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As Kevin McCarthy made his televised declaration earlier today that House Republicans were launching an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, the House speaker stood outside his office in the Capitol, a trio of American flags arrayed behind to lend an air of dignity to such a grave announcement. But McCarthy looked and sounded like a hostage, and for good reason.

That the Republican majority would eventually try to impeach Biden was never really in doubt. The Atlantics Barton Gellman predicted as much nearly a year ago, even before the GOP narrowly ousted Democrats from control in the House. McCarthy characterized the move as a logistical next step in the partys investigation into Bidens involvement with his son Hunters business dealings, which has thus far yielded no evidence of presidential corruption. But intentionally or not, the speakers words underscored the inevitability of this effort, which is as much about exacting revenge on behalf of the twice-impeached former President Donald Trump as it is about prosecuting Bidens alleged misdeeds.

From the moment that McCarthy won the speakership on the 15th vote, his grip on the gavel has seemed shaky at best. The full list of concessions he made to Republican holdouts to secure the job remains unclear and may be forcing his hand in hidden ways nine months later. The most important of those compromises, however, did become public: At any time, a single member of the House can force a vote that could remove McCarthy as speaker.

Read: Speaker in name only

The high point of McCarthys year came in June, when the House overwhelmingly approvedalthough with notably more votes from Democrats than Republicansthe debt-ceiling deal he struck with Biden. That legislation successfully prevented a first-ever U.S. default, but blowback from conservatives has forced McCarthy to renege on the spending provisions of the agreement. House Republicans are advancing bills that appropriate far less money than the June budget accord called for, setting up a clash with both the Democratic-controlled Senate and the White House that could result in a government shutdown either when the fiscal year ends on September 30 or later in the fall.

GOP hard-liners have also backed McCarthy into a corner on impeachment. The speaker has tried his best to walk a careful line on the question, knowing that to keep his job, he could neither rush into a bid to topple the president nor rule one out. Trump allies like Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of Florida have been angling to impeach Biden virtually from the moment he took office, while GOP lawmakers who represent districts that Biden wonand on whom the GOPs thin House advantage dependshave been much cooler to the idea. McCarthy has had to satisfy both wings of the party, but he has been unable to do so without undermining his own position.

Less than two weeks ago, McCarthy said that he would launch a formal impeachment only with a vote of the full House. As the minority leader in 2019, McCarthy had castigated then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi for initiating an impeachment probe against Trump before holding a vote on the matter. If we move forward with an impeachment inquiry, McCarthy told the conservative publication Breitbart, it would occur through a vote on the floor of the peoples House and not through a declaration by one person. By this morning, the speaker had reversed himself, unilaterally announcing an impeachment inquiry just as Pelosi did four years ago this month. (McCarthy made no mention of a House vote during his speech, and when reporters in the Capitol asked about it, a spokesperson for the speaker told them no vote was planned.)

The reason for McCarthys flip is plain: He doesnt have the support to open an impeachment inquiry through a floor vote, but to avoid a revolt from hard-liners, he had to announce an inquiry anyway. Substantively, his declaration means little. House Republicans have more or less been conducting an impeachment inquiry for months; formalizing the process simply means they may be able to subpoena more documents from the president. The effort is all but certain to fail. Whether it will yield enough Republican votes to impeach Biden in the House is far from clear. That it will secure the two-thirds needed to convict the president in the Senate is almost unthinkable.

Barton Gellman: The impeachment of Joe Biden

McCarthys announcement won praise from only some of his Republican critics. Barely an hour later, Gaetz delivered a preplanned speech on the House floor decrying the speakers first eight months in office and vowing to force a vote on his removal if McCarthy caves to Democrats during this months shutdown fight. He called the speakers impeachment announcement a baby step delivered in a rushed and somewhat rattled performance. A longtime foe of McCarthys, Gaetz was one of the final holdouts in the Californians bid to become speaker in January, when he forced McCarthy to grovel before acquiescing on the final ballot. I am here to serve notice, Mr. Speaker, Gaetz said this afternoon, that you are out of compliance with the agreement that allowed you to assume this role.

If McCarthy has become a hostage of the House hard-liners, then Gaetz is his captoror, more likely, one of several. Publicly, the speaker has dared Gaetz to try to overthrow him, but caving on impeachment and forsaking a floor vote suggests that he might not be so confident.

