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The nation in its 16th day without a speaker of the House, and Republican lawmakers have made seemingly no progress towards electing a new leader. Instead, they appear to be further from a new speaker after Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, lost a second speaker election Wednesday. Compared to the first ballot, Jordan lost additional support from House Republicans during the second vote, endangering his bid for the speakership. The House is slated to hold a third speaker election at noon Wednesday, but Jordan’s holdouts estimate his opposition will only grow. Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., one of the holdouts, told reporters Wednesday evening he did not see a path forward for Jordan to become speaker.

President Joe Biden secured an agreement with Israel on Wednesday to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza while supporting the Israelis' contention that they were not behind the explosion that killed hundreds at a Gaza City hospital. The humanitarian assistance, along with $100 million in new U.S. funding for Gaza and the West Bank announced by Biden, could provide a critical lifeline to Palestinians in the besieged territory where water, food, fuel and medicine are in desperate need.

the House is in its 15th day without a speaker and there is still no clear resolution in sight as the lower chamber remains paralyzed. Republicans nominated Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, for the speakership Tuesday on the House floor but the Ohio Republican failed to garner the near-unanimous support – 217 votes – he needs to become speaker. In a scene reminiscent of former speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s pursuit of the speakership back in January, 20 GOP lawmakers voted against Jordan, revealing the deep divisions that run through the House Republican conference. As it became clear Jordan lacked the votes ahead of a second ballot, lawmakers went home Tuesday night to buy Jordan and his allies more time to persuade the holdouts to rally behind him.

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, a longtime Ohio member of Congress and a conservative firebrand, is close to getting the votes he needs to become the next speaker of the House. RELATED: Democrats say Jim Jordan speaker nomination moves far-right into power • Democrats say Jim Jordan speaker nomi... In a letter sent to members on Monday, Jordan said "the principles that unite us as Republicans are far greater than the disagreements that divide us." If Jordan succeeds, he would be second in line to the presidency. He would be the first speaker of the House from Ohio since John Boehner, who left the job in 2015.

President Joe Biden said Wednesday it appears Israel was not responsible for a hospital blast in Gaza City that killed hundreds of people. “Based on what I've seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you," Biden said at the start of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after arriving in Tel Aviv. But Biden stressed that "a lot of people out there" aren't sure of who caused the blast and added, "We've got to overcome a lot of things." Biden, arriving Wednesday at Ben-Gurion International Airport, embraced Netanyahu as he embarked upon a hastily planned trip intended to demonstrate support for America’s closest ally in the Middle East while trying to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from expanding into a larger conflict.

The rapidly intensifying war between Israel and Palestinian militants roared through a second day Sunday, with the Israeli Security Cabinet formally declaring war and the death toll surpassing 1,100 — a figure that may include some Americans. More than 600 Israelis have been killed since Hamas militants began their assault Saturday on almost two dozen Israeli towns and army bases, ZAKA, a volunteer group that handles human remains after terror attacks, told Israeli media. ZAKA said 250 bodies were found at a music festival near the Gaza border. As of Sunday evening, more than 123,000 people in Gaza were displaced due to fear and concerns about the destruction of their homes, according to the United Nations. Dozens of Israelis, and apparently some Americans, were taken hostage, officials on both sides said. Palestinian authorities said more than 300 fighters and civilians have been killed by Israeli counterattacks in Gaza. Each side reported thousands of wounded.

The rapidly intensifying war between Israel and Palestinian militants roared through a second day Sunday, with the Israeli Security Cabinet formally declaring war and the death toll surpassing 1,100 — a figure that may include some Americans. More than 600 Israelis have been killed since Hamas militants began their assault Saturday on almost two dozen Israeli towns and army bases, ZAKA, a volunteer group that handles human remains after terror attacks, told Israeli media. ZAKA said 250 bodies were found at a music festival near the Gaza border. As of Sunday evening, more than 123,000 people in Gaza were displaced due to fear and concerns about the destruction of their homes, according to the United Nations. Dozens of Israelis, and apparently some Americans, were taken hostage, officials on both sides said. Palestinian authorities said more than 300 fighters and civilians have been killed by Israeli counterattacks in Gaza. Each side reported thousands of wounded.

