Democrat elected speaker of tied Pennsylvania House after GOP candidate bows out

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Democrat elected speaker of tied Pennsylvania House after GOP candidate bows out

2025-01-08 04:32 Last Updated At：04:42

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania lawmakers on Tuesday returned Democratic Speaker Joanna McClinton to lead the chamber for the new session after the Republican floor leader bowed out to resolve a deadlock.

Democrats won 102 seats in November, a single-vote majority, but one of their members was absent from swearing-in day after suffering a health crisis.

"My question to each of you distinguished colleagues is, what will you be remembered for?" McClinton said after taking the oath of office.

In the initial vote for speaker, Republican Leader Jesse Topper and McClinton each garnered 101 votes. Topper removed himself from consideration and McClinton, of Philadelphia, prevailed on the second ballot on a voice vote.

Rep. Matthew Gergely had a “medical emergency over the holidays requiring hospitalization,” according to Beth Rementer, the House Democratic caucus spokesperson. She said he is not expected to return “for some time.”

Gergely’s absence, the close House margin and Republican control of the Senate could complicate first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro’s hopes of getting things done this year. Democrats had the same 102-101 majority in the last session, and other than the two annual budgets, little substantial legislation was enacted.

Democrats won chamber control two years ago and successfully defended it while several vacancies arose and were filled by special elections. In November, not one of the 203 House seats changed parties, meaning Democrats retained majority control by the slimmest of margins.

House Democratic Leader Matt Bradford of Montgomery County thanked Topper, who drew a standing ovation, as Bradford acknowledged the close margin, telling colleagues “we need to be humble and we need to be wise.”

In floor remarks, Topper wished Gergely a full and speedy recovery.

"There are very few days in this job that are not difficult," Topper said, urging members to feel gratitude for the opportunity to serve and to avoid becoming frustrated or cynical. “We see many of those who we represent not on their best day, but on their worst.”

House Republicans changed leadership since November, turning to Topper of Bedford County to be their floor leader. A former ranking member on the Education Committee, Topper succeeded Rep. Bryan Cutler, a former House speaker and caucus leader who remains in the House after being reelected in a Lancaster County district.

Topper told reporters after the session that he negotiated several changes to House rules, putting more minority party members on committees, requiring an additional “yes” vote for bills to get out of committee and parliamentary changes.

House Democrats meanwhile have five new members after Reps. Mike Sturla of Lancaster County and former House Speaker Mark Rozzi of Berks County retired; Reps. Patti Kim of Dauphin County and Nick Pisciottano of Allegheny County relinquished their seats to make successful runs for state Senate; and Rep. Kevin Boyle of Philadelphia lost in the spring primary.

House Republicans saw Rep. Dawn Keefer win a state Senate seat in York County and Rep. Ryan Mackenzie unseat Democratic U.S. Rep. Susan Wild.

In other GOP caucus changes, Rep. Rob Mercuri didn't seek reelection while running unsuccessfully for Congress in Allegheny County. Reps. Jim Gregory of Blair County and Mike Cabell of Luzerne County lost in the spring primary and six others didn't run again: Donna Oberlander of Clarion County, Jim Marshall of Beaver County, Aaron Kaufer of Luzerne County, George Dunbar of Westmoreland County, Paul Schemel of Franklin County and Barry Jozwiak of Berks County.

In the state Senate, Republican Joe Picozzi unseated freshman Democratic Sen. Jimmy Dillon in a Philadelphia district. Because Kim flipped a redistricted Harrisburg area seat, Republicans still control the chamber by the same margin, 28-22. But there is currently one Senate vacancy: Sen. Ryan Aument, a Lancaster Republican, resigned at the end of December to take a top staff job with incoming U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick.

On Tuesday, a special election to fill Aument's seat was scheduled to be held on March 25.

Middle East latest: Israeli strikes kill 18 in Gaza, including 5 kids in a tent

2025-01-08 04:39 Last Updated At：04:42

Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza killed at least 18 people late Tuesday, including five displaced children who were sheltering in the same tent, the territory’s Health Ministry said.

The bodies of eight kids were brought to the nearby Nasser Hospital, said Ahmed al-Farra, director of the child ward. The strikes in the Khan Younis area also hit a vehicle and two houses, the hospital said.

The Israeli military did not have an immediate comment about the strikes. Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties.

The Israel-Hamas war in Gaza is raging with no end in sight, although there has reportedly been recent progress in long-running talks aimed at a ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Some Palestinians in the Gaza Strip still have hope the war will end soon. Issam Saqr, a displaced man from Khan Younis, told The Associated Press he hopes the ceasefire “will happen today — before tomorrow!”

Here's the latest:

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Displaced Palestinians in the Gaza Strip still have hope that Israel’s 15-month war with Hamas will end soon, as both sides appear to be inching toward a ceasefire deal.

“What we are living is not a life. Nobody could bear the situation we’re experiencing for a single day,” said Munawar al-Bik, a displaced woman from Gaza City.

“We wake up at night to the sounds of men crying, because of the bad situation,” al-Bik said. “The situation is unbearable, we have no energy left, we want it to end today.”

She spoke to The Associated Press on a dusty road in the southern city of Khan Younis beside the rubble of a destroyed building. Behind her, a sea of makeshift tents filled with displaced families stretched into the distance.

Muhammad Zaqout, a displaced man from Gaza City, said he’s sick of children being killed daily, of the destruction and displacement.

In recent months, families who fled their homes in Gaza have had little access to clean water or enough food to eat, and they struggle to cope with harsh winter conditions that have killed several babies from hypothermia in recent weeks.

Issam Saqr, displaced from Khan Younis, said he hopes the ceasefire “will happen today — before tomorrow!”

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip — Israeli airstrikes in southern Gaza killed at least 18 people late Tuesday, including five children who were sheltering in a tent camp for displaced Palestinians, the territory’s Health Ministry said.

The bodies of eight kids, including the five killed together in the same tent, were among those brought to the nearby Nasser Hospital, said Ahmed al-Farra, director of the child ward. The strikes in the Khan Younis area also hit a vehicle and two houses, the hospital said.

The Israeli military did not have an immediate comment about the strikes.

It was not immediately clear if that strike that killed the five children was inside the area Israel's military designated a humanitarian safe zone but has repeatedly targeted. Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties.

Muwasi is a desolate coastal area where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are sheltering in makeshift tents during the cold and rainy winter.

JERUSALEM — Israel’s foreign minister was in the United Arab Emirates for talks with his Emirati counterpart.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Gideon Saar discussed “regional developments and the bilateral relations between the two countries” in his talks with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The statement did not elaborate, but Israeli officials have expressed hope that the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries could play a role in rebuilding and helping run postwar Gaza.

Israel and the UAE established diplomatic relations as part of the 2020 Abraham Accords.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — President-elect Donald Trump is dispatching his incoming special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, to Qatar this week for talks aimed at a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of some 100 Israeli hostages.

Trump speaking at a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Tuesday reiterated his threat that there will be “hell to pay” in the Middle East if the hostages are not released prior to his Jan. 20 inauguration.

Witkoff, who also spoke briefly at the press conference, said he expected to depart for Qatar later Tuesday or Wednesday but did not detail who he’d be meeting with during his latest visit to the region.

Witkoff added that progress is being made on landing a deal, something he said is happening because of the pressure Trump is creating.

“The red lines he’s put out there — that’s driving this negotiation,” Witkoff said.

LONDON — Ireland has formally asked to intervene in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, the International Court of Justice said Tuesday.

The request submitted in the Hague on Monday has roiled Irish relations with Israel.

Israel, which denies the allegations, announced last month that it would close its embassy in Ireland after the Irish government decided to intervene in South Africa’s case.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the “antisemitic rhetoric of the Irish government against Israel are rooted in efforts to delegitimize and demonize the Jewish state.”

In May, Israel recalled its ambassador to Dublin after Ireland announced along with Norway, Spain and Slovenia it would recognize a Palestinian state.

Several other countries have also intervened in the case: Nicaragua, Colombia, Libya, Mexico, Palestine, Spain, Chile, Bolivia, the Maldives and Turkey.

BEIRUT — France’s special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, arrived in Beirut on Tuesday to help mediate the parliament's latest attempt to elect the country's president — a position that has been empty for more than two years amid sharp political and sectarian divides.

Lebanon’s parliament is scheduled to meet on Thursday to elect a president. Le Drian will attend the session at the invitation of Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri.

His visit comes as part of ongoing efforts to “enable the Lebanese to elect a president, in accordance with the principles agreed upon in Doha in July 2023,” according to a statement from his office. He is working alongside members of the Quintet — France, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — to push for a resolution to the prolonged stalemate.

Le Drian urged lawmakers to reach a consensus, emphasizing that electing a president is “the first step toward the urgent reactivation of Lebanon’s institutions and the restoration of the country’s sovereignty,” according to the statement.

It remains to be seen how much Lebanon's political landscape has shifted in recent months after Hezbollah, a powerful political actor in the country, was severely hobbled after the war with Israel, which killed top officials including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the overthrow of President Bashar Assad in neighboring Syria.

Former President Michel Aoun, an ally of Iran-backed Hezbollah, finished his term in October 2022.

DAMASCUS, Syria — The first international commercial flight since the fall of Syrian President Bashar Assad last month landed Tuesday at the Damascus airport from Qatar.

Jordanian state-run Petra news agency also reported that a Royal Jordanian Airlines plane was heading to Damascus on a test flight.

The head of Syria's Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission, Capt. Haitham Misto, who was on board the flight with a team of specialists, said the aim was to evaluate the condition of the Damascus airport before resuming regular flights.

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military launched a wave of raids across the occupied West Bank overnight and into Tuesday, killing at least three Palestinians it said were militants a day after a deadly shooting attack.

The army said it killed two militants in an airstrike after they fired at troops in the area of Tamun in the northern West Bank. It said another militant was killed in “close-quarters combat” in the nearby village of Taluza and an Israeli soldier was severely wounded. The military said it arrested more than 20 suspected militants.

Hamas said in a statement that one of its veteran commanders, Jaafar Dababsah, was killed by Israeli forces in the area of the two deadly raids.

The Israeli army said the overnight operations were not related to Monday’s shooting in which gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Israelis in the West Bank, killing two women in their 70s and a 35-year-old policeman before fleeing.

The Palestinian Health Ministry says at least 840 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza. At least 46 Israelis, including 19 soldiers, have been killed in violent attacks by Palestinian militants, according to the U.N.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed across the border in a massive surprise attack nearly 15 months ago, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, at least a third of whom are believed to be dead.

Israel’s air and ground offensive has killed over 45,800 Palestinians in Gaza, according to local health authorities, who say women and children make up more than half of those killed. They do not say how many of the dead were militants. The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.