Thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things, music fans couldn’t get enough of Kate Bush’s 1985 tune “Running Up That Hill” in 2022, and that was enough to make it one of the top songs in the United Kingdom last year.
The U.K.’s Official Charts is out with its list of the Top 40 Biggest Songs of 2022, with Kate’s hit landing at six. It also lands at seven on the list of the U.K.’s Most Streamed Songs of 2022.
Elton John’s collaboration with Dua Lipa, “Cold Heart (PNAU remix),” was also a big hit in the U.K. last year, landing at 13 on the Biggest Songs chart and 14 on the Most Streamed Songs list.
Overall, the biggest song of 2022 in the U.K. was Harry Styles’ “As It Was.” The entire Top 10 was made up of British artists, the first time that has happened in 50 years.
(NEW YORK) — Newly obtained body camera video shows the moment the Indiana State Police unknowingly pulled over the suspect in the University of Idaho murders as he drove cross-country after the crimes.
Bryan Kohberger, 28, was a Ph.D. student in Washington State University’s department of criminal justice and criminology at the time of the murders. Washington State is less than 10 miles away from Moscow, Idaho, where four University of Idaho college students were murdered.
After Kohberger’s semester ended this December, he and his father drove cross-country together to spend the holidays at the family’s Pennsylvania home, his attorney in Pennsylvania, Monroe County Chief Public Defender Jason LaBar, told ABC News.
They drove the pre-planned road trip in the white Hyundai Elantra that authorities said they were looking for in connection to the murders, according to LaBar.
Indiana State Police said a trooper stopped Kohberger and his father east of Indianapolis on Dec. 15 for following another vehicle too closely.
Police bodycam shows the trooper identifying himself and asking for license and registration. Bryan Kohberger was in the driver’s seat.
“The Trooper, having learned the two had been stopped minutes before by a Deputy from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Department, who he knew was working just down the interstate from him, used his discretion and released the two men with a verbal warning,” state police said in a statement.
The state police added: “At the time of this stop, there was no information available on a suspect for the crime in Idaho, to include identifying information or any specific information related to the license plate state or number of the white Hyundai Elantra which was being reported in the media to have been seen in or around where the crime occurred.”
The Hancock County Sheriff’s Office said it stopped Kohberger just nine minutes before the Indiana State Police. The father and son were pulled over at that time for speeding, according to LaBar. The sheriff’s department also said there was no information at the time on the suspect in the Idaho crimes or specific information on the white Hyundai Elantra.
Kohberger, who was arrested in Pennsylvania on Friday on first-degree murder and burglary charges, agreed to be extradited to Idaho during a Tuesday court appearance.
LaBar said his client was “eager to be exonerated of these charges and looks forward to resolving these matters as promptly as possible.”
Kohberger is accused in the Nov. 13 murders of University of Idaho roommates Xana Kernodle, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen, as well as Kernodle’s boyfriend, Ethan Chapin. The four victims were stabbed to death at the girls’ off-campus house in the middle of the night in a crime that terrorized the college town and garnered national interest.
Moscow Police Chief James Fry said the Moscow Police Department’s only prior interaction with Kohberger was a traffic citation for not wearing a seat belt that was issued while the suspect drove the white Elantra.
ABC News’ Olivia Rubin contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — The House Republican leadership drama enters a second day Wednesday after three failed votes to decide on a speaker Tuesday.
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy is so far being stymied by a small group of hardliners demanding concessions or alternative candidates.
The House can conduct no other business — and members can’t be sworn in — until a speaker is chosen.
Here’s how the story is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 04, 11:08 AM EST
GOP leadership in talks to adjourn after House reconvenes at noon
Republican leadership is in talks to adjourn the House right after it reconvenes at noon to resume the votes for speaker, sources familiar with the discussions told ABC News.
Some Kevin McCarthy allies have been pushing for the delay, so they can continue to engage in talks behind the scenes.
The House adjourned Tuesday after three rounds of failed votes to elect McCarthy.
It’s not yet clear if there will be any objections to adjourning. There was no roll call vote to adjourn the House Tuesday, but any member can request one.
If there is a roll call vote, which is likely, 218 votes are needed to adjourn the House.
-ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, Katherine Faulders and Will Steakin
Jan 04, 11:14 AM EST
Biden calls GOP fight over speakership ’embarrassing’
Asked on his way out of the White House about the GOP standoff in the House, President Joe Biden said electing a speaker is “not a good look” to the rest of the world.
“That’s not my problem,” Biden offered reporters. “I just think it’s a little embarrassing, that it’s taking so long and the way that they’re dealing with each other. And the rest of the world is looking, they’re looking at can we get our act together.”
“For the first time in 100 years, we can’t move,” he added later on. “It’s not a good look, it’s not a good thing. This is the United States of America, and I hope they get their act together.”
Biden was on his way to highlight improvements to a bridge that connects Cincinnati and Covington, Kentucky, to tout an investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law alongside Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Jan 04, 10:44 AM EST
McCarthy arrives on Capitol Hill: ‘I think we’ll get to 218’
Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy arrived on Capitol Hill moments ago and entered the House speaker’s office, although he’s still fighting for the votes to take the position. McCarthy opponent Rep. Matt Gaetz has called him a “squatter” in the office.
McCarthy and his security pushed through a swarm of reporters and photographers who sprinted up the stairs to chase him.
Asked by ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott if he made any progress, McCarthy said, “I think we’ll get to 218.”
Asked by another reporter what the game plan is, he answered, “same as yesterday.”
