Hakeem Jeffries elected by House Democrats to succeed Pelosi as leader – live - The Guardian US

Key events

Show cardinal events only

Please crook connected JavaScript to usage this feature

Joe Biden is speaking present astatine the Department of Interior’s Tribal Summit, a gathering of tribal leaders from crossed the country.

Biden is talking astir investments successful Native American communities, including $32bn that came from the American Rescue Plan, a coronavirus assistance package, and infrastructure concern from Biden’s infrastructure measure that was passed past year. Biden said that backing was “long overdue”.

“We’re putting it to enactment together,” helium said.

Biden besides announced caller initiatives and investments to enactment tribal nations, including $135m to determination communities astatine hazard of flooding and a petition for $9.1bn to assistance wellness services for Native American communities. He besides said that helium signed a memorandum that improves consultation betwixt national agencies and tribal nations, including created standards for argumentation and releasing champion practicies.

“Consultation has to beryllium a two-way, nation-to-nation exchange,” Biden said. “Federal agencies should strive to scope statement among tribes and determination should beryllium capable clip for ample communications.”

Hakeem Jeffries elected arsenic caller House Democratic leader

House Democrats conscionable officially elected Hakeem Jeffries arsenic House number leader, making him the astir almighty Democrat successful the House.

Jeffries is the archetypal Black legislature person successful history. At 52, helium is 31 years younger than erstwhile person Nancy Pelosi and 20 years younger than his counterpart successful the Senate, the bulk leader, Chuck Schumer.

House Democrats person been voting for their caller leaders successful a closed-door session. Jeffries, who was formerly caucus chair, ran unopposed.

Pete Aguilar, 43, of California, was conscionable elected House Democratic chair, the third-highest enactment presumption among Democrats.

The gathering is closed-door, though a fewer reporters are wrong reporting connected the happenings, including that radical starting chanting “Petey-Pie” erstwhile Aguilar was confirmed arsenic chair.

David Cicilline, a Democrat House subordinate from Rhode Island, conscionable announced helium volition situation Jim Clyburn, presently bulk whip, to beryllium adjunct person for House Democrats.

Clyburn has been the whip, usually the 3rd astir elder position, for the Dems since 2007. Clyburn, 82, declined to tally for number leader, saying that helium sensed an “evolution” successful leadership.

In a missive to House Democrats, Cicilline, who is gay, said that determination needs to beryllium amended LGBTQ+ practice successful leadership.

“I deliberation it’s captious that the House Democratic Leadership squad afloat bespeak the diverseness of our caucus and the American radical by including an LGBTQ+ subordinate astatine the enactment table,” helium wrote. “Over the past six years, we person seen an alarming emergence of hatred crimes against the LGBTQ+ assemblage portion authorities legislators crossed the state person worked to portion distant our rights.”

Given Clyburn’s long-standing presumption successful House leadership, Cicilline’s announcement is unexpected, particularly since it comes conscionable a time earlier House Democrats are expected to ballot connected adjunct leader.

Federal Reserve seat Jerome Powell is acceptable to present a highly anticipated code aboriginal this day wherever investors volition look for immoderate hints arsenic to whether helium plans to proceed to rise involvement rates oregon not. The code volition beryllium Powell’s past nationalist remarks earlier a important Fed committee gathering connected 14 December.

The gathering is being seen by Wall Street arsenic a pivotal infinitesimal for the Fed, which has been trying to tame rising ostentation with assertive involvement complaint hikes. The Fed has raised the involvement complaint to 3.75% to 4% implicit the past twelvemonth – its astir melodramatic hike successful astir a decade.

Investors person warned that different involvement complaint hike could beryllium the breaking constituent that leads to a recession. Even Elon Musk has weighed in, tweeting aboriginal Wednesday that the “Fed needs to chopped involvement rates immediately.”

“They are massively amplifying the probability of a terrible recession,” helium tweeted.

In a run code earlier this year, Herschel Walker, the Republican campaigner for US Senate successful Georgia, said: “I unrecorded successful Texas.”

Walker volition look the Democratic incumbent, Raphael Warnock, successful a runoff adjacent Tuesday, a contention triggered aft Warnock received the astir votes connected predetermination time but did not walk 50% of the vote. Polling puts the 2 candidates near-level, with aboriginal voting at grounds levels.

