House Republicans flailed through a second day of multiple balloting Wednesday, unable to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy as House speaker or to come up with a new strategy to end the political chaos that has tarnished the start of their new majority.
Stocks are broadly higher on Wall Street in afternoon trading Wednesday after another strong signal on the job market.
European Union regulators on Wednesday hit Facebook parent Meta with hundreds of millions in fines for privacy violations and banned the company from forcing users in the 27-nation bloc to agree to personalized ads based on their online activity.
President Joe Biden said House Republicans' inability to unify behind a speaker candidate, which has prevented the chamber from beginning its legislative business, was "embarrassing" and "not a good look" for the country.