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Billy House
For Billy House's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the media in Washington on Wednesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 18, 2024
Defying hardliners, Johnson presses ahead on Ukraine and Israel plan
The Republican leader outlined a $95 billion aid package after intense discussions with ultraconservatives.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson walks out of a vote on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 15.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 24, 2024
U.S. House speaker must now confront his own party’s sabotage
Multiple senior House Republicans, granted anonymity to speak frankly, now portray Mike Johnson as an insecure leader who faces a steep learning curve.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy speaks at the Capitol after he was ousted as speaker of the House, in Washington on Tuesday. The ouster is without precedent in modern U.S. history and leaves the chamber without a leader, plunging it into chaos.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 4, 2023
U.S. House speaker ouster means more chaos as shutdown fight looms
Kevin McCarthy lost his post after hardliners in his party revolted over his compromise with Democrats to avert government shutdown.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 23, 2023
Biden and McCarthy hold productive talks on U.S. debt, but no deal yet
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that it is now 'highly likely” her department will run out of sufficient cash in early June and that default could come as soon as June 1.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
May 21, 2023
Biden seeks to call McCarthy after debt-limit talks hit impasse
The president signaled over the weekend that he remains confident the U.S. government can avoid a catastrophic default.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 12, 2023
Biden’s debt ceiling meeting with McCarthy pushed to next week
The delay likely signals that staff-level talks on energy permitting reform and government spending have yielded progress.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 8, 2023
U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy starts out with agenda already hemmed in by dissidents
The new House leader can't afford to lose even five Republican votes if all Democrats are present and voting against him, limiting his ability to deliver results from the start.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 7, 2023
‘Crisis and confusion’: Four days of Republican barbs, chaos and cigars
Establishment Republicans were horrified, while Democrats snickered and comedian Jon Stewart called it the best season of C-SPAN ever.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jan 6, 2023
McCarthy fails in 11th U.S. Speaker vote, cementing longest fight since 1859
The stalemate has left House Republicans fractured after they reclaimed the majority in the November election and has stopped all other business in the chamber.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jan 4, 2023
U.S. House adjourns with Kevin McCarthy’s speaker bid still in doubt
It was the first time in a century that the House hasn't elected a speaker, the top position in Congress, after one round of balloting.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 18, 2022
House GOP primed to hit Biden with avalanche of investigations
GOP lawmakers have been setting the groundwork for wide-ranging investigations that, at least in part, will serve as payback for probes of Donald Trump.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Nov 18, 2022
Nancy Pelosi to exit as top House Democrat, ending historic era
Pelosi, 82, is leaving the post as Republicans are set to take control of the House in January after winning the majority in the midterm election.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 14, 2022
In dramatic move, Jan. 6 committee votes to subpoena Trump
The committee, in a unanimous vote on Thursday, agreed to demand documents and testimony from the former U.S. president about his role in the attack on the Capitol.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 8, 2022
‘Special master’ wanted: Must keep secrets and ignore Trump’s barbs
That person will review documents seized from the former president's Mar-a-Lago home as part of a probe into his handling of sensitive government records.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Aug 17, 2022
Liz Cheney loses Wyoming race, but vows to keep Trump from the White House
Cheney, who has served three terms in Wyoming's sole U.S. House seat, lost to conservative lawyer Harriet Hageman.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 4, 2022
Pelosi’s Taiwan trip left White House scrambling to deal with fallout
Behind the scenes, officials in Washington were fuming at Pelosi's insistence on using the trip as a capstone for her career at a moment of highly delicate relations with Beijing.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Jul 26, 2022
Pelosi’s Taiwan ambiguity has China fuming ahead of Biden call
Beijing has been warning Pelosi not to be the first sitting speaker since Newt Gingrich to visit the self-governing island.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 30, 2022
Explosive hearing on U.S. Capitol riot delivers blow to Trump as he eyes 2024 bid
The former president has so far maintained his hold on the Republican Party despite scandals and controversies that would have ended the careers of other politicians.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 29, 2022
Trump’s Jan. 6 rage gets vivid retelling in ex-aide’s testimony
Cassidy Hutchinson, then an assistant to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, gave the most gripping testimony yet in a House committee's hearings on the Capitol riot.
Japan Times
WORLD
Jun 22, 2022
Trump-inspired menacing of officials dominates Jan. 6 hearing
The proceedings offered a portrait of public officials who said they drew deeply on reservoirs of faith and fidelity to their oaths of office as a fragile barrier to Trump.

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores