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Former President Trump’s mounting legal troubles and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s (Ky.) extended absence from the Capitol have created a momentary leadership vacuum atop the Republican Party that’s struggling to find its direction ahead of the 2024 election.  

Republican lawmakers are divided over the question of whether Trump or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is the GOP’s leader, and they have different views of whether the center of power in Congress resides more with McConnell or Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).  

“In terms of the future of the party, it’s a jump ball right now,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). 

The GOP is searching for its identity after the transformation it underwent during the Trump era. It also finds itself divided over major issues, such as whether to advocate for reforms to entitlement programs or to continue its embrace of a muscular and outward-facing national security policy.   

Many Senate Republicans want to move past Trump, whose daily dramas they see as a drag on the GOP brand and detrimental to their candidates. Trump has more influence in the House, something apparent as House Republicans attacked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last week.

Even GOP senators acknowledge that Trump still has huge support among Republican voters, despite facing multiple investigations and possibly multiple indictments.  

Several Republican senators say Trump is the political leader of the party, though his popularity with GOP voters has slipped since losing the 2020 election.  

“In terms of the connection with the American public, with the Republican Party voter, clearly Donald Trump has an enormous impact and DeSantis is trying to pull some of that away,” said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), an outspoken Trump critic.  

Romney argued that the party that doesn’t control the White House often has a scrambled leadership picture.  

“Anytime you don’t have the White House, the leadership is going to be more diverse. Particularly when you have a presidential contest going on you have different voices being heard and they’re not all the same,” he said. “You’re searching, if you will, for that unifying theme. I think that will happen when we have a nominee.”  

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) says she sees DeSantis, not Trump, as the party’s political leader.  

She thinks McCarthy will emerge as the party’s most prominent leader in Washington as he battles with President Biden over attaching fiscal reforms to debt-limit legislation. Then, she says, the nation’s focus will shift to the campaign trail.  

“Everybody knows that the debt-ceiling negotiations are on him,” she said of McCarthy. “I think that for the next few months that his profile will be high and then as the presidential campaign emerges, those candidates will be in the driver’s seat. 

She said the leadership of the party is now largely “between DeSantis and Kevin.”  

Graham, a Trump ally, sees the party leadership split between Trump and McCarthy.  

“I think Trump is still the largest force in the Republican Party. I think Kevin McCarthy institutionally is in charge of one of the [congressional] bodies and I think the Republican Party’s center of gravity is in the House in terms of having legislative power,” he said. 

One Republican senator allied with McConnell said the Senate GOP leader’s job is much more secure than McCarthy’s, noting that it took 15 ballots for McCarthy to get elected Speaker.  

One Republican senator allied with McConnell said the Senate GOP leader’s job is much more secure than McCarthy’s, noting that it took 15 votes for McCarthy to get elected Speaker. 

The senator said that McConnell may ultimately have more room to negotiate a deal with Biden to avoid a national default because McCarthy has to be so careful not to anger members of the House Freedom Caucus to keep the Speakership.

Many Republican lawmakers had high hopes that DeSantis would dethrone Trump as the party leader after he won a resounding re-election victory in Florida.

But DeSantis lags Trump by large margins in various polls and his performance on the national spotlight in recent weeks is getting mixed reviews.  

Some Republicans are second guessing DeSantis for getting drawn into a war of words with Trump, whom they see as the most skilled trash talker in politics.

A second GOP senator who requested anonymity to talk about DeSantis’s decision to trade shots with Trump said it appeared to be a change of strategy. 

“It looked to me like his strategy was to wait until May or June, aggressively be governor … but now he appears to be abandoning that,” the lawmaker said.  

The senator said DeSantis also “flip-flopped” on the importance of the war in Ukraine by back-peddling from his earlier comments downplaying the conflict as a “territorial dispute” and not a “vital interest” for the U.S.  

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), one of the few Senate Republicans who has endorsed Trump’s 2024 presidential bid, said DeSantis has yet to show how he handles the pressure on the national stage.  

“He’s not running for governor. This is running for president of the United States and leader of the free world. Everything you say is going to be blown up,” he said.  

McConnell’s absence from the Capitol after tripping and suffering a concussion on March 8 has added to the sense of uncertainty over the party’s direction.  

The 81-year-old leader embodies the traditional pro-defense, pro-corporate and pro-trade values of the GOP that have receded with rise of Trump’s brand of conservative populism.  