Jan 04, 10:48 AM EST
Trump repeats endorsement of McCarthy for speaker
Former President Donald Trump again called on Republicans to support McCarthy as the House remains without a speaker and Republicans appear in disarray.
“Some really good conversations took place last night, and it’s now time for all of our GREAT Republican House Members to VOTE FOR KEVIN, CLOSE THE DEAL, TAKE THE VICTORY …” Trump posted on Truth Social this morning. “Kevin McCarthy will do a good job, and maybe even a GREAT JOB – JUST WATCH!”
The post follows McCarthy telling reporters Tuesday night that the former president had reiterated his support for him. In an earlier interview with NBC News, Trump declined to say whether he supported McCarthy.
Among those Republicans who did not vote for McCarthy are some of Trump’s closest supporters in Congress, including Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.
It comes almost two years to the day that McCarthy, on the House floor, said Trump “bears responsibility” for the “attack on Congress by mob rioters” on Jan. 6, before flocking to Mar-a-Lago to see Trump three weeks later.
Jan 03, 9:36 PM EST
Speaker vote expected to resume Wednesday
A fourth round of voting for the House speaker is certain to resume after the chamber gathers again on Wednesday at noon.
Members-elect adjourned until then shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, after three rounds of voting failed to elect a speaker.
Republicans, who hold the majority, did not coalesce behind their chosen leader, McCarthy, with roughly 20 lawmakers choosing other candidates.
Walking off the House floor earlier Tuesday, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told reporters that the conference wants to be unified so they can start on long-promised investigations.
He said he does not want to be the speaker, despite the backing of some McCarthy defectors — he said he wants to chair the judiciary committee.
Jan 03, 5:46 PM EST
Frustration was growing as voting wound down
House lawmakers adjourned until Tuesday as some of them grew restless following the three rounds of unsuccessful voting for a new speaker.
Signs of frustration mounted during the third vote, with Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., saying he was backing McCarthy “because I’m interested in governing.”
The voting took place as lawmakers had family and friends in town, and it was unclear at the time how deep into the night voting would go.
McCarthy had vowed to keep voting until there was a speaker, but the motion to adjourn shortly before 6 p.m. drew little opposition.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin and Benjamin Siegel
Jan 03, 5:35 PM EST
House adjourns, will resume Wednesday
The House overwhelmingly chose late Tuesday afternoon to adjourn until noon on Wednesday after a motion from Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., was adopted by voice vote
That decision came after three unsuccessful rounds saw no member-elect chosen as speaker, including McCarthy.
It’s the first time in a century that the speaker vote has taken multiple rounds.
Jan 03, 5:39 PM EST
McCarthy defector calls for ‘huddle’ to sort out speaker vote
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who changed his vote for speaker in the third round, said on social media that “continuous votes aren’t working.”
Donalds supported McCarthy during the first two rounds of voting, but then switched his choice to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. On Twitter, Donalds indicated that he does not believe McCarthy has the support to ultimately become speaker.
“Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps…but these continuous votes aren’t working for anyone,” Donalds wrote.
“When the dust settles, we will have a Republican Speaker, now is the time for our conference to debate and come to a consensus.”
“Democracy is messy at times, but we will be ready to govern on behalf of the American people. Debate is healthy,” he added.
Jan 03, 5:07 PM EST
McCarthy loses a supporter — and 3rd round of speaker vote
In the third round of voting, 20 Republican lawmakers voted against McCarthy for speaker — the highest amount so far. Those votes went to Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
In the first two rounds, 19 Republicans voted for a different candidate. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., voted for McCarthy two times before changing his vote to Jordan.
McCarthy received 202 votes in the latest round, making it the third time he’s trailed Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. Democrats have already elected Jeffries to be their caucus leader in the new Congress.
Jan 03, 4:33 PM EST
McCarthy to ABC: ‘Their secret candidate nominated me’
“We stay in until we win,” McCarthy said as he headed back onto the House floor ahead of the third round.
After huddling with Reps. Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise, Patrick McHenry and a few others off the floor, McCarthy told ABC News on his way back to the House floor that the prolonged vote was exactly what he was expecting to happen.
“This isn’t about me; this is about the conference now,” he said.
“If anybody wants to earn something, committee slots or others, you go through the conference to do that. You don’t get it by leveraging people. It just doesn’t happen,” he added.
McCarthy disputed that he hasn’t shown any progress throughout the afternoon.
“They put [Rep.] Jim Jordan [up as a candidate for speaker]. Remember how they all said they had a secret candidate. Their secret candidate nominated me, so where do they go now?”
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and Allison Pecorin
Jan 03, 4:34 PM EST
McCarthy gets new defector in third round of voting
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., switched his vote for speaker after voting for McCarthy in the first two rounds.
Donalds, a member of the House Freedom Caucus, backed Rep. Jim Jordan in the third round of voting. If every candidate who voted for Jordan on the second ballot does so again, the Ohioan will get at least 20 votes.
Jan 03, 4:37 PM EST
Historic 3rd speaker vote underway in the House
Ahead of the House entering a third vote for the speakership, Rep. Pete Aguilar again nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries for Democrats, prompting “Hakeem” chants from their side of the chamber, as Republicans remain in disarray.
“For unity in Congress and progress in our country, Democrats are united behind Hakeem Jeffries. I recommend Hakeem Jeffries as our speaker,” Aguilar said to applause.
Rep. Chip Roy of Texas nominated Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, again, despite Jordan losing in prior votes, his saying he didn’t want the position and asking Republicans to unite around McCarthy.