Israel intensified its assault on Gaza Tuesday, stepping up rocket attacks and tightening a blockade on food and fuel as the war sprawled into a fourth day. The Israel Defense Forces said it regained control over the border with Gaza Strip early Tuesday, three days after Hamas militants crashed through the barrier and launched an invasion that saw over 1,000 Israelis killed or kidnapped. At least 11 Americans are among the dead, U.S. officials said. Israeli Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said the bodies of 1,500 militants were found around southern Israel. Hundreds more have been killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza, Hamas health officials said. A spokesman of Hamas’ armed wing, Abu Obeida, said the group will kill one Israeli civilian captive any time Israel targets civilians in Gaza “without prior warning.” Israel's Arab-language channels and social media platforms have been giving Gazan residents evacuation instructions during the Israeli bombardment. » Subscribe to USA TODAY

The Israeli death toll surpassed 1,200 amid hundreds of funerals Wednesday while desperation swept across Gaza as Tel Aviv's overwhelming response to the brutal attack by Hamas left neighborhoods destroyed, homes dark and hospitals low on desperately needed medical supplies. The Israeli health ministry said the death toll is likely to increase amid continued fighting and the discovery of more bodies in the settlements. Palestinian officials say more than 1,000 militants and citizens have been killed and more than 5,000 wounded. The territory of more than 2 million Palestinians faced the grim prospects of a complete blackout and limited supplies of food and water. The head of Gaza's Energy Authority told Al Jazeera Mubasher the last enclave's only power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday. The U.N.’s World Health Organization said supplies pre-positioned at hospitals were depleted.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Thursday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv in a show of support for Israel, its devastating military operations in Gaza and its goal of destroying the militant Hamas organization. "Hamas has only one agenda, to destroy Israel and to murder Jews," Blinken said. "No country can or would tolerate the slaughter of its citizens or return to the conditions that allowed it to take place." The war has already claimed over 2,500 lives on both sides. International aid groups warn that the death toll may rise as Israel stopped all deliveries of food, water, fuel and electricity to Gaza.

Former South Carolina governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley will appear on Thursday, Oct. 12, at 6:30 p.m. EST, as part of a series of town hall forums in Exeter, New Hampshire, hosted by the USA TODAY Network. In announcing her candidacy for president Haley, 51, called for “a new generation of leadership to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border and strengthen our country, our pride and our purpose,” drawing a contrast between herself and former President Doanld Trump, 77, and President Joe Biden, 80. Haley served as South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017, stepping down in 2017 to take the role of ambassador to the United Nations in the Trump administration. She announced her presidential bid in February, citing her record of economic growth as governor and deep knowledge of world affairs garnered during her time as UN ambassador.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will meet with voters on the morning of Friday, Oct. 13, 10 a.m. EST, as part of a series of town hall forums in Exeter, New Hampshire, hosted by the USA TODAY Network. Elected governor in 2016 with little political experience, Burgum, 67, won his second term in a 40-point landslide in 2020. On the campaign trail, Burgum talks about his small town roots and values and the challenges his family faced when his father died when Burgum was a freshman in high school. Burgum mortgaged the family farm to start a software company he later sold to Microsoft in 2001 for $1.1 billion.

On Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. EST, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson will meet with voters in the first of a series of town hall forums in Exeter, New Hampshire, hosted by the USA TODAY Network. Hutchinson, 72, served two terms as Arkansas governor, from 2015 to 2023. In a video announcing his candidacy, Hutchinson said, “I not only balanced the budget, but created record surpluses. I’m deeply concerned about our nation’s $32 trillion debt. We have to stop living off borrowed money.” Hutchinson served as a U.S. attorney for the Western District of Arkansas under Ronald Reagan and in 1996 won the first of three terms to the U.S. House. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him director of the Drug Enforcement Administration, and in 2003 as an undersecretary at the Department of Homeland Security, where he was responsible for border security. Hutchinson has been critical of former President Donald Trump, urging him to drop out of the race and has been a strong supporter of U.S. aid to Ukraine.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a trailblazer for women in politics in California and Washington who spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Senate, has died. She was 90. Known for working across the aisle while championing progressive causes, Feinstein planned to retire at the end of her term after facing concerns about her health and calls to resign. The oldest current member of the Senate, she died at her home in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, according to a statement from her office.

