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☆ Opinion: Can the party of Winston Churchill really bring about the world’s toughest smoking ban?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Opinion Holly Thomas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

London CNN —Last week, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson treated a Canadian crowd to a helping of his signature bombast. Second World War-era Conservative British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, is also one of history's most famous cigar smokers. Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty ImagesDespite what Johnson may have led his audience to believe, a potential smoking ban enjoys broad popular support in the UK. New Zealand’s conservative National Party introduced a similar phased smoking ban last year, but reversed it before it went into effect to help pay for tax cuts. Smoking costs the NHS an estimated £2.5 billion ($3.1 billion) every year, equivalent to 2% of the health service’s budget.

Persons: Holly Thomas, Katie Couric, London CNN —, Boris Johnson, Winston Churchill, “, It’s, Rishi Sunak, Johnson, YouGov, Conservative backbenchers, Liz Truss, they’d, it’ll, ’ Organizations: Katie Couric Media, CNN, London CNN, Conservative Party Conference, Conservative British, Central Press, Hulton, National Health Service, Conservative, New, National Party, Cancer Research, Tory Locations: London, Quebec, Britain, America, England, Wales, Scotland

☆ Regular Disorder: How Congress broke itself, caused chaos and misery, and why it may not be possible to go back ever again.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( Walt Hickey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Regular order refers to the process of legislative committees holding hearings and marking up bills before referring them to the legislature as a whole. "And that has sort of thrown out the window the whole idea of regular order." The move away from regular order was natural selection, this argument goes. AdvertisementThat assumes, however, that party leaders and the members that put them there would want to have a functioning government. The very incentives that pushed Congress away from regular order are stronger than ever.

Persons: —, backbenchers, John Duricka What's, Bill, Newt Gingrich, Alan Wiseman, Gingrich, Donald Wolfensberger, James M, Curry, Andrew Harnik, he's, Bill Huizenga Organizations: Service, Representatives, AP, Republican, 104th, Center, Wilson, University of Utah, POLITICO Locations: fecklessness, Congress, retool

☆ Government shutdown looms as new speaker struggles to control hardliners
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The move could head off the Washington holiday-season tradition of shutdown dramas and mammoth all-encompassing spending bills. But the chances that a GOP majority that has trouble passing any bill could deliver on this intricate plan seem very low. Time is critically short given the need to muscle a funding measure through both the House and Senate in five days. Trump looms over the House – and the year to comeHouse Democrats are yet to solidify their position but did note Saturday that spending cuts weren’t included in Johnson’s plan. Johnson pleads for a break from his hardlinersAs with the White House, Johnson’s language explains his strategy.

Persons: Mike Johnson, Kevin McCarthy —, Johnson, “, Chip Roy, McCarthy, Jabin Botsford, Jabin, haven’t, Ukraine’s, —, ”, Karine Jean, Pierre, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, — Biden, Trump, Jack Smith, Marjorie Taylor Greene, ” Greene, Biden, Republicans —, Connecticut Democratic Sen, Chris Murphy, ” Murphy, Murphy Organizations: CNN, New, Republican, Washington, GOP, CRs, Democratic, White, Caucus, Texas Rep, Getty, Washington Post, Senate, Internal Revenue Service, Republicans, Democrats, Trump, Connecticut Democratic, Press Locations: Louisiana, Washington, DC, Washington ,, Israel, Gaza, Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Connecticut

☆ Fashion police, brawls, and heckling: House Republicans' petty drama has no end in sight
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

House Republicans are stuck in an endless loop of infighting as they search for a new leader. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Cameras watching the floors have documented the now weeks-long effort to replace former Speaker Kevin McCarthy after his historic ouster. McCarthy, according to multiple reports, screamed at Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida to sit down during a testy exchange on Thursday. The first time in January came as House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers had to be restrained from charging at Gaetz.

Persons: —, America's, Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Mace, Mace, Greg Murphy, Murphy, McCarthy, Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, I'm, Lauren Boebert, Mike Rogers, Boebert, Mike Bost, Richard Hudson, Andrew Harnik, George Santos, Jasmine Crockett, Independent Sen, Kyrsten Sinema —, Santos, Crockett, Mitch McConnell, Sen, Joe Manchin, Jim Risch, Joe Biden, Jordan, It's Organizations: Republicans, Service, South, North Carolina Republican, Armed, Republican Rep, — Democratic, Independent, WHO, Lawmakers, West, West Virginia Democrat, Big 12, Manchin, Ohio Republican, DC Locations: Florida, Colorado, Illinois, West Virginia, Idaho, Israel, Ukraine, Southern

☆ Welcome to the revenge of the Republicans you've never heard of before
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Rep. Jim Jordan's speakership bid has been thwarted — for now. Call it the revenge of the Republicans you've never heard of — the ones who aren't regularly featured on Fox News, who don't have massive social media followings, and who aren't known for styling themselves as right-wing crusaders. If Jordan's speakership bid ultimately fails, it will signify a stunning turnaround for a party that's been in thrall to its loudest voices since the ascent of Donald Trump in 2015. AdvertisementAdvertisement81 House Republicans — more than a third of the conference — voted for him anyway. 20 House Republicans voted against him on Tuesday, 22 voted against him on Wednesday, and even more were expected to vote against him on a potential third vote.

Persons: Jim Jordan's speakership, —, Kevin McCarthy's, Matt Gaetz, Gaetz's, Jim Jordan, Republican holdouts, Republicans you've, aren't, McCarthy, Gaetz, Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry —, Jordan's, that's, thrall, Donald Trump, Austin Scott, Austin Scott of, Jordan, Scott, Republican who's, Steve Scalise's, Scalise, underscoring, Lauren Boebert, wasn't, Republicans —, — Gaetz, Chip Roy, Paul Gosar of, Kay Granger, Republicans who’s, Anna Moneymaker, Anthony D'Esposito, Steve Womack, who's, Sean Hannity, they've, Jordan hasn't, Austin Scott's, Jack Bergman, Tom Williams, Jack Bergman —, General Bergman, James Hogge, Dan Meuser Organizations: Republicans, Service, Rep, —, Republican, Fox News, Ohio Republican, Pro Tempore, North Carolina —, GOP, Democrat, Georgia Republican, Freedom Caucus, New York Republicans, Republican Governance Group, Trump, Images Locations: Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, Austin Scott of Georgia, Colorado, Boebert, Texas, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Kay Granger of Texas, Arkansas, @RepKayGranger, Pennsylvania

☆ ‘A Trump tribute act’: Meet Suella Braverman, the commander-in-chief of Britain’s culture wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-07 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

London CNN —Late last year, after a breakneck ascent of British politics put her in charge of the country’s migration, crime and national security agenda, Suella Braverman revealed her political fantasy. Leon Neal/Getty ImagesAnd she is an equally furious culture warrior, borrowing rhetoric from the American right when lambasting “woke” culture, transgender rights and climate protesters. Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP/Getty ImagesIt is a stance that has drawn sharp criticism – including from within the traditional wing of Braverman’s Conservative Party. Should Braverman succeed at her next bid for the party leadership, her critics fear another rightwards shift in British politics. “She’s recognized that in the current political climate, her way of creating an impact… (is) positioning herself as a Trump tribute act.

☆ Britain's taxes will be cut 'as soon as we can afford to,' finance minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

U.K. Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt on Friday said that the government will look to cut taxes "as soon as we can afford to," amid pressure from some lawmakers in his own party to reduce the country's levies. The ruling U.K. Conservative Party has an electoral mountain to climb ahead of next year's general election, with polls consistently indicating a landslide for the main opposition Labour Party. Asked if taxes will be lower by the time the election rolls around, Hunt said "as soon as we can afford to, yes." In his Autumn Statement in November, Hunt delivered a slew of tax rises and spending cuts as he set out to plug a substantial hole in the country's public finances. The U.K. tax burden currently hits at a 70-year high.

☆ Former UK PM Liz Truss is blaming the left-wing 'economic establishment' for ousting her
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

British Prime Minister Liz Truss announces her resignation, outside Number 10 Downing Street, London, Britain October 20, 2022. Henry Nicholls | ReutersLONDON — Former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss is blaming a "powerful economic establishment" for bringing her chaotic 44-day tenure to an end last year. Truss was elected leader of the Conservative Party in September, defeating her eventual successor Rishi Sunak, after garnering 81,326 votes from party members following the ousting of Boris Johnson. She was acting as if winning a majority of the Conservative Party membership gave her economic credibility, and it most clearly doesn't." Current Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government vowed to restore this credibility upon taking over in October, and quickly reversed Truss' entire economic agenda.

☆ The Price for Speaker McCarthy
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Kevin McCarthy was on the cusp of becoming Speaker of the U.S. House on Friday as his latest concessions turned 15 votes and put growing pressure on the six holdouts. But the price of victory will have been high if he finally does become Speaker—both in lost authority and the ability of the new Republican majority to get anything done. Don’t believe the happy talk that this was a healthy display of deliberative democracy. This was a power play. A group of backbenchers saw an opportunity to exploit the narrow GOP margin of five seats to put themselves in positions of power that they hadn’t earned through seniority or influence with colleagues.

☆ All-female team replaces Juan Guaidó as face of Venezuela opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s opposition has selected an all-female team of mostly unknown exiled former lawmakers to replace the beleaguered Juan Guaidó as the face of its faltering efforts to remove socialist President Nicolas Maduro. Meanwhile, Maduro’s supporters seemed to be relishing the opposition’s squabbles. At Thursday’s session inaugurating the legislative year, loyalist lawmakers re-elected Jorge Rodriguez to lead the National Assembly. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said Tuesday that the U.S. stands ready to work with any individual, or collective body, chosen by the 2015 National Assembly to represent it. We support the 2015 National Assembly as the only remaining vestige of democracy in Venezuela.”

☆ 'Golden era' for Britain and China’s relationship is over, UK PM Rishi Sunak says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Sam Meredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sunak's comments come shortly after groups of people across China held public demonstrations to protest the country's stringent zero-Covid policy. U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the so-called "golden era" of relations with China was over, warning that Beijing's move toward even greater authoritarianism posed a systemic challenge to Britain's values and interests. "Let's be clear, the so-called 'golden era' is over," Sunak said Monday in his first major foreign policy speech. His reference to the "golden era" for the U.K.-China relationship echoed comments made by former U.K. Finance Minister George Osborne in 2015, who had claimed Britain could be China's "best partner in the West." His comments come shortly after public demonstrations were held across China to protest the country's stringent zero-Covid policy.

☆ With UK leader Liz Truss quitting, here are the top contenders to replace her
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

"Given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party," she said in a brief speech Thursday afternoon. Here are the main contenders for the top job:Rishi SunakRishi Sunak, Britain's former finance minister and Truss' main opponent in this year's Conservative Party leadership race, is now seen as a favorite to replace her. Britain's former finance minister Rishi Sunak was Liz Truss's main opponent in this year's Conservative leadership race. Penny MordauntFormer Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt surged to prominence during the summer's leadership race, before finishing in third place to Truss and Sunak. Leader of the House of Commons Penny Mordaunt is seen as a consensus candidate who could unite a splintered Conservative Party.

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