start Sunday.

“I was so sweaty. My socks were wet. Everything had just slipped straight out,” he said.

Chisholm doubled twice, including a go-ahead, two-run drive off the right-center-field wall in the eighth inning, then slid into catcher Gary Sánchez for the final run as New York put the shoe on the other foot, so to speak. The AL East-leading Yankees won their second straight after losing seven of eight in a game that will be remembered for Chisholm’s size 10½ Jordan 1 spikes.

Shoeless Joe supposedly was given his nickname on June 6, 1908, playing semipro ball for the independent Greenville Spinners against the Anderson Electricians. New cleats had caused blisters, and he took them off and hit a long home run in the seventh inning.

Jackson won a World Series title with the Chicago White Sox in 1917, then was among eight players on the so-called “Black Sox” who were banned for life after they were accused of intentionally losing the 1919 Series to Cincinnati in exchange for money from gamblers. He finished with a .356 average in 13 major league seasons.

Asked whether he should be called Shoeless Jazz, Chisholm responded: “Wow. Is that how Shoeless Joe got his name? He ran out of his shoe?” When told Jackson earned the nickname in the 1910s, Chisholm quipped: “Oh, so he wasn’t wearing shoes.”

“I saw a lot of firsts,” Yankees captain Aaron Judge said. “11:30 game to a guy losing both his shoes. I’ve seen one cleat kind of running but not both like that. That was awesome.”

Chisholm is hitting .350 (21-for-60) with 11 RBIs since returning from a strained right oblique that caused him to miss 28 games. He raised his average to .242.

“That’s what I live for. That’s how I grew up playing baseball in high school, little league,” he said. “I don’t feel like it’s no need to change.”

New York trailed 2-0 when Chisholm hit a two-out double off Dean Kremer and headed for home on DJ LeMahieu‘s single to left.

“They say he’s the best shoe tier. I didn’t understand it until he actually did. It took me like a minute to take off my shoes just now.”

Jazz Chisholm Jr. on asking rookie Jasson Domínguez to tie his laces after putting on fresh socks and his spikes

Chisholm’s left shoe popped off between third and home. Seeing rookie catcher Maverick Handley move to his left for Colton Cowser‘s throw up the third-base line, Chisholm tried to veer to avoid contact. He caught the catcher with his right arm as Cowser was spun to the ground and the ball popped out of his mitt. Chisholm fell past the plate as the right shoe was jarred off and from his knees slapped a hand across the plate.

“He had dirt all over his face when I walked out there to get him. Looked like glitter on his face,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We were all kind of screaming.”

After he reached the dugout, Chisholm stretched out with his stockinged feet on the bench. He put on a fresh pair of socks and then his spikes, and Chisholm asked rookie Jasson Domínguez to tie the laces.

“They say he’s the best shoe tier,” Chisholm recalled in the postgame clubhouse. “I didn’t understand it until he actually did. It took me like a minute to take off my shoes just now.”

Baltimore led 2-1 in the eighth when Ben Rice singled leading off against Bryan Baker for his third hit. Giancarlo Stanton singled to put runners at the corners, and Paul Goldschmidt pinch ran for his fellow former MVP — the first pinch-running appearance of Goldschmidt’s big league career, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Baker fell behind 3-0 in the count and left a belt-high fastball over the plate. Chisholm drove it 384 feet off the middle of the wall.

“I wasn’t going to swing if it wasn’t a fastball,” he said.

Goldschmidt, 37, slid in just ahead of Sánchez’s tag. Chisholm was a minor leaguer in Arizona’s system when Goldschmidt starred for the Diamondbacks.

“He was the guy that everybody really watched doing baserunning,” Chisholm said. “Even when I got to Miami, he was still the blueprint of how to run the bases.”

Goldschmidt took pride in his baserunning.

“It’s something that wasn’t secondary behind hitting and defense,” he said.

Chisholm took third on the throw and LeMahieu followed with a chopper to shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who threw home. Chisholm slid headfirst and was at first called out by umpire Jansen Visconti, who didn’t realize Sánchez dropped the ball as he applied the tag.

His first run, however, was the one that will live on in replays for the flying footwear.

“Go out there. Keep playing like that,” Stanton had told him. “You don’t need them.”

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Mets demote struggling catcher Alvarez to minors

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Mets demote struggling catcher Alvarez to minors

The New York Mets have demoted struggling catcher Francisco Alvarez to Triple-A Syracuse, the team announced Sunday.

Catcher Hayden Senger was promoted to the majors in a corresponding move to become the backup to now-primary catcher Luis Torrens.

The moves come after Alvarez went 2-for-5 with a home run in the Mets’ 11-4 Saturday night victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, which snapped New York’s seven-game losing streak.

Alvarez, however, has struggled at the plate this season, hitting .236 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 35 games. He has an OPS of .652 with 38 strikeouts.

Alvarez, 23, was baseball’s No. 1 prospect in 2022 and hit 25 home runs as a rookie in 2023. In parts of four seasons with the Mets since debuting in 2022, Alvarez is a .223 hitter with 40 homers and 122 RBIs in 263 games.

Senger, 28, made his major league debut this season with the Mets, appearing in 13 games and hitting .179 in 28 at-bats.

The Mets (46-31) enter Sunday night’s game against the Phillies (46-31) tied for first place in the National League East standings.

Field Level Media contributed to this report.

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