What a week, huh?! Lemon, it’s Wednesday…  

• Rep. Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) nomination to be House Speaker has been sent to the floor for a vote. I know, I know, you probably don’t know who he is. Keep reading — I’ll get there. 😉 

• This time yesterday, Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) was the Speaker-designee. His nomination dramatically collapsed just a few hours later. There is some fascinating reporting on what went down. 

• President Biden and the first lady are hosting an official state dinner tonight in honor of the Australian prime minister. The food looks incredible, and I love the tablescape. 

   

Filing with popcorn in hand — and I don’t mean that metaphorically. All this talk of “needing popcorn to watch the Speaker drama unfold” made me crave it —I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-release.digital-release.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

House Republicans are sending their third pinch hitter to the plate, nominating Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) to be Speaker just hours after House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s (R-Minn.) nomination theatrically tanked. 

The House is voting on Johnson’s nomination as we speak, and we should know his fate shortly. Watch the House vote live 

Does Johnson have a real chance at winning?: Yes! There is a sense of optimism for Johnson’s support. I haven’t heard this sentiment much in the past three weeks, so this could end the saga. 

❌ Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) 

❌ Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) 

❌ Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.)

🤷‍♀️ Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) 

^ Starts humming “Another One Bites the Dust.” 

Live blog of updates — which has been very helpful 

RIP Tom Emmer’s Speaker nomination — 10/24/23 12:16 p.m. to 10/24/23 at 4:24 p.m.: Emmer won the nomination on the fifth ballot yesterday. But after internal fights and strongly worded opposition from former President Trump, his bid dramatically collapsed just a few hours later. More on why Emmer only lasted a few hours 

Yikes — tidbit from the internal arguments: Rep. Rick Allen (R-Ga.) told Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) in a closed-door meeting that he “didn’t need to get right with him, he needed to ‘get right with Jesus’ because Emmer supported gay marriage,” according to Punchbowl News. The room reportedly gasped.  

Later, Emmer “briskly walked” out of the building. “The meeting is ongoing and he’s gone,” Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman described, adding that Emmer “just …… left. Said nothing.”  

^ FWIW, Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is also googling Johnson: CNN’s Lauren Fox posted that she “asked Susan Collins what it would be like to work with Johnson on spending issues and she said she doesn’t know him, but was going to Google him this morning.” Sen. John  Barrasso (R-Wyo.) also said he “doesn’t know him.”  
 

Let’s help everyone get to know Mike Johnson — I’ll be short: Johnson, 51, was elected to Congress in 2016 after serving in the Louisiana House for two years. He serves on the House Judiciary and Armed Services committees. Johnson voted to object to the election results in both Arizona and Pennsylvania. He now serves as the vice chairman of the Republican Conference. What else to know about Johnson 

Even if Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) wins the gavel, he has a very difficult job coming up. “[He] hasn’t articulated a clear plan on how he’s going to fund the government or what he’ll do about aid to Ukraine.”

And logistically: “He has little experience in leadership and has only a small staff. It’s likely to take him weeks just to get staffed up if he’s elected speaker — and government funding is set to run out in a little more than three weeks.”

How this could play out, from The Washington Post

The ‘Speaker Kevin McCarthy’ sign has finally been taken down: Photo (h/t CNN’s Melanie Zanona) 

That is quite the response when asked a very legitimate question: ABC’s Rachel Scott asked Speaker nominee Mike Johnson (R-La.) if he stands with the efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Members literally started booing and telling her to “shut up!” Watch the clip 

^ Peep Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) on the left and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) on the right.

You know, this is probably right: Austin Hacker, deputy communications director for Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) made an excellent point. “This House speaker situation would have never happened if Tortilla Coast and Cap Lounge were still around,” he posted. 

What a cool pic of the Capitol: Photo from Bloomberg’s Steven Dennis 

A few shots from the chaos last night: Photos 

^ Where’s George?: The Daily Beast’s Matt Fuller noticed a “Where’s Waldo” of sorts. Find Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.). Photo 

Now that’s a happy staffer: Corinne Day, communications director for now-Speaker nominee Johnson, posted a photo of her reaction to her boss winning the internal vote.  

What a day lol: Politico’s Burgess Everett posted, “Wait did Kevin Hern get eliminated and drop out of two separate speaker races in the same day?” 

Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) had some fun: Throughout the weeks-long saga, Collins has been posting jokes and lighter content about the Speaker saga. The Hill’s Emily Brooks runs through a few favs.  

It feels like nearly every House Republican has been floated for Speaker in the past three weeks including the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 Republicans in the lower chamber. But the No. 4 House Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) — who is also the highest-ranking Republican woman in the House — has been absent from consideration. Politico’s Nick Reisman has some insight into her strategy.  

She’s been a part of the talks but has avoided her own name: “While she has remained highly visible in running the conference meetings and offering enthusiastic endorsements of various failed nominees, the GOP conference chair has avoided throwing her own hat in the ring or even offering public comment about her intentions.” 

It could be a smart move: “It’s a potentially savvy move, allowing her to steer clear of the career-killing chaos now engulfing the GOP. And yet it’s also likely that she would struggle to win the votes, underscoring how difficult it will be to rise in the party in its current form.” The full read 

©  Cate Martel/The Hill

The White House is hosting a glitzy state dinner tonight in honor of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his partner, Jodie Haydon, who are in town. I stopped by the White House on Tuesday to get a preview of the menu, the table settings and the flowers.  

I am swooning over these flowers: Think, lots of pinks, oranges and blues — dahlias, roses, blue delphiniums and eucalypti. Photo 

The place setting: The tablecloths are a mix of sparkly floral and lavender. I love the gold and white stone silverware. Photo of the first lady’s place setting 

Yesss, love this: The menu was developed by a team of all female chefs — guest chef Katie Button, White House Executive Chef Cris Comerford and White House Executive Pastry Chef Susie Morrison 

The appetizer: Guests will sample a farro and roasted beet salad and a butternut squash soup with smoked paprika and candied pumpkin seeds. Photo 

The main course: Guest chef Katie Button prepared sarsaparilla-braised short ribs with sorghum-glazed carrots, Brussels sprouts, celery root purée and carrot jus. 🤤 Photo 

By far, the best part: The White House gave us samples of the dessert, a hazelnut and chocolate mousse cake with crème fraîche ice cream. Photo 

First lady Jill Biden announced that the B-52s are no longer performing at the state dinner, suggesting a more somber tone was appropriate due to the crisis in the Middle East. The group will still attend the dinner, though. 

🍟 Celebrate: Today is National Greasy Foods Day! 

👻 Boo buckets!: McDonald’s has brought back its Boo Buckets for Halloween. (NBC’s ‘Today’) 

🍸 What a flex: Drake hired “Breaking Bad” stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul to bartend at his birthday party. Watch them make drinks  

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C.  (all times Eastern)

• 12:30 p.m.: Biden and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hold a joint press conference. Livestream 
• 6:30 p.m.: The Bidens welcome Albanese and his partner, Jodie Haydon, to the White House for an official state dinner. 

To leave you smiling, here is a video that made me laugh out loud. Watch King the puppy try to figure out stairs.  

Thanks to The Hill’s Emily Martin for finding this gem. 😂

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