The speaker is as isolated in Washington as he is in his own conference. Senate Republicans have shown no interest in the Houses impeachment push, and they are far more willing to adhere to the terms of the budget deal that McCarthy struck with Biden and avert a government shutdown. Perhaps McCarthy believed that by moving on impeachment now he could buy some room to maneuver on the spending fights to come. But the impetus behind todays announcement is more likely the same one that has driven nearly all of his decisions as speakerthe desire to wake up tomorrow morning and hold the job at least one more day.

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Entertainment

Hollywood writers reach ‘tentative’ deal to end strike over AI and compensation

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38 mins ago

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September 25, 2023

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Hollywood writers reach 'tentative' deal to end strike over AI and compensation

A “tentative” deal has been reached to end a long-running strike by writers in Hollywood.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced the deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group which represents studios, streaming services and producers in negotiations.

A statement from the WGA said: “We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language.

“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”

Most of the writers’ demands have been met

After 146 days on the picket line, Hollywood’s writers are finally ready to put pen to paper and sign an agreement with the studio bosses who pay their wages.

My understanding from speaking to sources on both sides of the standoff, is that most of the writers’ demands have been met with this deal, including greater royalty payments and assurances about the role of Artificial Intelligence in future TV and filmmaking.

If approved by the Writers Guild of America members, which seems all but guaranteed, it will bring an end to the second longest strike in the union’s history. It is also the broadest industry strike in decades, with more than 100,000 actors joining them on the picket.

Hollywood will not fully bounce back. Until actors return to work, filming on shows like the Last Of Us and Stranger Things, which have been on hold for months now, cannot resume. But talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Saturday Night Live, which don’t rely on actors, could resume filming as soon as this week.

Speaking to people on the picket line, they framed this strike action as about more than just Hollywood. Some said AI was not just “anti-creative” but that it presented an existential threat not just to their craft but to humankind.

This deal will be seen as a major victory in securing protections over their TV and film credits and payments in the wake of AI.

The three-year contract agreement – settled on after five days of renewed talks by negotiators from the WGA and the AMPTP – must be approved by the guild’s board and members before the strike officially ends.

Read more on Hollywood strikes:
How much of a threat is AI?

The terms of the deal were not immediately announced.

More on Hollywood

Related Topics:

The statement added: “To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorised to by the Guild.

“We are still on strike until then. But we are, as of today, suspending WGA picketing. Instead, if you are able, we encourage you to join the SAG-AFTRA picket lines this week.”

The agreement comes just five days before the strike would have become the longest in the guild’s history, and the longest Hollywood strike in decades.

About 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America walked off the job on 2 May over issues of pay, the size of writing staffs on shows and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the creation of scripts.

SAG-AFTRA actors during their ongoing strike, in Los Angeles (file pic)
Image:
SAG-AFTRA actors during their ongoing strike, in Los Angeles (file pic)

In July, the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union started its own walkout which is yet to be resolved.

It said in a statement: “SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines.

“While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members.

“We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand.”

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Business

Hollywood writers reach ‘tentative’ deal to end strike over AI and compensation

Published

38 mins ago

on

September 25, 2023

By

Hollywood writers reach 'tentative' deal to end strike over AI and compensation

A “tentative” deal has been reached to end a long-running strike by writers in Hollywood.

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced the deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the group which represents studios, streaming services and producers in negotiations.

A statement from the WGA said: “We have reached a tentative agreement on a new 2023 MBA, which is to say an agreement in principle on all deal points, subject to drafting final contract language.

“We can say, with great pride, that this deal is exceptional – with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership.”

Most of the writers’ demands have been met

After 146 days on the picket line, Hollywood’s writers are finally ready to put pen to paper and sign an agreement with the studio bosses who pay their wages.

My understanding from speaking to sources on both sides of the standoff, is that most of the writers’ demands have been met with this deal, including greater royalty payments and assurances about the role of Artificial Intelligence in future TV and filmmaking.

If approved by the Writers Guild of America members, which seems all but guaranteed, it will bring an end to the second longest strike in the union’s history. It is also the broadest industry strike in decades, with more than 100,000 actors joining them on the picket.