“Now, Jim has said he doesn’t want that nomination, and Jim has been down here nominating Kevin, and I respect that. Again, I have no personal animus toward Kevin,” Roy said. “But we do not have the tools or the leadership yet to stop the swamp from rolling over the American people. Jim has been doing it, he has a track record for doing that, and for those reasons, I’m nominating Jim Jordan for speaker of the House.”
Jan 03, 4:15 PM EST
Scalise says McCarthy critics are obstructing legislation
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., McCarthy’s No. 2, slammed McCarthy’s critics as obstructionists to legislative efforts to tackle issues like immigration and energy reserves.
“We all came here to get things done. To get big things done. To solve the problems. And I hope when we get through today that all the members on both sides of the aisle will get together to solve the problems,” he said when nominating McCarthy before the third round of voting.
However, he said, “we can’t start fixing those problems until we elect Kevin McCarthy” as speaker.
Scalise’s speech came after Jordan nominated McCarthy. Both men have been floated as potential alternatives if McCarthy is unable to win the majority needed to clinch the speakership.
Jan 03, 4:00 PM EST
Scalise seems to be drafting McCarthy nomination speech
ABC News’ Ben Siegel, on the House floor, spotted Steve Scalise seemingly drafting a nomination speech for Kevin McCarthy.
This would mark another twist as Republicans still struggle to coalesce around any single candidate.
Jan 03, 3:58 PM EST
White House ‘willing to work’ with GOP in new Congress but avoids weighing in on leadership fight
After two failed votes to select a House speaker on Capitol Hill, the White House said it is “certainly not going to insert ourselves” into that process but are
“looking forward to working” with the new Republican-controlled House.
Asked by ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Mary Bruce what the president wants to work on with Republicans once the House GOP leadership is in place, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t offer any specifics on what policies it wants to be first on the agenda.
“He’s willing to work with Republicans who are willing to continue to deliver for the American people,” she said. “He is very optimistic on what lies ahead and how we are going to move our country forward.”
And when asked whether it may be more difficult to work with Republicans after the ongoing leadership fight, Jean-Pierre repeated President Joe Biden’s optimism and noted bipartisan legislation that was passed in his first two years.
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Jan 03, 3:31 PM EST
Jordan says he told Gaetz not to nominate him as speaker
Right after Rep. Jim Jordan spoke on the House floor following the first vote — to support McCarthy in the next round — Rep. Matt Gaetz turned the tables and enthusiastically nominated Jordan to be speaker.
But Jordan told ABC News afterward that he told Matt Gaetz not to nominate him. Jordan would go on to pick up 19 votes in the second ballot.
Gaetz had said weeks ago he thought Jordan would be a good choice for speaker.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin and Katherine Faulders
Jan 03, 3:27 PM EST
McCarthy loses 2nd ballot as 19 Republicans vote for Jordan
Kevin McCarthy has fallen short of the votes needed to win House speaker for a second time.
Once again, 19 Republicans voted against McCarthy — this time unanimously backing Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.
Jordan had urged his colleagues to back McCarthy as he nominated the California congressman for speaker. But Rep. Matt Gaetz stood up to nominate Jordan, calling him the “most talented, hardest working member of the Republican conference.”
The House vote was identical to the first round: McCarthy again won 203 votes compared to Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ 212 votes.
Jan 03, 2:45 PM EST
Jordan wins enough votes to deny McCarthy speakership in 2nd vote
Enough Republicans have already voted for Jordan to deny McCarthy the speakership in a second ballot.
Just after Jordan rose to renominate McCarthy before the start of the second round of voting, nine Republicans backed the Ohioan before vote counting even got halfway through the alphabet.
Jordan was able to flip a number of Republicans who opposed McCarthy on the first ballot but didn’t vote for him, including Biggs, who voted for himself during the initial round of voting.
Jan 03, 2:31 PM EST
Gaetz nominates Jordan after Jordan urges colleagues to back McCarthy
After Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio took to the floor to encourage Republicans to back Rep. Kevin McCarthy for speaker, Rep. Matt Gaetz got up to nominate Jordan for the position.
“I rise to nominate the most talented, hardest working member of the Republican conference, who just gave a speech with more vision than we have ever heard from the alternative,” the Florida congressman said.
“Jim Jordan is humble. Perhaps today, humble to a fault,” Gaetz continued. “Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who wants it so bad. Maybe the right person for the job of speaker of the House isn’t someone who has sold shares of themselves for more than a decade to get it.”
In the first round of voting, Jordan received six votes.
Jan 03, 2:28 PM EST
Jim Jordan nominates McCarthy in 2nd round of voting
After receiving six votes of his own on the first ballot, Rep. Jim Jordan nominated Kevin McCarthy in the second round of voting for House speaker.
“I rise to nominate Kevin McCarthy for speaker of the House,” Jordan said, prompting applause from several Republican members.
“We need to rally around him, come together, and deal with these three things, because this is what the people sent us here to do,” he added, ticking through Republican priorities in the new Congress.
“We owe it to them, the American people, the good people of this great country, to step forward to come together, get a speaker elected so we can address these three things. I hope you’ll vote for Kevin McCarthy and that’s why I’m proud to nominate him for speaker of the House,” Jordan said.
Meanwhile, Rep. Bob Good, one of the original “Never Kevin” members, said off the House floor that he plans to vote for Jordan on the second ballot despite Jordan’s call to support McCarthy — and expects other detractors will follow.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Jan 03, 2:20 PM EST
‘Optics are terrible’: ABC News’ Jonathan Karl on GOP speaker battle
ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl weighed in after the first ballot vote for House speaker.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy fell well short of the majority needed to clinch the position. He received 203 votes, while Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries received 212. Nineteen lawmakers voted for someone else.
