Did Kevin Mc Carthy Open the Door for Pro Insurrectionist Republicans to Block Him as House Speaker

The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives was thrown into chaos Tuesday as a group of farright lawmakers prevented GOP leader Kevin McCarthy from becoming speaker, blocking him in three rounds of voting. This is the first time in a century that the process has gone beyond the first round. Voting for a new speaker is set to resume Wednesday. McCarthy needs 218 votes to become speaker, but with a razorthin Republican majority of 222 representatives, the roughly 20 rightwing holdouts have essentially ground congressional business to a halt until a speaker is chosen. Exactly what theyre fighting for is sort of unclear. They only know what theyre fighting against, says New York Times staff writer Robert Draper. We also speak with The American Prospects David Dayen about how Republicans are attempting to eliminate congressional worker unions. Democracy Now is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1, 500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestrea