Democrats decry new House rules as a ‘ransom note to America’ | First Thing

Partisan lines divided the vote on rules, with no Democrats voting for them and only one Republican voting against. Plus, how US state agencies got funny

Good morning.

The Republican-led US House of Representatives yesterday adopted a package of internal rules that give rightwing hardliners more leverage over the chamber's newly elected Republican speaker, Kevin McCarthy.

What do the Democrats say is wrong with the package of rules? Democrats denounced the legislation as a rules package for Maga extremists" that would favor wealthy corporations over workers, undermine congressional ethics standards and lead to further restrictions on abortion services.

What else is going on? The rapper Dr Dre has spoken out against the use of his song Still DRE in a self-promotional video by the Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to celebrate her role in electing fellow GOP lawmaker Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. I don't license my music to politicians, especially someone as divisive and hateful as this one," he said.

Why is Biden in the news regarding classified documents? The US justice department is investigating a number of documents bearing highly sensitive classified markings stored at Joe Biden's former institute in Washington DC from his time as vice-president in the Obama administration, the White House acknowledged in a statement yesterday.