After a long week of voting, Rep. Kevin McCarthy won the election to be speaker of the House.
More information is becoming available in the wake of the deaths at the University of Idaho. Elisabeth Buchwald, a personal finance and markets reporter for USA TODAY, analyzes the December jobs report and its implications for the economy.
Medora Lee, a money reporter for USA TODAY, examines the effects on employees and companies of a restriction on noncompete clauses in employment contracts.
After yet another drawing that produced no winners, the Mega Millions jackpot increased to $1.1 billion.
Congressman Kevin: You know, it was very simple. I never imagined we'd arrive up here.
Taylor Wilson: Congressman Kevin McCarthy secured the position last night in a late-night vote, but not before making significant compromises that transferred authority to the extreme right of the Republican Party in exchange for support. An agreement that would let a single member request a vote to remove the speaker is one contentious suggestion. Although a majority of the House would still be necessary for an ouster, the rule change might provide enough authority to start the procedure. Critics claim that this action drastically reduces McCarthy's influence and turns the speakership into a ceremonial position, which may limit his capacity to lead for the next two years.
Giving the Freedom Caucus, an ultra-conservative group, extra seats on significant congressional committees appears to be another concession. Another would permit the open discussion of government funding proposals that fiscal conservatives have long advocated. To put it mildly, the events leading up to McCarthy's election were disorganized. The most boisterous night this week may have been last night. McCarthy went to the rear of the room to meet Republican Matt Gates, who was sitting with other holdouts, after coming up one vote short on the 14th ballot. Republican Congressman Mike Rogers once approached Gates before another Republican after some finger-pointing. He was forcibly pushed away by Richard Hudson.
The deaths of four University of Idaho students last November are becoming better understood. A surviving roommate in the home where the murders occurred reportedly told authorities she saw a tall, masked man wearing a black outfit in the hallway the morning of the killings, according to recently published court documents that were unsealed this week. Bryan Kohberger, the main suspect, made his court debut in Idaho this week after being extradited from Pennsylvania. He continues to claim innocence. Using DNA recovered on a huge knife sheath discovered at the site, according to the police, they were able to identify him.
The police have made some progress, but we still have more questions than answers. It is still unclear why police weren't notified until over 80 hours after the killings occurred, and the knife is still missing. Police in Moscow, Idaho, indicated that despite the killings, there was no danger to the public. But shocking new information from documents made public this week showed that the neighborhood police had a good reason to think a murderer was on the loose. Some criminal justice professionals deemed that reckless. Some argue that police should not have displayed their hands since doing so might have allowed the suspect to alter their behavior and more effectively elude capture. Stay tuned to USAToday.com for all the latest information regarding the killings in Idaho.
According to the labor department's release of the December jobs report, the unemployment rate decreased from 3.7 to 3.5%, matching a 50-year low. According to PBS, 2022 was the second-largest year for job growth since records began in 1940, only being surpassed by the year before when the market began to recover from pandemic constraints. And even though inflation is still at a 40-year high, the average hourly wage only increased by 9 cents in the past month. Elisabeth Buchwald, a personal finance and markets correspondent for USA Today, is here to provide more information on the most recent employment news. Thank you for joining us, Elisabeth.
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