Photo: Science Photo Library RF
1 A Wild Day On Capitol Hill Yesterday Was Embarrassing For Republicans
Trash talking, an elbow thrown at a kidney, and a challenge for a fight “right here, right now.” No, it wasn’t a WWE pay-per-view, it was yesterday on Capitol Hill in Washington. A series of incidents put Republicans in a bad light yesterday in both the Senate and the House: During a senate hearing, Oklahoma Republican Markwayne Mullin and Sean O’Brien, the president of the Teamsters Union, got very close to a fistfight during the hearing. Mullin read some comments made online by O’Brien, including one that said “You know where to find me. Any place, any time, cowboy.” Mullin replied by saying “This is a place, this is a time,” and then challenged O’Brien to fight right there. O’Brien said, “I’d love to do it right now,” and then both told the other to “Stand your butt up, then.” Mullin finally did stand, but Sen. Bernie Sanders interrupted the face-off before it could come to physical violence. Republican Tim Burchett was talking to reporters in the halls at Capitol Hill when former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy walked by. Burchett was one of the Republicans who voted to remove McCarthy from the speaker’s chair, and after McCarthy walked by Burchett called after him, saying “Sorry, Kevin. I didn’t mean to hit your elbow with my back,” and then called him a jerk. A shouting match broke out in a House Oversight Committee meeting after Democratic Jared Moskowitz suggested that Republican Judiciary Chairman James Comer had done something improper in his personal finances with his family. Comer started to respond, and it turned into a heated exchange that saw the two men yelling at each other at the same time. The House did pass the “laddered continuing resolutions” yesterday to fund the federal government past Friday, with more Democrats than Republicans voting for Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposal. The measure now moves to the Senate, where leadership says they’ll pass it.
2 Ohio Crash Involving Semi And Bus Leaves Six Dead And 18 Injured
Six people were confirmed to be dead yesterday in Ohio after a charter bus full of students was rear-ended by a semi-truck. The crash happened on I-70 as the student bus from Tuscarawas Valley High School was headed to a conference. Of those killed, three were adults and three were students, and 18 others were injured in the accident, including two commercial vehicle drivers and the driver of the bus. All three of the teenagers killed were on the bus, while the three adults who lost their lives were inside a passenger vehicle that was one of three other vehicles involved in the crash. The National Transportation Safety Board has been called in to conduct an investigation into the crash.
3 Biden Says a Deal to Free Hostages Held by Hamas is ‘Going to Happen’ as Officials Say They are Nearing an Agreement
President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he believes a deal can be reached to release hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza, voicing optimism as officials tell CNN prolonged talks to free hostages are nearing an agreement. “I’ve been talking with the people involved every single day. I believe it’s going to happen. But I don’t want to get into detail,” Biden told reporters at the White House. The White House said Tuesday night that Biden had “discussed at length” efforts to free hostages with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call earlier in the day. A senior US official familiar with the talks told CNN on Tuesday that Israel and Hamas are moving closer to a deal to secure the release of hostages taken during the Hamas attacks on Israel in exchange for a sustained, days-long pause in fighting. The official stressed that while the parties have inched closer to striking a deal, the talks remained volatile and could still break down: “It’s closer but it’s not done.” One European diplomat on Monday expressed optimism that some hostages could be released in the coming days or weeks.