Did Kevin McCarthy Open the Door for Pro-Insurrectionist Republicans to Block Him as House Speaker?

This clip is from the Jan. 4, 2023 broadcast.

The new Republican majority in the House of Representatives was thrown into chaos Tuesday as a group of far-right 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 razor-thin Republican majority of 222 representatives, the roughly 20 right-wing holdouts have essentially ground congressional business to a halt until a speaker is chosen. "Exactly what they’re fighting for is sort of unclear. They only know what they’re fighting against," says New York Times staff writer Robert Draper.

"Democracy Now!" also speaks with The American Prospect's David Dayen about how Republicans are attempting to eliminate congressional worker unions.