Control of the Senate has already been decided but triumph successful Georgia would springiness Democrats outright power by 51-49.

Endorsed by Donald Trump, Walker has ridden controversies implicit his concern record, alleged encouragement of abortions, household relationships, and more.

A shot prima for the University of Georgia, helium went connected to prima for the Dallas Cowboys successful the NFL. Earlier this month, CNN reported that helium was benefiting from a taxation interruption connected a Dallas location described arsenic his main residence.

On Tuesday, CNN returned to the well, reporting that successful January, portion discussing migration argumentation successful a code to Republicans astatine the University of Georgia, Walker said: “I unrecorded successful Texas … I went down to the borderline disconnected and connected sometimes.”

Walker besides said: “Everyone asks me, wherefore did I determine to tally for a Senate seat? Because to beryllium honorable with you, this is ne'er thing I ever, ever, ever thought successful my beingness I’d ever do. And that’s the honorable truth.

“As I was sitting successful my location successful Texas, I was sitting successful my location successful Texas, and I was seeing what was going connected successful this country. I was seeing what was going connected successful this state with however they were trying to disagreement people.”

CNN besides said Walker gave astatine slightest 4 interviews astir his Georgia tally from his Texas home.

Republicans person been burned by a akin contented already this year, successful different adjacent contention captious to power of the Senate. In Pennsylvania, the Democratic candidate, John Fetterman, focused connected questions astir whether his opponent, the TV doc Mehmet Oz, really lived successful New Jersey. Fetterman yet won convincingly.

In a closed-door voting session, Democrats are expected to elite Hakeem Jeffries arsenic number leader, ushering successful what volition astir apt beryllium a caller epoch of Democratic leadership.

Jeffries, astatine 52, is simply a comparatively young Democrat considering the average age of a typical is 58. He volition instrumentality connected the occupation of unifying the party’s wide and mean flanks astatine a infinitesimal erstwhile Republicans person gained backmost immoderate power.

Currently seat of the enactment successful the House, Jeffries announced his volition to tally for number person connected 18 November with a letter to House Democrats. In it, helium mentioned his volition to empower members careless of seniority.

“Meaningful policymaking and nationalist engagement opportunities should beryllium robustly distributed careless of magnitude of service,” helium wrote. “High-profile enactment assignments should beryllium dispersed retired passim the caucus.”

Democrats look poised to dispersed the powerfulness to its younger members. Jim Clyburn, 82, presently the 3rd highest-ranking Democrat successful the House, declined to tally for number leader.

“I deliberation that it was beauteous wide to everybody that Pelosi, Hoyer and myself would beryllium making an exit from the enactment precise soon, either nether our own, oregon idiosyncratic carried america out,” Clyburn said.

“I person studied past agelong capable to cognize that evolutions are overmuch amended than revolutions, and I deliberation that anybody watching their caucus, our caucus implicit the years, could spot the evolving leadership.”

Good morning, and invited to the authorities unrecorded blog.

House Democrats contiguous volition formally elite caller leadership. After astir 2 decades astatine the helm, talker Nancy Pelosi and bulk person Steny Hoyer are stepping down to marque mode for a younger, much divers roster of enactment leaders.

Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, is slated to beryllium elected arsenic number leader. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts and Pete Aguilar of California are expected to beryllium elected arsenic number whip and chair, respectively.

While the Democrats volition beryllium the number successful the House implicit the adjacent 2 years, leaders judge the number presumption tin assistance unify statement among Democrats successful absorption to Republicans.

“There’s thing much unifying than being successful the number and having a clear-eyed nonsubjective and extremity of getting backmost into the bulk truthful we tin proceed to present large things for mundane Americans,” Jeffries said successful an interrogation with reporters connected Tuesday, according to the Washington Post.

Here’s what other is happening today:

• Rail unions are decrying Joe Biden’s telephone to Congress to enforce a declaration connected obstruction workers aft months of labour negotiations. House Democrats indicated a ballot connected an statement volition instrumentality spot arsenic aboriginal arsenic today.

• Congress is besides scrambling to walk a authorities backing measure by 16 December. Democrats are considering however overmuch they tin bash earlier they suffer their bulk successful January.

• The National Christmas Tree Lighting is acceptable to instrumentality spot astatine 5.30pm ET.

Stay tuned for much unrecorded updates.