McCarthy, Scalise tensions bubble into public over GOP rebellion

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2 years ago

June 12, 2023

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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.

World

Fierce battle for frontline towns where Ukraine’s soldiers are surrounded

Published

2 hours ago

November 23, 2025

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Fierce battle for frontline towns where Ukraine's soldiers are surrounded

Footage geolocated by Sky News showed Russian soldiers walking through the Shakhtarskyi neighbourhood on the outskirts of Pokrovsk on Thursday.

The video sheds light on the situation in this key frontline area, as Russian forces slowly encroach on Myrnohrad, the satellite town to Pokrovsk, and one of its last remaining outposts.

Videos geolocated by Sky News show fighting intensifying in recent weeks, as Russian forces attempt to gain control of the towns and their network of road and rail intersections.

Gaining control here would give Russia a base from which to access key cities further north that form part of Ukraine’s “fortress belt”.

Russian forces are advancing from all directions, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), with only one small opening to the northwest of Myrnohrad remaining.

Estimated to be only 3km wide by military experts, this withdrawal corridor is patrolled by Russian drone units which monitor the area for moving vehicles and those who may attempt to leave on foot.

Russian forces have been advancing on Myrnohrad since late October.

Video from a Ukrainian unit in Myrnohad, posted on 29 October, shows a Russian vehicle attempting to enter the town from the northeast. The tank is attacked and soldiers attempting to enter on foot are targeted.

Video posted on 3 November shows Russian forces on the ground in the south of the town.

By 8 November, Russian strikes begin to pummel the northeast of Myrnohrad, the location of many of the town’s high-rise buildings, at that time, held by Ukrainian forces.

George Barros, Russia Team & Geospatial Intelligence Team Lead at ISW, told Sky News that Russian strategy in Pokrovsk has been to erode Ukrainian logistical capacity using drones and artillery over the course of several months.

“After denying supply lines and degrading the frontline forces by essentially cutting them off from behind and starving them out in their positions, then the Russians move forward with their infantry and frontal assaults,” Barros explained.

Capture the flag

For a brief period, it looked as though Russian forces had captured Myrnohrad.

Videos posted on 13 November appeared to show a Russian flag flying over the Myrnohrad mine.

However, video posted the following day showed a Ukrainian drone shooting it down.

Both Russian and Ukrainian forces continue to fight for control of Myrnohrad, with videos posted on the 19 and 20 November showing Russian airstrikes on Ukrainian positions in the town, and Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian forces on foot.

While the exact numbers of Russian and Ukrainian forces in the area remains unclear, reports indicate that three key Russian units are active in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, and are advancing on the towns from the north and south.

A number of Ukrainian units remain inside the towns, including the 145th Assault regiment and the 32nd, 35th, 38th and 155th Brigades. Reports indicate that more Ukrainian units have been moved into surrounding areas to hold the withdrawal corridor open.

Sky News reached out to the Ukrainian brigades still in Myrnohrad, but they declined to comment, citing military regulations.

Strategic significance

Natia Seskuria, associate international security fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), explained that the area is important for the Ukrainians to keep and the Russians to take because of its strategic position.

“Situated at a major road and rail intersection in Donetsk Oblast, Pokrovsk has functioned as a central artery for moving troops, equipment, and supplies to Ukrainian units deployed along the surrounding front.”

Russia “would gain a platform to redirect its offensive efforts toward Ukraine’s principal defensive urban centres… including Kramatorsk and Slovyansk,” Seskuria said.

Ukrainian and Russian soldiers in Pokrovsk have fought intensely and at close quarters over the last month.

In late October US-made Black Hawk helicopters containing specialist troops directed by Ukrainian military intelligence entered Pokrovsk to try to keep the town.

But as Russian troops advance, Myrnohrad is becoming the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the area.

Uncertain future

At least up until 12 November, there were still civilians living in Pokrovsk and Myrnohrad, despite strikes on buildings in both cities.

A post made on that day by the Donetsk state regional administration estimated 1,200 people remain living in Pokrovsk and 900 in Myrnohrad.

Evacuation is only possible with the help of the military or police, and it is not clear how many have evacuated in the 11 days since.

Barros of ISW says gaining Pokrovsk would increase Russia’s leverage at the negotiating table.

“If the Russians can successfully convince enough international leaders that, okay, the Russians took Pokrovsk, they’re going to take the next thing, and they’re going take the thing, so now let’s negotiate, then that is a strategic victory for the Russians.”

Production by Michelle Inez Simon, Visual Investigations Producer.

