WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the 116th Congress (all times local):
1:05 p.m.
The new Democratic-led House has begun voting on who will serve as the next speaker.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (puh-LOH'-see) of California is expected to win, retaking a post she held for four years until January 2011. She has been serving as minority leader ever since.
Pelosi all but ensured her election by agreeing to limit her tenure to no more than four years in the chamber's top spot. Some Democrats have been calling for new leadership in the caucus.
There are 235 Democrats in the House and 199 Republicans, with one vacancy.
Republicans are expected to largely vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California.
If no candidate receives the majority of votes on Thursday, the roll call vote is repeated until a majority is reached and the speaker is elected.
___
12:55 p.m.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California has been nominated to serve as speaker of the Democratic-led House.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York placed Pelosi's name in nomination, saying she has a "track record of success unparalleled in American history," citing her work on the landmark health care law approved when she previously served as speaker from 2007 to 2011.
Jeffries on Thursday called Pelosi a "legendary legislator" and said House Democrats were "down with NDP, Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi."
Pelosi has served as Democratic leader in the House since 2003.
Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming nominated Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California as the GOP choice for speaker.
___
12:10 p.m.
The House and the Senate have convened for the 116th Congress with the most diverse class of lawmakers in history.
The House is returning the first woman to the speaker's office as Democrats take the majority with a large class of freshman lawmakers. They're ready to confront President Donald Trump in a new era of divided government, with Republicans still controlling the Senate.
It's also the first new Congress to convene during a partial government shutdown, now in its 13th day over Trump's demands for money for a southern border wall.
Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is pledging broadly to make Congress work for all Americans. But her party is also ready to challenge Trump with investigations that threaten the White House agenda.