“The optics for Republicans is terrible,” Karl told ABC’s David Muir following the vote.
“They’ve taken control, they’ve won control of the House by a narrow majority, and [in the] first act of this Republican House, more votes went to the liberal Democrat candidate for speaker than went for Kevin McCarthy. Think about that David,” Karl said.
Jan 03, 2:13 PM EST
McCarthy to ABC News: Vote against him ‘exactly what we thought it’d be’
McCarthy told ABC News, after stepping off the House floor, that the current vote against him was “exactly what we thought it’d be.”
McCarthy added that this vote could go on for days and that “we got a number of members who are trying to fight for their own personal items” instead of for the country.
When asked how he what he can do to persuade the large number of members who voted against him by voting for others, McCarthy said he needs to convince them that “they don’t win gavels by trying to threaten or leverage somebody … I don’t think that’s what their constituents elected.”
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Jan 03, 1:54 PM EST
McCarthy falls short in first speaker vote
After the first round of voting, no member obtained the 218 votes needed to become House speaker, but Democrat Hakeem Jeffries earned more votes than Kevin McCarthy — on the first day of a new Republican-controlled House.
Jeffries received 212 votes to McCarthy’s 203. Far-right Republican Andy Biggs of Arizona received 10 votes, and there were nine votes for others, including six for Rep. Jim Jordan, and, in a surprise move, Rep. Chip Roy of Texas voted for Florida’s Byron Donalds.
Nineteen Republicans broke from McCarthy, who could only afford to lose four, marking a stunning defeat by 15 votes. Despite having a majority this Congress, McCarthy got fewer votes this time than the last time he ran for speaker against Nancy Pelosi.
For the first time since 1923 — and the first time since floor proceedings have been televised — the speaker’s vote appears headed towards a second ballot.
While McCarthy has signaled he’s up for more voting rounds, he faces a steep hurdle in a second vote with so many lawmakers to win over — and the potential for Republicans to nominate another member, such as No. 2 Steve Scalise.
Jan 03, 1:37 PM EST
McCarthy gets quick standing ovation after voting for himself
After standing to cast a voice vote for himself, Kevin McCarthy smiled as he got a round of applause from his GOP supporters – even as it appeared that he would lose the first ballot for speaker.
McCarthy faced enough defections from his conference – with some voting for Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona or Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio – to likely not prevail in the first tally.
But the quick standing ovation for McCarthy was both indicative of the support he still has in the House Republican Conference and the challenges of a slim Republican House majority.
Jan 03, 1:41 PM EST
Appears McCarthy will not have votes on first ballot to be elected
The majority of House Republicans applauded when Rep. Elise Stefanik rose to nominate Kevin McCarthy — but more than a dozen, most of them sitting by the center aisle in the second to last row of the chamber, sat on their hands. The applause for McCarthy was hardly thunderous.
And with every vote against McCarthy, the sounds of murmuring in the chamber grew, as it also grew more obvious that McCarthy will not have the votes on the first ballot to be elected speaker.
In contrast, Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., had a sustained standing ovation when he nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY. Once the applause died down, Aguilar declared, “Today, House Democrats are united” — prompting even louder and more sustained applause from Democrats — while McCarthy sat silently and stone-faced on the other side of the aisle.
As McCarthy entered the rear of the chamber through the center door about 15 minutes earlier, he did so quietly and with little fanfare. Most people on the floor seemed not to notice. He walked all the way down to the area in front of the clerk before somebody went to talk to him, and it was a staffer for Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla.
-ABC News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl
Jan 03, 1:00 PM EST
Tense roll call vote begins
A tense roll call vote for speaker is beginning.
In alphabetical order, members are being asked to say aloud whom they are voting for as speaker.
-ABC News’ Benjamin Siegel
Jan 03, 12:53 PM EST
Aguilar declares Democrats ‘united’ behind Hakeem Jeffries
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., has nominated Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York to be the House minority leader.
Jeffries has made history as the first Black leader to be elected leader a congressional caucus. He was elected by Democrats in late November after Rep. Nancy Pelosi announced she was stepping down from the role.
“Today, madam clerk, House Democrats are united by a speaker who will people over politics,” Aguilar declared, an apparent dig at Republicans as the party struggles to unite behind a candidate for speaker.
“Hakeem Jeffries has worked his entire life to improve economic opportunity for all people. He’s committed to strengthening the American dream by lowering costs for working families, building safer communities by taking weapons of war off streets and by creating good-paying jobs in industries of the future.”
“He does not traffic in extremism,” Aguilar continued. “He does not grovel to or make excuses for a twice impeached so-called former president. Madam clerk, he does not bend a knee to everyone who would seek to undermine our democracy because, madam clerk, that’s not what leaders do.”
Jeffries and Pelosi greeted each other on the House floor on Tuesday morning.
Jan 03, 12:46 PM EST
Stefanik introduces McCarthy as GOP nominee for speaker
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., introduced Kevin McCarthy on the House floor as the GOP nominee for speaker.
Stefanik, a McCarthy ally, touted the Californian’s efforts to bolster House Republicans’ ranks by campaigning for diverse candidates from coast to coast.
“Since the day Kevin was elected as our leader, House Republicans have only gained seats and won,” she said. “Kevin knows what we stand for, he knows when to engage in the fight, and he knows how to build consensus.”