Hollywood will not fully bounce back. Until actors return to work, filming on shows like the Last Of Us and Stranger Things, which have been on hold for months now, cannot resume. But talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Saturday Night Live, which don’t rely on actors, could resume filming as soon as this week.

Speaking to people on the picket line, they framed this strike action as about more than just Hollywood. Some said AI was not just “anti-creative” but that it presented an existential threat not just to their craft but to humankind.

This deal will be seen as a major victory in securing protections over their TV and film credits and payments in the wake of AI.

The three-year contract agreement – settled on after five days of renewed talks by negotiators from the WGA and the AMPTP – must be approved by the guild’s board and members before the strike officially ends.

Read more on Hollywood strikes:
How much of a threat is AI?

The terms of the deal were not immediately announced.

More on Hollywood

Related Topics:

The statement added: “To be clear, no one is to return to work until specifically authorised to by the Guild.

“We are still on strike until then. But we are, as of today, suspending WGA picketing. Instead, if you are able, we encourage you to join the SAG-AFTRA picket lines this week.”

The agreement comes just five days before the strike would have become the longest in the guild’s history, and the longest Hollywood strike in decades.

About 11,500 members of the Writers Guild of America walked off the job on 2 May over issues of pay, the size of writing staffs on shows and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the creation of scripts.

SAG-AFTRA actors during their ongoing strike, in Los Angeles (file pic)
Image:
SAG-AFTRA actors during their ongoing strike, in Los Angeles (file pic)

In July, the SAG-AFTRA actors’ union started its own walkout which is yet to be resolved.

It said in a statement: “SAG-AFTRA congratulates the WGA on reaching a tentative agreement with the AMPTP after 146 days of incredible strength, resiliency and solidarity on the picket lines.

“While we look forward to reviewing the WGA and AMPTP’s tentative agreement, we remain committed to achieving the necessary terms for our members.

“We remain on strike in our TV/Theatrical contract and continue to urge the studio and streamer CEOs and the AMPTP to return to the table and make the fair deal that our members deserve and demand.”

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World

Florida: Woman whose remains were found in alligator’s mouth identified by police

Published

4 hours ago

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September 25, 2023

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Florida: Woman whose remains were found in alligator's mouth identified by police

Police have identified a woman whose remains were found in the mouth of a 13ft alligator in Florida.

The body of 41-year-old Sabrina Peckham was pulled from a canal in Largo, about 20 miles west of Tampa, after a witness spotted her in the alligator’s mouth, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said.

The animal was “humanely killed”, the sheriff’s office said, and the coroner’s office will perform a post-mortem examination to determine the official cause of death, but it is suspected Ms Peckham was killed by the alligator.

Sabrina Peckham (left) and her daughter Breauna Dorris
Image:
Sabrina Peckham (L), pictured with her daughter Breauna Dorris, has been identified as the victim

Ms Peckham’s daughter said her mother was homeless and lived near the water, and countered claims her mother had been taunting the animal.

Breauna Dorris wrote on Facebook: “Some details I would like to share is that my mother did not ‘taunt’ the alligator as some are saying in the news outlets comments.

“My mother was a part of the homeless population that lived in the nearby wooded area.

“It is believed that she may have been walking to or from her campsite near the creek in the dark and the alligator attacked from the water.”

She added: “No matter how you put it, no one deserves to die like this.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Ms Peckham to raise money for funeral costs, which has raised nearly $6,000 so far.

Witness ‘threw a rock at the alligator’

The alligator was spotted by Jamarcus Bullard, who saw the reptile and a body in the water on Friday afternoon.

“I threw a rock at the gator just to see if it was really a gator,” he told a TV affiliate of NBC News, Sky News’ US partner network.

“It pulled the body, like it was holding on to the lower part of the torso, and pulled it under the water.”

Read more:
Hunters kill record-breaking alligator after all-night battle
Man survives alligator attack by ‘grabbing its teeth, tongue and snout’
Man dies in alligator-filled lake while looking for frisbees

Jamarcus Bullard said he saw the alligator and a body in the water on Friday afternoon Pic: NBC
Image:
Jamarcus Bullard said he saw the alligator and a body in the water. Pic: NBC

Mr Bullard said he started recording on his phone and contacted the authorities.

The discovery has left some locals nervous, with Jennifer Dean telling TV station WFLA that her children frequently walk by the canal.

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