“In terms of members of the Republican Party, voters who identify themselves as Republicans, it’s clear that Donald Trump is the closest thing there is to a leader because he has such support. In terms of elected Republicans, I do think people look to McConnell more than anybody else,” said Al Cross, a professor of journalism at the University of Kentucky and a longtime commentator on Kentucky politics.  

Cross said elected Republicans look to McConnell as their leader because he has a “proven” track record handling tough political problems, such as the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts at the end of 2010 and 2012 and the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.  

He noted that elected Republicans admire McConnell’s message discipline and his ability to plan out strategy well in advance.  

“He observes the old maxim, ‘You never get in trouble for something you didn’t say,’ and his colleagues in the Senate elected him time and again because they know he’s a good leader,” he said.  

Sen. Sen Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is one of McConnell’s closest friends in the Senate, said “we certainly miss him” but she predicted “I’m positive he’ll be back.”  

Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), another McConnell ally, said the leader’s absence has been “a bump in the road.”   Greenland staying in daylight saving time permanently Tigers that escaped after possible tornado recaptured in Georgia

“We’re still taking direction from Mitch McConnell,” he said. “He’s still involved.” 

Asked who’s leading the Republican Party nationwide, Wicker replied: “The leader of the Republican Party in this end of the building is Mitch McConnell.”  

–Updated at 7:03 a.m.

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Just 25% of public think Sir Keir Starmer will win next election – with welfare row partly to blame

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Just 25% of public think Sir Keir Starmer will win next election - with welfare row partly to blame

Only a quarter of British adults think Sir Keir Starmer will win the next general election, as the party’s climbdown over welfare cuts affects its standing with the public.

A fresh poll by Ipsos, shared with Sky News, also found 63% do not feel confident the government is running the country competently, similar to levels scored by previous Conservative administrations under Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak in July 2022 and February 2023, respectively.

Politics latest: ‘A moment of intense peril’ for PM

The survey of 1,080 adults aged 18-75 across Great Britain was conducted online between 27 and 30 June 2025, when Labour began making the first of its concessions, suggesting the party’s turmoil over its own benefits overhaul is partly to blame.

The prime minister was forced into an embarrassing climbdown on Tuesday night over his plans to slash welfare spending, after it became apparent he was in danger of losing the vote owing to a rebellion among his own MPs.

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Govt makes last-minute concession on welfare bill

The bill that was put to MPs for a vote was so watered down that the most controversial element – to tighten the eligibility criteria for personal independence payments (PIP) – was put on hold, pending a review into the assessment process by minister Stephen Timms that is due to report back in the autumn.

The government was forced into a U-turn after Labour MPs signalled publicly and privately that the previous concession made at the weekend to protect existing claimants from the new rules would not be enough.

More on Benefits

While the bill passed its first parliamentary hurdle last night, with a majority of 75, 49 Labour MPs still voted against it – the largest rebellion in a prime minister’s first year in office since 47 MPs voted against Tony Blair’s Lone Parent benefit in 1997, according to Professor Phil Cowley from Queen Mary University.

It left MPs to vote on only one element of the original plan – the cut to Universal Credit (UC) sickness benefits for new claimants from £97 a week to £50 from 2026/7.

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Govt makes last-minute concession on welfare bill

An amendment brought by Labour MP Rachael Maskell, which aimed to prevent the bill progressing to the next stage, was defeated but 44 Labour MPs voted for it.

The incident has raised questions about Sir Keir’s authority just a year after the general election delivered him the first Labour landslide victory in decades.

Read more:
How did your MP vote on Labour’s welfare bill?
The PM faced down his party on welfare and lost

And on Wednesday, Downing Street insisted Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, was “not going anywhere” after her tearful appearance in the House of Commons during prime minister’s questions sparked speculation about her political future.

The Ipsos poll also found that two-thirds of British adults are not confident Labour has the right plans to change the way the benefits system works in the UK, including nearly half of 2024 Labour voters.

Keiran Pedley, director of UK Politics at Ipsos, said: “Labour rows over welfare reform haven’t just harmed the public’s view on whether they can make the right changes in that policy area, they are raising wider questions about their ability to govern too.

“The public is starting to doubt Labour’s ability to govern competently and seriously at the same levels they did with Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s governments. Labour will hope that this government doesn’t end up going the same way.”

