House adjourns with no speaker after Kevin McCarthy falls short

WASHINGTON — Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy failed to attain the required votes to become House speaker on the first three ballots Tuesday — leaving millions of Americans wondering how long the power struggle will last. McCarthy (R-Calif.) could only lose four Republican votes in his bid to replace former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), but watched as 19 GOPers balked on the first and second ballots, joined by a 20th defector on the third.-- More...