CBS News
Incoming House majority squeezed by Trump’s planned appointments
Washington — Republicans have celebrated holding onto their narrow majority in the House, adding to their flip of the Senate and the White House for a trifecta in Washington next year. But President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of a number of House Republicans to fill top posts in his administration is pulling from an already shallow bench, temporarily whittling the GOP majority down further as Trump takes office in January.
Just one House race remains to be decided nearly four weeks after Election Day, with 99% of the vote counted in California’s 13th Congressional District, where Democrat Adam Gray is leading GOP Rep. John Duarte. Last week, victories in another California district, along with one in Iowa brought the balance of power in the chamber to 220-214.
Meanwhile, Trump has tapped a handful of House Republicans for top positions in his administration. In the week following the election, the president-elect made two selections from the House, with GOP conference chair Elise Stefanik of New York as ambassador to the U.N., and Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida as national security adviser.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, while outlining the GOP agenda following the picks last month, said the president-elect “fully understands and appreciates the math here,” noting that he didn’t expect the conference would lose any more members to Trump’s administration.
“Every single vote will count because if someone gets ill or has a car accident or a late flight on their plane then it affects the votes on the floor,” Johnson said.
Then came Trump’s pick of former Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general, setting up three vacancies early in the new Congress. Gaetz resigned his seat immediately, hours after Trump announced his intent to nominate him.
“I told President Trump, ‘enough already, you gotta give me some relief,'” Johnson said on Fox News after Trump selected Gaetz for the role. “I gotta maintain this majority.”
Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
Though Gaetz has since withdrawn from consideration for the post, facing intense scrutiny over a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, he’s said he does not intend to serve in the 119th Congress, giving Johnson another unwelcome vacancy.
Johnson expressed optimism at the time of Gaetz’ selection that with his immediate resignation from the chamber, his seat could be filled by the start of the new Congress, citing Florida state law’s process. But Gov. Ron DeSantis set the primary for Jan. 28, and the general election for April 1, which he said was the earliest date the special election could take place. Florida’s secretary of state said the election was being conducted “as quickly as statutorily possible.”
Waltz’ seat is also set for an April 1 general election in Florida. And the special election for Stefanik’s seat could take up to 90 days after she resigns. The dynamic could mean for months in the early days of the president-elect’s second term, Republicans could have a majority that is as low as one or two seats, meaning that if all House members are present, Johnson could need the support of every single Republican. If he has a three-seat majority, he could afford to lose one Republican on some votes.
The outcome may spell trouble for the GOP’s ability to act on the mandate that Republicans have claimed since Trump’s victory in the presidential election. (Although Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in both the electoral and popular votes, he did not win a majority of American voters.) House Republican leadership has struggled in recent years to keep the conference united on key priorities, with a reliable group of detractors on its right flank. While the conservatives, many of whom are Trump loyalists, may be more inclined to stay in line under a Trump administration than during President Biden’s time in office, Johnson could face opposition from moderates in his party.
House Republicans like Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, David Valadao of California and Dan Newhouse of Washington have previously been critical of Trump and could break with the party on some issues, imperiling some early legislative action. Bacon refused to back the president-elect during the primary, while Valadao and Newhouse are the two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump in 2021. After the election, Rep. Mike Lawler of New York told USA Today that he would be willing to speak out against Trump amid GOP control of Washington to work in the best interest of his constituents.
“When I agree with the president, I’ll say it. If I disagree on something, I will say that, too,” Lawler said.
Still, the exceedingly narrow majority created by Trump’s appointments is expected to be short-lived, since all three seats are in safely Republican districts. Johnson expressed confidence that Republicans would be able to work with a smaller majority for as long is necessary, while pledging to “be very aggressive” and move forward with Trump’s agenda beginning on Day One.
Oprah Winfrey unveiled her latest book club selection, “Small Things Like These” by Claire Keegan, during an appearance Tuesday on “CBS Mornings.”
The story, set in Ireland in December 1985, follows Bill Furlong, a father and local merchant, as he uncovers the truth about a Magdalene laundry — a convent where women and girls were forced into labor under harsh conditions.
