The New York lawmaker previously made history in 2022 as the first Black politician to lead either party in Congress before guiding his caucus to a decisive midterm victory. His career features significant work on criminal justice policy, including state-level efforts to regulate stop-and-frisk tactics and the federal passage of the bipartisan First Step Act. Prior to entering federal leadership as an ally of Nancy Pelosi, he spent six years in the New York State Assembly and worked as a private practice lawyer. As he assumes leadership, he must reconcile ideological divides across his caucus while drawing on his prior experience as an impeachment manager in Donald Trump's first Senate tria…
Key points
Jeffries made history in 2022 as the first Black politician to lead a party in either cha…: Jeffries made history in 2022 as the first Black politician to lead a party in either chamber of Congress.
The new speaker has resisted pressure from democratic socialists, arguing that systemic i…: The new speaker has resisted pressure from democratic socialists, arguing that systemic inequities are fundamentally anchored in racism rather than purely class.
Caucus leadership will require drawing on past oversight experience, including his tenure…: Caucus leadership will require drawing on past oversight experience, including his tenure as an impeachment manager during Donald Trump's first Senate trial.
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After helping to deliver a decisive victory for House Democrats in the midterm elections, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., appears all but certain to become the first Black lawmaker to be elected speaker of the House.
Jeffries was elected House minority leader in 2022 and is the first Black politician to lead either party in the House or Senate. As speaker, Jeffries would be second in the presidential line of succession, after the vice president.
His elevation to speaker would represent the pinnacle of a nearly 14-year House tenure, a span that has seen Jeffries rise from a rank-and-file member focused on criminal justice policy to a top party lieutenant under former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and then minority leader.
It's a rise that has meant securing buy-in from a diverse and often fractious House Democratic caucus — a task that may prove only more challenging as the Democratic Party now looks to make good on…
Scottish ministers are facing sharp criticism over delays in establishing a promised statutory investigation into group-based child sexual exploitation, nearly nine months after committing to proceed at pace. Abuse survivors warn that political inertia risks leaving victims without answers, while a critical lack of standardized data continues to obscure the true scale of offending across the country.
Congressional pressure led to the disclosure that the National Basketball Association barred the military-backed club following Washington's penalties over regional conflict. The move reflects mounting international scrutiny over Kigali using high-profile athletic investments to deflect attention from human rights and geopolitical controversies. However, the broader commercial alliance between the league and the African nation remains active.
Commentators in Jerusalem are warning of severe strategic repercussions for the bilateral alliance following the recent change in congressional leadership. Analysts link the shift to the political fallout from the February 28 war with Iran, which cost the Republican Party crucial support. Media outlets caution that an increasingly influential bloc critical of Israeli policy is gaining ground in Washington.