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Republican congressman Steve Scalise has abandoned his bid to be the next US Speaker of the House – just over 24 hours after his party nominated him.

His decision to withdraw from the race throws Washington’s House of Representatives into further turmoil – and means the position of Speaker has now been vacant for 10 days since Republican Kevin McCarthy was ousted from office.

“I just shared with my colleagues that I was withdrawing my name as a candidate for our Speaker designee,” Mr Scalise told reporters.

“Our conference still has to come together and is not there. There are still some people that have their own agendas.

“This House of Representatives needs a Speaker, and we need to open up the House again.

“But clearly, not everybody is there. And there are still schisms that have to get resolved.”

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US House Speaker removed from office

Mr Scalise, 58, was widely respected after surviving being shot by a left-wing extremist during a practice for the annual congressional baseball game in 2017.

But he remained resolute in his support for Mr McCarthy and urged colleagues to unite and support him, meaning rebels were unlikely to accept him as an alternative.

Mr McCarthy was removed from office after a historic challenge to his leadership from his own party.

He faced a motion to vacate, which was triggered by Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz, just months after securing the position in 15 rounds of voting.

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Gaetz: ‘McCarthy couldn’t keep his word’

It followed Mr McCarthy’s decision to cooperate with the Democrats to keep the government running rather than risk a shutdown.

It is the first time in the country’s history that House representatives have voted the Speaker out.

The Republican infighting has left the chamber unable to act and respond to the reignited Israel-Hamas conflict – and pass government spending bills before funding runs out on 17 November.

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Mr Scalise had defeated Republican Jim Jordan by a vote of 113-99 in a secret ballot on Wednesday.

Moments after Mr Scalise withdrew from the race, Republican Jim Banks urged his party to throw its weight behind Mr Jordan.

“I voted for Jim Jordan in the conference election yesterday and I remain committed to doing everything I can to help elect him the next Speaker of the House,” Mr Banks said in a statement.

“He is a conservative fighter and a leader who can unite our party.”

However, it is unclear whether Mr Jordan could succeed where Mr Scalise failed and get the 217 votes needed to secure the job.

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There are signs the world is losing faith in the dollar

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There are signs the world is losing faith in the dollar

First he took the US on a collision course with China. Then he came for the rest of the world.

He crashed into the financial markets and now Donald Trump has been gently tapping on the brakes all week.

The world’s economic policymakers have been on quite the journey over the past few months.

Many of them will have felt a little queasy as they got off the plane in Washington DC for the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) annual spring meetings.

This was their opportunity to talk. To strategise, strengthen alliances and figure out their next move.

Rachel Reeves was in the mix. While all the focus has been on a US-UK trade deal – and she is due to meet her US counterpart on Friday – the chancellor was also here to meet her G7 and G20 allies.

Countries across the world are eager for Mr Trump to reduce his tariffs but they are also looking to each other, reflecting on how the world might look in the future and whether the US is a reliable long-term partner.

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That much was obvious from a conversation with Paschal Donohoe, Ireland’s finance minister and president of the Eurogroup.

He told Sky News that Ireland, a highly US-orientated economy, was diversifying.

That being said, he was “more optimistic than some” that a high level of trade integration would prevail well into the future.

“What I think is very possible is the structure of that globalisation could begin to change,” he said.

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‘We’re confident,’ says Chancellor Reeves

That changing structure might include a rejection of China’s decades-long model of export-led growth.

Since joining the World Trade Organisation in 2001, China has been pumping out cheap goods into the world economy, making far more than it consumes at home.

Poor countries across the world have taken a similar approach to development but the US Treasury secretary said on the sidelines of the IMF on Wednesday that it was “absurd” for multilateral institutions to continue treating China like a developing economy.

He called for a “rebalancing”.

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There is a recognition among world leaders that some of Mr Trump’s grievances are reasonable.

They believe his approach is the wrong one but in interviews they are now talking about the negative consequences of trade imbalances and globalisation – the impact on communities and the undercutting of wages.

That wasn’t the case just a few months ago.

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Ms Reeves took it one step further. On Wednesday, the Treasury announced plans to tackle the dumping of cheap goods into the UK – no doubt aimed at China.

She announced a review of the customs’ treatment of low-value imports.

Currently goods valued at £135 escape the duty. The US has already taken action.

In an interview with Sky News, she said she was acting in the “national interest” but she is also looking for common ground with the Americans, as she seeks a deal that secures a reduction in tariffs.

Speaking to US media on Thursday, she reiterated her shared concerns: “I absolutely understand the concerns the United States have about imbalances in trade in the global economy, particularly when it comes to China that runs large, persistent trade surpluses with countries around the world, including the US and indeed including the United Kingdom.”