“His relentless effort has yielded an extraordinary House Republican majority,” she added. “Today’s House Republican Conference is the most diverse Republican conference in our nation’s history.”
And while her speech was mostly focused on building up McCarthy, Stefanik also offered a dig at his detractors, boasting that “Kevin McCarthy has earned this speakership of the ‘People’s House.'”
Jan 03, 12:44 PM EST
Magnetometers at House chamber entrances removed
Ahead of the vote for speaker, the magnetometers placed outside the doors of the House chamber in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol have been removed, as the new GOP majority demanded.
The GOP’s new proposed House rules had called for removing the magnetometers.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Will Steakin and Nicole Moeder
Jan 03, 12:33 PM EST
VP Kamala Harris swears in new senators
As House Republicans enter the 118th Congress in disarray over who will hold the speaker’s gavel, the Democrat-controlled Senate opened with Vice President Kamala Harris swearing in new members and those who won reelection in November.
Among the new faces in the chamber are Pennsylvania’s John Fetterman, Alabama’s Katie Britt and Missouri’s Eric Schmitt.
Arizona’s Mark Kelly and Georgia’s Raphael Warnock were sworn in for their first full, six-year terms.
Despite losing majority control in the House, Democrats expanded their advantage in the Senate by one seat.
Jan 03, 10:39 AM EST
McCarthy tells Republicans ‘I earned this job’: Source
In a closed-door meeting with House Republicans, Kevin McCarthy made a last-ditch case for speaker.
“I’m not going to go away. I’m going to stand until the last four friends stand with me,” he told the GOP members, according to a source in the room.
“I earned this job,” McCarthy said. “We earned this majority, and goddammit we are going to win it today.”
Jan 03, 10:33 AM EST
Rep.-elect George Santos arrives near House office
Rep.-elect George Santos, who has faced controversy and national attention for lying about or embellishing details of his background, was spotted by reporters in Congress Tuesday morning.
Santos was walking toward his office in the Longworth House Office Building, accompanied by a staffer, when he stopped and turned the other way once he saw reporters.
He declined to answer most questions, but told ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa he will vote for Kevin McCarthy for speaker.
Santos faced calls for accountability from some Republicans, but not from current Republican House leadership. He has said he will serve out his term in the House.
New members of the House will not be sworn in until a speaker is elected.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie, Lalee Ibssa, and Oren Oppenheim
Jan 03, 10:20 AM EST
McCarthy ready to battle for speaker’s gavel, sources say
As Republicans met behind closed doors ahead of the speaker vote, it appeared Kevin McCarthy still did not have the votes needed to be elected.
Sources close to the Republican leader say he’s ready to battle it out. It could go into multiple rounds of votes — something that hasn’t happened in 100 years — and the floor fight could drag on for hours, if not days. The longest battle for speaker was in 1856, and it took two months and 133 votes to resolve.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, who opposes McCarthy’s bid, has warned, “We may see the cherry blossoms bloom in Washington, D.C. before a speaker is elected.”
All of this overshadows the start of the new Congress where Republicans have a majority in the House for the first time since 2018.
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott
Jan 03, 9:43 AM EST
McCarthy arrives for GOP meeting: ‘We are going to have a good day’
Rep. McCarthy has arrived for a closed-door meeting with his fellow Republicans.
“We are going to have a good day today,” McCarthy said as he walked by reporters, who asked if he had the votes for speaker.
The California congressman then laughed as a reporter asked if he’d support Rep. Steve Scalise for speaker should he fail to get enough votes.
Jan 03, 9:42 AM EST
‘Follow Kevin McCarthy’ sign posted outside speaker’s office
Hours before the vote to elect a new House speaker, a sign has appeared in front of the speaker’s office with the message: “Follow Kevin McCarthy.”
McCarthy was set to shore up more support for his speaker bid in a closed-door meeting with the Republican caucus this morning. He faces opposition from a group of hard-line conservatives, who could sink what is his second attempt to hold the gavel.
The California congressman’s belongings have been brought into the speaker’s suite, but if he doesn’t get enough votes, he’ll have to move out.
Jan 03, 8:52 AM EST
GOP conference to hold last-minute meeting before speaker vote
The House Republican conference will meet behind closed doors at 9:30 a.m., just hours before the speaker vote begins at noon.
While McCarthy might be able to garner more support in a last-ditch appeal, his detractors have boasted that they’ll be able to muster the necessary opposition to block his bid.
Rep. Scott Perry, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus who is leading the group of hard-line conservatives opposing McCarthy’s bid, released a new statement Tuesday morning blasting the California congressman.
“In his 14 years in Republican Leadership, McCarthy has repeatedly failed to demonstrate any desire to meaningfully change the status quo in Washington,” Perry said.
Jan 03, 8:36 AM EST
McCarthy’s rise from California politics to GOP leader
Kevin McCarthy began his career as a staffer to then-Rep. Bill Thomas before chairing the California Young Republicans and later the Young Republican National Federation.
He was first elected to office in 2002, serving in the California state Assembly until 2007, when was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. At the time, he was dubbed one of the “young guns” of the next generation of conservative leadership.
McCarthy tried to become speaker in 2015 but his chance evaporated after resistance from the same kind of conservatives who are trying to block his path Tuesday. When Democrats took control of the House in 2018, McCarthy was elected House minority leader.
Jan 03, 8:26 AM EST
McCarthy’s bid for speaker unclear as new Congress set to begin
Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become the next speaker of the House is still clouded in uncertainty as lawmakers head to Capitol Hill for the first day of the 118th Congress.
