Newsroom

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., held onto the gavel Friday in a closely watched election. But, as expected, he did it without the help of the Bay State’s Capitol Hill delegation.

All nine Democratic members of Massachusetts' House contingent cast their ballots for U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., according to a tally published by The Washington Post.

As Republicans took full control of Congress this week and U.S. President-elect prepared to take office later this month, Democratic lawmakers renewed warnings about how the GOP agenda will harm working people and pledged to fight against it.

"Today, the 119th Congress officially begins. Our top priority over the next two years must be fighting for working families and standing up to corporate power and greed," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair emeritus of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said on social media Friday.

Mass. Congresswoman Katherine Clark looks back at the year that was and shares her party’s game plan to get back on track with reporter James Pindell.

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Jimmy Carter, the nation’s 39th president who died Sunday at age 100 at his home in Georgia, is being remembered by Massachusetts political leaders as a visionary leader and humanitarian.

Governor Maura Healey has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings until Jan. 28, in honor of the life and legacy of the 39th president.

Democrats and Republicans agreed with each other on Thursday: Elon Musk had taken over the government, derailing up a funding deal that the elected representatives of the people had negotiated.

They disagreed about whether this was a good thing.

“Elon Musk, this unelected man, said, we’re not doing this deal, and Donald Trump followed along,” House Minority Whip Katherine Clark told reporters on Thursday. Other Democrats said that they’d warned about exactly this — the wealthiest man in the world, running the government — before the election.