Latest line: A good week for Kamala Harris, a bad week for Kevin McCarthy
Vice president breaks another record, while California Republican leader calls it quits
Kamala Harris
Oakland-born vice president, the nation’s first female and Black VP, makes history again by casting her 32nd tie-breaking vote in the US Senate, breaking the record of John C. Calhoun, a South Carolina slavery advocate who served from 1825 to 1832.
Kevin McCarthy
Bakersfield Republican, who was Speaker of the House for only 10 months before being ousted by his hard-right colleagues in October, announces he will quit Congress, leaving Republicans with only a 2-vote, dysfunctional majority.
Gavin Newsom
Analysts report California faces a $68 billion budget deficit next year due to declining tax revenue. Meanwhile, a new poll shows 68% support for Prop 1, the governor’s March ballot measure to fund mental health facilities for homeless people.