McCarthy and his staffers spent the day Monday setting up the speaker’s office but he may have to move his belongings out if he fails to clinch the votes needed to secure the position.
A few dozen members piled into McCarthy’s office throughout the day Monday to go over last-minute strategy. ABC News spotted three McCarthy critics during the afternoon meeting: Reps. Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert and Scott Perry.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a McCarthy supporter, told ABC News Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, “the problem is the people need to realize the art of the deal. They are all Trump supporters, and you can’t be successful if you’re not willing to take the wins when you get them” when asked about those in her party who are trying to tank McCarthy’s bid.
Rep. Jim Jordan, whose name has been floated around as a potential speaker candidate, said he believes McCarthy “can get there.”
McCarthy, however, didn’t directly answer reporter’s questions about how the vote could go, telling them, “I hope you all have a very nice New Year’s” as he exited the Capitol on Monday night.
The Osbourne family has officially become even bigger now that Kelly Osbourne has welcomed her first baby with Slipknot‘s Sid Wilson.
Kelly’s mom, Sharon Osbourne, shared the news on the U.K. show The Talk this week, revealing that the child’s name is Sidney. Sharon added that mother and baby are doing “just so, so great.”
“[Kelly] won’t let a picture go out of him,” Sharon said. “And I’m so proud of her.”
Kelly announced that she was pregnant last May, writing that she was ecstatic. She had confirmed her relationship with Wilson a few months earlier.
In terms of inherited metal cred, it’ll be hard to beat Sidney, who not only has a Slipknot member as a dad but also Ozzy Osbourne as a grandfather. Maybe that baby who was born at a Metallica concert last year comes close.
We’re only four days into 2023, and the flame war between besties Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman is back on.
At issue is the fact that the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has put on its Best Song short list “Good Afternoon,” a song from the Ryan Reynolds/Will Ferrell Christmas musical Spirited that is streaming on Apple TV+.
“I really, really wanted to send out a positive message for the beginning of the year, but recent events have made that impossible,” Jackman begins.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Spirited. It’s a great movie … I love Will and Octavia [Spencer] … and … the song ‘Good Afternoon,’ I laughed the entire way through, it is absolutely brilliant.”
He continues, “However, I just heard the Academy has short-listed ‘Good Afternoon’ … Now, Ryan Reynolds getting a nomination in the Best Song category will make the next year of my life insufferable.”
The Tony winner and Music Man veteran adds, “I mean, I have to spend a year with him shooting Wolverine and Deadpool [Deadpool 3]. And trust me. It would be impossible. It would be a problem.”
Jackman closed with recapping everything he liked about Spirited, before pleading with the Academy, “Please, please, from the bottom of my heart, do not validate Ryan Reynolds in this way.”
For the record, one of the first “likes” of the post came from Reynolds himself.
This year’s Oscar nominations will be announced Tuesday, January 24.
Charles Kelley downs a pint of ice cream every night and drinks about 15 cans of LaCroix a day, he reveals in a new interview with Men’s Healthabout his sobriety. However, he’s also been exercising six days a week and going for 5 a.m. runs since giving up alcohol.
Last August, Lady A unexpectedly called off their Request Line Tour so Charles could pursue his sobriety. When the trio hits the road in 2023, there won’t be any booze backstage. Charles remembers earlier in his career not quite being able to understand why veteran artists would have a dry tour.
“They’ve been doing this thing for 15, 20 years and are in the same spot that I’m in right now,” he explains. “What do you want out of this life? Do you want to wreck your family and your career? Or do you want to put some things into place to keep it successful?”
Lady A has a full schedule ahead, starting February 22 in Detroit. Charles just released his latest solo effort, “As Far As You Could,” which is about his struggle with alcohol.
In 2022, Harry Styles pretty much conquered the world, but he didn’t too do badly at home, either.
The U.K.’s Official Charts Company has released the final numbers for 2022, and Harry’s song “As It Was” and album Harry’s House were officially the biggest song and album of the year in the U.K., respectively.
“As It Was” was the longest-running number-one song of 2022 in Great Britain, holding the top spot for 10 weeks. It was Harry’s second British number one, following 2017’s “Sign of the Times.” It was the best-selling and most-streamed track of the year as well.
The second biggest track of the year was Ed Sheeran‘s “Bad Habits.” The top 10 also includes Ed’s “Shivers,” Kate Bush‘s “Running Up that Hill” and Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves.”
On the album side, Harry’s House was the biggest seller of the year in the U.K., and also spent the most weeks at number one, with a total of six.
Ed Sheeran’s = (Equals) was the second-biggest album of the year, while Taylor Swift‘s Midnights was third.
(NEW YORK) — More than 10 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an invasion into neighboring Ukraine, the two countries are engaged in a struggle for control of areas throughout eastern and southern Ukraine.
Putin’s forces in November pulled out of key positions, retreating from Kherson as Ukrainian troops led a counteroffensive targeting the city. Russian drones have continued bombarding civilian targets throughout Ukraine, knocking out critical power infrastructure as winter sets in.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jan 04, 8:57 AM EST
Ukraine locates Russian outpost via data on soldiers’ cellphones
Russian soldiers using their mobile phones just after midnight on New Year’s provided Ukraine with the data to locate a Russian outpost in the city of Makiivka ahead of Ukraine’s deadly attack, according to Russia.
Six rockets were fired from U.S.-made HIMAR rocket launchers.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said 89 soldiers were killed in the attack but Ukrainian officials claim the death toll is much higher. Russian authorities have not yet compiled lists of the wounded and dead.