Many fans believe the NFL is going overboard with its coverage of Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and global pop superstar Taylor Swift amid their rumored romance. Even Kelce says so. "Is the NFL overdoing it? What is your honest opinion?" Jason Kelce asked Travis Kelce on their weekly "New Heights" podcast following the Chiefs and New York Jets' "Sunday Night Football" matchup, where Swift was in attendance. Travis replied, "I think everybody is just overwhelmed... They're overdoing it a little bit." The NFL is shaking off the criticism, saying that although it's playing into pop culture, the league's coverage is still "focused on the game, our players and variety of other initiatives.

The rapidly intensifying war between Israel and Palestinian militants roared through a second day Sunday, with the Israeli Security Cabinet formally declaring war and the death toll surpassing 1,100 — a figure that may include some Americans. More than 600 Israelis have been killed since Hamas militants began their assault Saturday on almost two dozen Israeli towns and army bases, ZAKA, a volunteer group that handles human remains after terror attacks, told Israeli media. ZAKA said 250 bodies were found at a music festival near the Gaza border. As of Sunday evening, more than 123,000 people in Gaza were displaced due to fear and concerns about the destruction of their homes, according to the United Nations. Dozens of Israelis, and apparently some Americans, were taken hostage, officials on both sides said. Palestinian authorities said more than 300 fighters and civilians have been killed by Israeli counterattacks in Gaza. Each side reported thousands of wounded.

The U.S. is two days away from a shutdown − a situation moving from possible to likely as Congress has failed to cut through gridlock and reach a deal to fund the federal government. Millions of Americans will be impacted if lawmakers can't reach a deal before 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1. A shutdown would impact the country's largest food assistance programs, federally funded preschool, federal college grants and loans, food safety inspections, national parks and more.

Las Vegas police have arrested a man in the deadly 1996 drive-by shooting of Tupac Shakur, a long-awaited break in a case that has frustrated investigators and fascinated the public ever since the hip-hop icon was gunned down on the Las Vegas Strip 27 years ago. Duane "Keffe D" Davis was arrested early Friday morning, although the exact charge or charges were not immediately clear, according to two officials with first-hand knowledge of the arrest. They were not authorized to speak publicly ahead of an expected indictment later Friday. Davis has long been known to investigators and has himself admitted in interviews and in his 2019 tell-all memoir, "Compton Street Legend," that he was in the Cadillac where the gunfire erupted during the September 1996 drive-by shooting. Shakur was 25 when he was gunned down.

Rapper 50 Cent is denying injury to a fan after a viral video shows him hurling a microphone into the crowd at a Los Angeles concert. 50 Cent is denying purposely injuring a fan after a video of him throwing a microphone into the crowd at his Los Angeles concert went viral. While performing on stage at Cryto.com Arena Wednesday, footage obtained by USA TODAY appears to show the rapper toss a microphone off the stage. The mic was apparently "non-functioning equipment," according to Rolling Stone and NBC News. Shortly after, someone handed 50 Cent another microphone, which Rolling Stone reported "was evidently also not working." This time, video shows him launch the second mic off to the same area of the stage with seemingly greater force. The scene took place while pyrotechnics shoot into the air at the front of the stage and music continues to play.

Steve Harwell, the founding singer for the early 2000's band Smash Mouth, passed away after entering hospice care for liver failure, his manager said. Steve Harwell, the former lead vocalist of rock band Smash Mouth, died Monday at 56. Robert Hayes, a longtime manager of Harwell and the band, confirmed the singer's death in a statement to USA TODAY. "Steve Harwell passed away this morning Sept. 4, 2023 at his home in Boise, Idaho. He was surrounded by family and friends and passed peacefully and comfortably," Hayes said in a statement.

Harvey the husky has a lopsided grin, a new family and a full heart. Sherry Lankston and her family drove 1300 miles from Seattle to San Diego to adopt Harvey the husky who has a facial deformity.

These romantic proposals are a Valentine's day dream come true. Super heroes, football players and an unexpected leap into the water make these the most memorable proposals yet

President Joe Biden highlighted ten drugs his administration will target for price negotiations to lower the costs of Medicare for patients. The first 10 prescription drugs the federal government will negotiate under a new federal law were revealed Tuesday, launching a process that could deliver drug discounts by 2026. The batch of 10 medications include some of the most widely prescribed or expensive drugs older Americans use for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and autoimmune conditions.

A puppy and his owner made a stop at a Seattle Starbucks for a sweet puppuccino treat.