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Speedy rise through ranks for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, new House majority leader, in GOP shakeup
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Not so long ago Kevin McCarthy was working as an aide to his local congressman in hot, dusty Bakersfield, California. Now the genial 49-year-old is a new face of the GOP, selected by House Republicans as their majority leader after a whirlwind round of politicking prompted by last week's primary election upset of Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia.
• McCarthy's lightning-fast ascent to the No. 2 House job in just his fourth term is a testament to his political skills and talent for forming and maintaining relationships. Now he has the daunting challenge of working to unite a fractious House Republican caucus that's still in upheaval after Cantor's loss, with the most conservative lawmakers smarting over McCarthy's quick rise.
• "I'll make one promise: I will work every single day to make sure this conference has the courage to lead with the wisdom to listen," McCarthy said Thursday after his victory in the secret ballot elections.
• McCarthy has served as majority whip, the No. 3 job, and will be replaced in that post by Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the chairman of a caucus of conservatives in the House. Scalise adds a Southern, red state voice to a GOP leadership team otherwise populated by establishment-aligned Republicans from the West Coast and Midwest.
• "I'm looking forward to bringing a fresh new voice to our leadership table," Scalise said.
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Found: 1 ancient parasite egg linked to disease that still infects 200 million people globally
• LONDON (AP) -- In a skeleton more than 6,200 years old, scientists have found the earliest known evidence of infection with a parasitic worm that now afflicts more than 200 million people worldwide.
• Archaeologists discovered a parasite egg near the pelvis of a child skeleton in northern Syria and say it dates back to a time when ancient societies first used irrigation systems to grow crops. Scientists suspect the new farming technique meant people were spending a lot of time wading in warm water -- ideal conditions for the parasites to jump into humans. That may have triggered outbreaks of the water-borne flatworm disease known as schistosomiasis.
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