Jan 02, 3:36 PM EST
Zelenskyy says Russia is preparing ‘prolonged’ attack
During an evening address Monday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is preparing a long-term attack by drones to exhaust Ukrainian air defense.
Just two days into the new year, he said the country’s defense forces shot down more than 80 Shahed drones, which are made by Iran.
“This number may increase in the near future. We have information that Russia is planning a prolonged attack,” Zelenskyy said.
“Its bet may be on exhaustion. To the exhaustion of our people, our air defense, our energy. But we must do — and we will do everything — so that this goal of the terrorists fails, like all the others.”
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 31, 8:14 AM EST
1 dead, 7 injured after Russia launches missile strike against Kyiv
At least one person has been killed and seven people have been injured after Russia launched a barrage of missiles on Kyiv on New Year’s Eve.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported destruction across several districts with a luxury hotel, a bridge and police stations among the locations impacted.
It’s currently unclear how many locations have been destroyed as a result of direct hits and how many were from falling debris from intercepted rockets.
New Year’s Eve is one of Ukraine’s biggest holidays.
Dec 30, 10:28 AM EST
Putin expects China’s Xi to make state visit in spring
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he’s expecting Chinese President Xi Jinping to make a state visit to Russia in the spring of 2023.
Putin said he’s looking to deepen military cooperation between the two nations.
Putin said the visit would “demonstrate to the world the closeness of Russian-Chinese relations.”
Dec 29, 5:08 PM EST
Zelenskyy praises Air Force for ‘repelling’ Russian missile barrage
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is praising his country’s air defense, saying it “successfully repelled” a barrage of Russian missiles fired at Kyiv and other targets early Thursday.
Zelenskyy said the Ukrainian Air Force shot down 54 missiles and 11 attack drones.
“Our warriors all over Ukraine distinguished themselves and I thank all our Air Commands: Center, South, East and West,” Zelenskyy said.
He specifically cited the efforts of the 96th Kyiv, 160th Odesa and the 208th Kherson anti-aircraft missile brigades, saying their “results are the best today.”
Zelenskyy said several Russian missiles evaded Ukraine’s air defense and hit several infrastructure targets.
“Our power engineers and repair crews are doing everything to make Ukrainians feel the consequences of the terrorists’ strike as little as possible,” Zelenskyy said.
As of Thursday evening, he said there were power outages in most regions of Ukraine, including the capital city Kyiv as well as the Lviv, Odesa, Kherson, Vinnytsia and Zakarpattia regions.
“But this is nothing compared to what could have happened, if it was not for our heroic anti-aircraft troops and air defense,” Zelenskyy said.
Dec 29, 11:40 AM EST
Ukrainian missile shot down in Belarus: Defense ministry
Belarus’ defense ministry said its air defenses had downed a Ukrainian S-300 missile in a field on Thursday morning during one of Russia’s largest missile attacks against Ukraine since the start of the war.
The military commissar of the Brest region, Oleg Konovalov, played down the incident in a video message posted on social media by the state-run BelTA news agency, saying local residents had “absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“Unfortunately, these things happen,” Konovalov said.
He compared the incident to one in November when an S-300 believed to have strayed after being fired by Ukrainian air defenses landed in NATO member country Poland, and initial fears of an escalation in the war were rapidly defused.
Konovalov said the Ukrainian missile was shot down by the air defense forces around 10 a.m. local time Thursday. Fragments of the downed missile were found near the village of Gorbakha in the Brest region.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 29, 10:32 AM EST
Russia continues ‘escalating’ missile campaign, US Embassy says
Moscow has been “cruelly” targeting Ukrainian civilians by launching attacks against utilities during the winter, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv said on Thursday.
The rebuke came as Russia fired missiles at cities throughout the country on Thursday. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Army said 69 missiles were launched, fewer than the 100 missiles that officials had estimated earlier in the morning. Officials said 54 missiles were intercepted.
Two civilians were killed as a result of shelling in the Kharkiv area, according to the region’s governor.
“The Kremlin continues its escalating campaign of missile attacks, cruelly wielding cold & dark against” Ukrainians, U.S. Embassy officials said on Twitter. “Families are again hunkering down as critical infrastructure & other targets across the country are attacked.”
Air raid sirens started wailing before 6 a.m. local time across Ukraine, sending residents scrambling into underground shelters in several cities. Missiles landed in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Lviv and Zhtomyr.
Ukraine’s defense systems intercepted some missiles, including 16 that were shot down near Kyiv, the capital, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Two homes in Kyiv were damaged by falling debris and three people were injured, he said.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said Russia had been “saving one of the most massive missile attacks since the beginning of the full-scale invasion for the last days of the year.”
“They dream that Ukrainians will celebrate the New Year in darkness and cold,” officials said. “But they cannot defeat the Ukrainian people.”
-ABC News’ Britt Clennett and Joe Simonetti
Dec 29, 2:29 AM EST
More than 100 Russian missiles fired at Ukraine
Russian forces early on Thursday launched a missile strike on Ukraine.
More than 100 rockets were fired in several waves, Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Twitter. Some rockets were reportedly fired from carriers in the sea, while others were reportedly fired by at least a dozen fighter aircraft.
Another presidential advisor, Mykhailo Podolyak, said on Twitter that more than 120 missiles had been launched “by the ‘evil Russian world’ to destroy critical infrastructure & kill civilians en masse.”
