What happened to Kevin McCarthy?

Just over seven years ago, we launched this daily news podcast from The Washington Post.Our goal was to bring you inside our newsroom, sharing our reporting with listeners to help make sense of what was happening in the world. We’ve published hundreds of episodes. We’ve covered e ...  Show more

In his second term, President Donald Trump has gone on a mission to reinvent the Kennedy Center, the beloved performing arts venue in Washington, D.C.Trump promised to overhaul the center’s programming. He installed loyalists on the board who made him chairman. In December, Trump ...  Show more

This episode contains strong language. 
Republicans are set to take control of the House of Representatives for the first time in four years. The transition is shaping up to be chaotic. 

Today, the 118th Congress will gather for the first time in the Capitol, ...

For the first time since 1923, the vote for House speaker has gone to multiple ballots leaving Rep. Kevin McCarthy without enough votes. GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas joins to discuss his vocal opposition to McCarthy. Former acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney also joins ...  Show more

Now that House Republicans have elected Kevin McCarthy as speaker, the next order of business for them is to vote on a rules package. CNN Political Director David Chalian explains how some of the rules have changed since hard right conservatives got their way in the speaker fight ...  Show more

Representative Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become speaker of the House turned into a rolling disaster last week, played out over five long days and 15 rounds of voting. 

Today, the inside story of how it went so wrong — and what he was forced to give up in order to finally w ...