In an unprecedented move, the House of Representatives removed California Republican Kevin McCarthy as speaker. Here are four takeaways from Tuesday's historic event:
Who wants to be speaker?
The speakership has been vacated, and it's not clear who wants it (the latest news is that McCarthy has confirmed that he will no longer seek the speakership). Either Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Republican of Louisiana, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, Republican of Minnesota, or anyone else will face the same demand from Representative Matt Gaetz, Republican of Florida, and his Allies to follow the usual formal House procedures, No deals with Democrats. But with Democrats in control of the White House and Senate, those demands are virtually impossible to meet.
Will the motion for dismissal rule remain in place?
Some candidates for speaker may say they would not want to run for speaker if the current rules on the motion to remove Speaker remain in place. So far, the rule has caused headaches for three consecutive Republican speakers: John Boehner of Ohio, Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Mr. McCarthy. But in January Mr Gaetz and his Allies held out until the 15th round of the speaker's election to introduce the current rules on the motion to oust him. Why would they give up now?
Broken promises are an important reason
True, McCarthy made some promises in January, including giving members ample time to read the bill before a full House vote, but he didn't keep those promises. A lack of trust in Mr. McCarthy has been the tone of Republican lawmakers who oppose him throughout, and some Democrats made the same point this week in explaining why they would not come to Mr. McCarthy's aid. They just don't trust McCarthy.
What's the next step in helping Ukraine and keeping the U.S. government running?
McCarthy's downfall was triggered by the deal he reached with Democrats last week to fund the government for another 45 days. The next speaker will have to strike a comprehensive deal to provide full-year funding and negotiate with Democrats on dozens of hot-button issues, including abortion and border policy. McCarthy has at least signaled he may be willing to offer an aid package to Ukraine, a priority for President Joe Biden and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, among others. Can the new speaker accomplish any of these tasks without risking another ouster?