Washington | Hardline Republicans in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday repeatedly blocked fellow Republican Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become the chamber’s powerful speaker, leaving the chamber leaderless and plunging their new majority into turmoil.
In the first day of what could prove to be a brutal showdown between about 20 hardliners and the other 202 members of the Republican caucus, Mr McCarthy failed in three ballots to achieve the 218 votes needed to become speaker, a role second in line to the Oval Office after the vice president.