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Emotional Reeves a painful watch – and a reminder of tough decisions ahead

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Emotional Reeves a painful watch - and a reminder of tough decisions ahead

It is hard to think of a PMQs like it – it was a painful watch.

The prime minister battled on, his tone assured, even if his actual words were not always convincing.

But it was the chancellor next to him that attracted the most attention.

Rachel Reeves looked visibly upset.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) crying as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks. Pic: Commons/UK Parliament/PA
Image:
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) crying as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks. Pic: Commons/UK Parliament/PA

It is hard to know for sure right now what was going on behind the scenes, the reasons – predictable or otherwise – why she appeared to be emotional, but it was noticeable and it was difficult to watch.

Reeves looks visibly upset as Starmer defends welfare U-turn – politics latest

Her spokesperson says it was a personal matter that they will not be getting into.

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Even Kemi Badenoch, not usually the most nimble PMQs performer, singled her out. “She looks absolutely miserable,” she said.

Anyone wondering if Kemi Badenoch can kick a dog when it’s down has their answer today.

The Tory leader asked the PM if he could guarantee his chancellor’s future: he could not. “She has delivered, and we are grateful for it,” Sir Keir said, almost sounding like he was speaking in the past tense.

Pic PA
Image:
Rachel Reeves looked visibly upset behind Keir Starmer at PMQs. Pic PA

It is important to say: Rachel Reeves’s face during one PMQs session is not enough to tell us everything, or even anything, we need to know.

But given the government has just faced its most bruising week yet, it was hard not to speculate. The prime minister’s spokesperson has said since PMQs that the chancellor has not offered her resignation and is not going anywhere.

But Rachel Reeves has surely seen an omen of the impossible decisions ahead.

How will she plug the estimated £5.5bn hole left by the welfare climbdown in the nation’s finances? Will she need to tweak her iron clad fiscal rules? Will she come back for more tax rises? What message does all of this send to the markets?

If a picture tells us a thousand words, Rachel Reeves’s face will surely be blazoned on the front pages tomorrow as a warning that no U-turn goes unpunished.

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Science

Newly Detected Seaborgium-257 Offers Critical Data on Fission and Quantum Shell Effects

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Newly Detected Seaborgium-257 Offers Critical Data on Fission and Quantum Shell Effects

German Scientists at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung found a new superheavy isotope, 257Sg, named Seaborgium, which reveals unexpected details about the stability and nuclear fission. This study was published in Physical Review Letters and describes how this isotope, made by fusing chromium-52 with lead-206, survived for 12.6 milliseconds, longer than usual. The rare longevity and decay into 253Rf provide new indications of how K-quantum numbers or angular momentum impact the fission resistance. The findings fill in the gaps and give us an understanding of the effects of quantum shells in superheavy nuclei, which is crucial for preventing immediate disintegration.

Challenging Traditional Views on K-Quantum Numbers and Fission

As per the study by GSI, it challenges conservative views on how K-quantum numbers impact fission. Previously, it was found that the higher K values lead to greater fission hindrance, but after getting the findings from the GSI team, a more complex dynamic emerged. They found that K-quantum numbers offer hindrance to fission, but it is still ot known that it is how much, said Dr. Pavol Mosat, the study’s co-author.

Discovery of First K-Isomeric State in Seaborgium

An important milestone is the identification of the first K-isomeric state in seaborgium. In 259Sg, the scientists found that the conversion of the electron signal occurs 40 microseconds after the nuclear formation. This is clear evidence of the high angular momentum K-isomer. These states have longer lifetimes and friction in fission in a more effective way than their ground-state counterparts.

Implications for the Theorised Island of Stability

This discovery by the scientists provides key implications for the Island of stability, which has long been theorised. It is a region where superheavy elements could have comparatively long half-lives. If K-isomers are present in the still undiscovered elements such as 120, they can enable scientists in the detection of nuclei that would otherwise decay in just under one microsecond.

Synthesising 256Sg with Ultra-Fast Detection Systems

This team of German Scientists under GSI is now aiming to synthesise 256Sg, which might decay quicker than observed or predicted. Their success is dependent on the ultra-fast detection systems created by GSI, which are capable of capturing events within 100 nanoseconds. This continued research by the team may help in reshaping the search and studying the heaviest elements in the periodic table.

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