At least one loud explosion was heard in Kyiv, where air raid sirens were ringing for several hours on Thursday morning.
Dec 28, 1:58 PM EST
Kremlin rejects Ukraine’s Feburary ‘peace summit’
Russia has rejected a proposal from Ukraine to hold a “peace summit” in February, according to a Kremlin official.
“There is no ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine for now, that’s for starters,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wenderday. “Besides, there can be no ‘peace plan’ for Ukraine, which disregards today’s realities on Russian territory, the entry of new regions, four of them, into Russia.”
Peskov was apparently referring to recent Ukrainian drone attacks inside Russia, including one this week at the Engels Air Force Base in southern Russia that killed three Russian soldiers.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 27, 1:13 PM EST
Putin bans sending Russian oil to countries imposing a price cap
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Tuesday that not only rejects a price cap on the country’s oil but bans sending crude and other petroleum products to any country that has endorsed the price cap.
The Group of Seven countries, including the United States, agreed on Dec. 3 to impose a $60 per barrel price cap on Russian oil in response to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine. Australia and the European Union also agreed to impose the price cap.
The decree Putin signed goes into effect on Feb. 1 and is valid until July 1, 2023.
The decree bans the supply of oil and oil products from Russia to those countries that place a price ceiling on contracts. The decree also forbids the supply of oil to other foreign buyers whose contracts use a price cap mechanism.
The decree includes a clause allowing Putin to overrule the ban in special cases to be determined by the Russian leader.
The price cap on Russian oil implemented by G-7 nations disallows the world’s second-largest oil exporter from selling crude at a price above $60 per barrel.
Since the outset of its war with Ukraine, Russia has sold its oil at discounted prices. As of Tuesday, Russian Urals crude was trading at $57 per barrel — an amount slightly less than the cap. But the price cap aims to ensure that Russian oil sales remain well below global oil prices, which stand at about $80 per barrel.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Dec 26, 7:40 AM EST
Ukraine strikes bomber base in Russia, killing three
A Ukrainian drone attack on the Engels Air Force Base in southern Russia killed three, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said.
A spokesman for Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the attack, saying, “If the Russians thought the war would not touch them they were wrong.”
Russian air defence reportedly shot down a Ukrainian drone flying at low altitude, but falling debris caused the casualties in the overnight attack.
The Engels base lies just over 300 miles northeast of Ukraine’s border with Russia. The facility has been repeatedly used by Russia to carry out missile strikes on targets in Ukraine.
Ukrainian forces had attacked another Russian air base on Dec. 5, killing three and damaging two strategic bombers.
Netflix on Tuesday announced February 23 as the premiere date for season 3 of its popular teen drama series Outer Banks, along with new stills and key art for the upcoming season. Chase Stokes, Madelyn Cline, Madison Bailey, Jonathan Daviss, Rudy Pankow, Austin North, Drew Starkey and Charles Esten will return for season three, along with Carlacia Grant, who has been promoted to series regular. Outer Banks, which follows a group of teens dubbed the Pogues as they embark on the treasure hunt of a lifetime, has been huge a hit for Netflix since its debut. Season two, which launched a year-and-a-half ago, held the top spot globally in Netflix’s Top 10 English TV list for the four weeks following its premiere…
Black-ish alum Tracee Ellis Ross will star alongside Coming 2 America star Eddie Murphy in the upcoming holiday comedy Candy Cane Lane, according to Variety. As previously confirmed by ABC, Murphy will also produce the film, directed by Oscar and Emmy-nominated Django Unchained and Boomerang producer Reginald Hudlin. Ron Howard and Brian Grazer‘s company Imagine is also involved. Candy Cane Lane, written by Kelly Younger, whose Muppets Haunted Mansion debuted on Disney+ in 2021, was reportedly based on the writer’s own holiday experiences. Further plot details are under wraps…
That ’70s Show and That ’90s Show star Debra Jo Rupp has been added to the cast of the Kathryn Hahn-led Disney+/Marvel WandaVision spinoff series Agatha: Coven of Chaos, sources tell Deadline. While details about Rupp’s role have not been revealed, she will likely be reprising her WandaVision role as Mrs. Hart, which she played in five episodes of the original series. Rupp joins Joe Locke, Aubrey Plaza, Ali Ahn, Maria Dizzia, Sasheer Zamata and Patti LuPone in the spinoff. Emma Caulfield Ford is also rumored to be on board, reprising her character of Dottie from WandaVision. Disney is the parent company of ABC News…
Nearly a month after Sharon Osbourne was hospitalized due to a sudden “medical emergency,” she says the cause remains a “mystery.”
The former co-host of The Talk returned to the U.K. version of the show Tuesday to give an update on her condition, but had little to offer other than that she was “doing well.”
“It was the weirdest thing,” The Osbournes matriarch explained in a clip from the show posted to her Instagram. “I was doing some filming and suddenly they told me that I [passed out] for 20 minutes. And I was in the hospital, I went to one hospital, they took me to another hospital, and I did every test over two days, and nobody knows why.”
Shortly after the December 16 incident, Sharon’s son, Jack Osbourne, shared in a now vanished Instagram Story that his mother “has been given the all clear from her medical team and is now home.” He went on to thank “everyone who has reached out with love and support.” Jack added, “As to what happened to my mum — I’m gonna leave it to her to share about when she is ready.”
Sharon has had multiple health issues over the past 20 years, including colon cancer in 2002, for which she underwent surgery and three months of chemotherapy. In 2012, she underwent a double mastectomy after learning she had a genetic predisposition for developing breast cancer.