“What resonated with me? First of all, read the story, and I had never heard of the Magdalene Laundries,” Winfrey said. “This story, which is heartwarming and meaningful, and it’s about a father trying to do the best he can for his family, and then has this decision to make…. For me to run across a story that’s based in truth, but is actually fiction, was what was really exciting to me.”
Keegan explained her focus on the details of daily life, saying, “We think about our lives and measure them so often by the big things that happen … but in fact, it’s how we run our daily lives that is our character.”
Winfrey resonated with a particular line from the book: “Was there any point in being alive without helping one another?”
“That is how I live my life,” Winfrey said. “But it’s also the reason why it’s such a beautiful Christmas story this time of the year.”
The book also explores real-life history. The Magdalene Laundries operated in Ireland from 1922 to 1996, and Keegan noted that survivors are still seeking acknowledgment and apologies from the Catholic Church.
Winfrey also announced her new podcast “The Oprah Podcast” in partnership with Starbucks. It features conversations about books and social issues. She shared that the first episode includes an interview with a woman who was sent to a Magdalene laundry at age 12.
“Small Things Like These” has been adapted into a movie starring Oscar winner Cillian Murphy. The book is available now, and episodes of “The Oprah Podcast” can be streamed on YouTube and other platforms.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
Ashley Benefield, former ballerina convicted of killing husband in “Black Swan” murder case, is sentenced to 20 years in prison
A former ballerina was sentenced to 20 years in prison Tuesday in the 2020 shooting death of her estranged husband in Florida.
CBS affiliate WTSP reports that Ashley Benefield was sentenced to 20 years, with credit for time served, followed by 10 years probation. The case, which became known as the “Black Swan murder” trial, garnered national attention, with some comparing Benefield to the protagonist of the 2010 film “Black Swan.”
The former ballerina was found guilty by a jury in July of manslaughter for shooting and killing her husband, Doug Benefield, in September 2020 after an argument.
Ashley Benefield, 32, claimed that she killed her then-58-year-old estranged husband in self defense during an argument at her mother’s home, where she had moved from South Carolina after leaving him. Authorities said she shot him twice.
“I just held the gun like in front of me and I said, stop, and he like turned and he got into this like almost like a fighting stance. He started like moving his arms and his hands around…he started coming towards me and he lunged at me, and I just pulled the trigger,” Ashley Benefield testified at her trial.
Pool/Bradenton Herald
The pair had wed after knowing each other for less than two weeks, “48 Hours” reported. At the time of their marriage, Ashley Benefield was 24 and Doug Benefield, a widower whose wife had died about nine months earlier, was 54.
As “48 Hours” reported, the marriage was rocky. There were tensions between Ashley Benefield and Doug Benefield’s teenage daughter, and an attempt to start a ballet company together failed. Ashley Benefield accused her husband of poisoning his first wife, and left him when she was pregnant with their child to stay with her mother, alleging that he was now poisoning her. The claims were investigated by police, and no charges were filed.
Once their child was born in 2018, Ashley Benefield allegedly kept the baby from her husband for six months, until a judge intervened. After this, the pair largely reconciled, and in 2020, they planned to move to Maryland together on Ashley Benefield’s suggestion.
On Sept. 27, 2020, the Benefields were packing a U-Haul truck for the move. Ashley Benefield’s mother, Alicia Byers, took her granddaughter to a park, leaving the couple alone in the house. A neighbor reported hearing sudden screaming and called 911.
Moments later, Ashley Benefield arrived at the home of another neighbor, gun in hand. She reportedly told the neighbor that she had shot her husband in self-defense. The neighbor called 911.
When police and emergency services responded, Doug Benefield was still alive but unable to speak. He died at an area hospital about an hour later.
Investigators determined that Doug Benefield had been shot twice, once in the leg and once in the arm. That second bullet traveled into his chest cavity. The shots had been fired when he was turning away from his wife, investigators determined.
Ashley Benefield’s lawyer, Faith Brown, told police at the time that her client had been planning to leave her husband and had an escape plan, including a safe place to stay, a burner phone and a rental car rented under a different name. Brown told police that Benefield feared her husband “had gotten wind of” the plan.
Ashley Benefield was arrested five weeks after the shooting.