The Data x Forensics team is a multi-skilled unit dedicated to providing transparent journalism from Sky News. We gather, analyse and visualise data to tell data-driven stories. We combine traditional reporting skills with advanced analysis of satellite images, social media and other open source information. Through multimedia storytelling we aim to better explain the world while also showing how our journalism is done.

World

Torrential rain triggers deadly flooding and landslides in Vietnam

Published

2 hours ago

November 23, 2025

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Torrential rain triggers deadly flooding and landslides in Vietnam

Torrential rain, flooding and landslides has left more than 100 people dead or missing in Vietnam.

Rainfall has exceeded 74.8in (1.9 metres) in some parts of central Vietnam over the past week.

The region is a major coffee production belt and home to popular beaches, but it is also prone to storms and floods.

Fatalities have been reported in Dak Lak province and the neighbouring Khanh Hoa province.

Footage has been released by local police of a dramatic rescue, involving a drone which airlifted a stranded man to safety from an island in the middle of the Serepok River, Dak Lak province.

The government estimates the flooding has cost the economy around 8.98 trillion dong (£260m).

More than 235,000 houses were flooded and nearly 80,000 hectares of crops were damaged, Vietnam’s disaster agency said.

On Thursday, VietnamNet newspaper said that a suspension bridge on Da Nhim River in Lam Dong province had been swept away.

Video footage posted online showed the bridge being swallowed by the river in just a few seconds.

Naval forces have been deployed to help stranded citizens in Khanh Hoa, the Vietnam News Agency reported, adding that floodwaters had reached record highs in many areas.

Photos shared in state media reports showed residents, including children, sitting on the roofs of flooded houses in Khanh Hoa, Gia Lai and Dak Lak provinces.

A seven-year-old girl was rescued late on Wednesday in Da Lat, the capital of Lam Dong province, after being buried by a landslide, the Nhan Dan newspaper reported.

The landslide, triggered by heavy rain, knocked down and buried part of the house where the girl was staying.

She was pulled out after an hour and a half and was taken to hospital with a broken leg, according to the report.

World

JFK’s granddaughter reveals terminal cancer diagnosis – as she hits out at relative RFK Jr

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2 hours ago

November 23, 2025

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JFK's granddaughter reveals terminal cancer diagnosis - as she hits out at relative RFK Jr

John F Kennedy’s granddaughter has revealed she has terminal cancer, making the announcement on the anniversary of the ex-US president’s assassination.

Tatiana Schlossberg, 35, has also criticised policies pushed by her relative, US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, a long-time vaccine critic.

She said measures backed by RFK Jr could hurt cancer patients like her, and her mother Caroline Kennedy, a former US ambassador, had urged senators to reject his confirmation in Congress in January.

Mr Kennedy has sparked controversy after saying COVID-19 shots were no longer recommended for healthy children and pregnant women, firing the panel that makes vaccine recommendations, and refusing to strongly back vaccinations as a measles outbreak worsened.

Ms Schlossberg, who said she was diagnosed in May last year, made her remarks in an essay for The New Yorker on Saturday, which was published on the 62nd anniversary of her grandfather’s assassination in Dallas in 1963.

She said of RFK Jr: “As I spent more and more of my life under the care of doctors, nurses, and researchers striving to improve the lives of others, I watched as Bobby cut nearly a half billion dollars for research into mRNA vaccines, technology that could be used against certain cancers.”

After the birth of her second child, her doctor noticed her high white blood cell count. It turned out to be acute myeloid leukaemia with a rare mutation, called Inversion 3, mostly seen in older people.

Ms Schlossberg, an environmental journalist, wrote she has undergone rounds of chemotherapy and two stem cell transplants, the first using cells from her sister and the next from an unrelated donor, and participated in clinical trials.

In the article, she disclosed that one of her doctors during the latest trial told her “he could keep me alive for a year, maybe”. She also spoke of her fears her daughter and son will not remember her.

Her parents are JFK’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, and Edwin Schlossberg. Her grandmother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the wife of the 35th US president, often referred to as Jackie O, died aged 64 of cancer in 1994, when she was under the age of five.

Ms Schlossberg said she feels cheated and sad that she won’t get to keep living “the wonderful life” she had with her husband, George Moran.

While her parents and siblings try to shelter her from their pain, she said she feels it every day.

“For my whole life, I have tried to be good, to be a good student and a good sister and a good daughter, and to protect my mother and never make her upset or angry,” Ms Schlossberg said.

“Now I have added a new tragedy to her life, to our family’s life, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.”