On Capitol Hill, far-right lawmakers have blocked Kevin McCarthy’s initial attempts to become speaker of the House. In a dramatic day on Tuesday, the House held three votes to pick a new speaker, and McCarthy fell short each time of securing the needed 218 votes, even though Republicans now hold a slim majority in the House. On the first two ballots, 19 Republicans opposed McCarthy. On the third ballot, the number of defectors increased to 20, with many backing Jim Jordan to be the next speaker, even though Jordan himself nominated McCarthy before the second round of voting. This marks the first time since 1923 a hundred years ago that voting for speaker went beyond the first round. After the third vote, the House voted to adjourn until today at noon.