The IMF too. While the Fund sharply downgrades global growth forecasts, it shied away from openly criticising the US president.

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IMF slashes UK growth forecast

Kristalina Georgieva, the IMF’s managing director, spoke of an erosion of trust between countries, and “concerns about the uneven distribution of gains from economic integration, its impact on the international division of labour, supply chain security, and global imbalances”.

So, Mr Trump has got policymakers to shift their priorities.

At the very least, he has brought a long-simmering issue to the boil. The world is thinking differently about China now.

The US is also showing signs that it’s thinking differently. After a bruising showdown with the bond markets, Mr Trump has rowed back on his liberation day tariffs.

The administration has softened its language, saying it wants reform and to work with institutions.

The president said tariffs could come down substantially on China.

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Day 96: ‘Vladimir STOP!’ Will Trump’s plea to Putin make a difference?

However, a lot of damage has already been done – not only his erratic tariffs policy, but also his attack on institutions, including the US Federal Reserve.

The world is now thinking differently about the US too, as are the markets.

Investors normally dive into US assets – government debt and the dollar – during times of turmoil, but Mr Trump’s pronouncement has caused traders to do the opposite.

There are signs that the world is losing faith in the US’ ultimate safe haven status.

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Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says US and Moscow moving in ‘right direction’ for Ukraine peace

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Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov says US and Moscow moving in 'right direction' for Ukraine peace

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has said the US and Russia are moving in the “right direction” to end the war in Ukraine.

“We are ready to reach a deal, but there are still some specific points – elements of this deal which need to be fine-tuned,” Mr Lavrov told CBS News’ Face The Nation show, which will air on Sunday.

“We continue our contacts with the American side on the situation in Ukraine, there are several signs that we are moving in the right direction.”

A Ukrainian serviceman carries a dog out of a house damaged by a Russian airstrike in a residential neighborhood in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
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A Ukrainian serviceman carries a dog out of a house damaged by the Russian airstrike in Kyiv. Pic: AP

It comes after Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv came under the largest attack since July last year with at least 12 people killed and more than 100 injured.

Ukraine’s air force said a total of 215 drones and missiles were launched at the country by Russia on Wednesday night, with Kyiv among the areas worst hit.

Ukrainian officials said rescuers were still recovering bodies from the rubble.

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Trump: ‘I think we’re going to get peace’

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The strikes triggered a reaction by Mr Trump, who posted on his Truth Social platform saying: “I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV.

“Not necessary, and very bad timing. Vladimir, STOP! 5000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the Peace Deal DONE!”

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The US president was then asked about the Russian attacks while hosting Norway’s prime minister in the Oval Office, and said he “wasn’t happy” but insisted “we’re putting a lot of pressure on Russia”.

He was also asked about Crimea following reports that his peace plan includes the US acknowledging Moscow’s control of the territory.

Mr Trump admitted it would be “very difficult” for Ukraine to get the territory back, but reiterated his belief that “we’re getting close to a deal”.

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Day 96: ‘Vladimir STOP!’ Will Trump’s plea to Putin make a difference?

US secretary of state Marco Rubio said the US wanted to see both Ukraine and Russia step up to finalise a deal and further discussions were planned for the weekend.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeated many times that recognising occupied territory as Russia’s is a red line for his country.

Speaking about the airstrikes, he said: “It is very important that everyone in the world sees and understands what is really happening.”

Mr Zelenskyy was on a visit to South Africa when the missiles hit his country, prompting him to cut the trip short.

He said preliminary information indicated that Russia “used a ballistic missile manufactured in North Korea” and Ukraine’s special services were verifying the details.

He added if the missile was found to have been made in North Korea, it would be further proof “of the criminal nature of the alliance between Russia and Pyongyang”.

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Day 96: ‘Vladimir STOP!’ Will Trump’s plea to Putin make a difference?

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Day 96: 'Vladimir STOP!' Will Trump's plea to Putin make a difference?

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As President Donald Trump appears to publicly criticise Vladimir Putin for the first time, US correspondents James Matthews and Mark Stone, along with Sky’s data and economics editor Ed Conway, discuss if it will help or hinder peace talks.

Plus, how does the device you’re listening to this episode on have to do with Trump’s tariffs?

If you’d like to watch Ed’s reporting on how luxury cars are beating Russian sanctions, you can find it here.

If you’ve got a question you’d like the TRUMP100 team to answer, you can email it to trump100@sky.uk.

Don’t forget, you can also watch all episodes on our YouTube channel.

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