It’s Thursday. It’s a gorgeous, sunny day in Washington, D.C. Get outside if you can! ☀️ Here’s what is buzzing today: -
House Republicans are seething after Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) successfully ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) as Speaker and Senate Republicans are worried about the Nov. 17 funding deadline.
- The government’s emergency alert test interrupted — and startled — a few senators Wednesday.
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The Bidens’ dog is no longer at the White House after a series of biting incidents involving staff and U.S. Secret Service officers.
- Footage of former President Trump’s trial in New York has gone viral on social media after users paired it with sitcom intros. (The “Cheers” one made me laugh out loud.)
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.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. Programming note: I’ll be off for the next few days for a long weekend. Liz Crisp will take the reins of the 12:30 Report through Wednesday. Cheers! |
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On a Speakerless hill lives a Speakerless house: |
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And in that Speakerless house sit an angry group of Speakerless Republicans, who are furious with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for successfully orchestrating a coup to oust now-former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). The House has recessed while party leaders pick up the pieces and try to avoid a bloodbath in the next Speaker battle. To give you a sense of how mad Republicans are: At least two GOP lawmakers want to boot Gaetz from the House Republican conference. That is very unlikely to happen, but it shows the raw frustration felt in the conference.
From Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.): “He’s literally taken one of our oldest institutions and put it into a downward spiral all over selfish needs, all over Twitter feeds and raising money.” (The Hill)
Where the Speaker battle stands: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) have announced bids. Scalise rose through the ranks as a traditional conservative. Jordan is a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus and may have more support from hardline conservatives. Primer on the Speaker race
There’s enough fury to go around: Republicans are also directing their anger toward House Democrats for failing to boost McCarthy with the votes to keep him as Speaker. McCarthy blamed former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), claiming she had promised to back him if Republicans ever voted him out. Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) immediately booted Pelosi and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) from their workspaces in the Capitol Building. (The Hill)
Tidbit — what’s happening with Pelosi’s now-empty Capitol office: Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) said it would be given to McCarthy. |
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Brace yourselves for November…: |
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) stunning collapse happened because he worked with Democrats to pass a clean government funding extension until Nov. 17. Hardline conservatives wanted McCarthy to play hardball with the funding deadline to push for their policy priorities. So, when the calendar ticks closer to that November deadline, Washington will be bracing for chaos. Whoever the next Speaker is will be under enormous pressure to hold firm on partisan policy proposals. But even if Republicans can cobble the votes to pass a GOP bill in the House, it will be dead on arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate. I.e.: McCarthy’s successor will have a very, very difficult task.
This sounds like an impossible situation, so what could make things easier for the next Speaker?: House Republicans could change the rule that allowed just one House lawmaker to offer a motion to boot the Speaker. Senate Republicans think that rule should be changed. (The Hill) |
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➤ SOME INTERESTING TAKES ON THE MCCARTHY OUSTER: |
‘The Souvenir Speakership’: Mark Leibovich writes that “Kevin McCarthy got what he wanted. It just didn’t last long.” (The Atlantic)
‘Kevin McCarthy’s Downfall Is the Culmination of the Tea Party’: (Politico)
‘The ousting of Kevin McCarthy: bad for America, worse for Ukraine’: (The Economist)
‘From a Capitol Hill Basement, Bannon Stokes the Republican Party Meltdown’: “The former Trump adviser has helped create the spectacle of G.O.P. dysfunction, using it to build his own following and those of the right-wing House rebels who took down Kevin McCarthy.” (The New York Times) ‘Exit stage (far) right: Kevin McCarthy’s nightmare is now America’s ordeal’: (Op-ed in The Hill) |
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➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM CAPITOL HILL: |
☑️ You have my vote!: I think everyone could coalesce around this House Speaker contender.
🌅 What a gorgeous view: @CalebJSmith posted a photo of the sunset from the Speaker’s balcony.
😬 Maybe it wasn’t awkward for him: Insider’s Bryan Metzger posted, “[Sen. John] Fetterman [D-Pa.] after walking past [Sen. Bob] Menendez [D-N.J.] in the Senate basement: ‘That wasn’t awkward. He should resign.’” Photos
📸 McCarthy’s Speaker sign was a popular stop for Capitol visitors: Journalist Matt Laslo posted a video of tour groups taking lots of photos outside the Speaker’s office.
🍣 Sushi delivery: Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) brought Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) sushi to his office after Cuellar complained that his sushi was stolen during a Monday carjacking in Washington, D.C. Photo of the sushi delivery
⏰ The interruptions were pretty funny: The government tested a nationwide emergency alert system yesterday, so wireless phones sounded at 2:20 p.m. -
Watch the alarm interrupt the Senate GOP press conference: “I think it was a House member pulling a fire alarm again,” Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) joked. Video
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This clip is very funny: Watch Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) reaction to the alarms going off during a hearing. Video
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Introducing: Staffer Spotlights |
The Hill is partnering with the CNCT app to highlight profiles of staffers on Capitol Hill and elsewhere in politics. First up: Meet Aaron Bennett, a speechwriter for then-candidates Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Read here
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🍎 Celebrate: Today is National Apple Betty Day! And for planning purposes, I think you should know that tomorrow is National Noodle Day!
🕺Happy dance: “Suddenly, it will be autumn for much of the U.S. this weekend,” reports The New York Times’s Judson Jones. 🍁 Cool graphic
😂 I have tears in my eyes from laughing — the judge’s pose: A camera shot video on the first day of the Trump trial in New York. Here’s that video if you missed it. Well, TikTok users have been pairing that footage with sitcom intro songs. - Paired with “Cheers”: This video has more than 9.5 million views and 1.8 million likes.
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Paired with “The Office”: This cut really does look like it could be an episode of ‘The Office.”
- Paired with “Full House”: Ok, last one.
🏠 Looking for a steal in Arlington?: Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin is renting his Arlington, Va., home for $9,000 a month, according to Washingtonian. I know, I know. We all want to be nosey and see the photos. Here you go |
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Commander Biden is on a lil’ vacay: |
The Bidens’ dog, Commander, has had a few biting incidents involving staffers and U.S. Secret Service officers recently, so he is no longer at the White House.
Where is he?: First lady Jill Biden’s communications director Elizabeth Alexander did not say where Commander is but said: “The President and First Lady care deeply about the safety of those who work at the White House and those who protect them every day … Commander is not presently on the White House campus while next steps are evaluated.” (The Hill)
The Hill’s Miranda Nazzaro noted that Commander has had 11 known biting incidents, with the most recent happening late last month.
Axios’s Alex Thompson published a helpful thread of posts chronicling Commander Biden’s recent issues, including a Daily Mail photo of Commander nipping. Read the thread |
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The House is out. The Senate also left town early, so members could attend the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s (D-Calif.) funeral. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Harris is in California for the funeral. (all times Eastern) |
- Today: Day 4 of former President Trump’s fraud trial in New York. Live blog
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Noon: Biden receives a briefing on Ukraine from his national security team.
- 1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. 📺 Livestream
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4 p.m.: Feinstein’s funeral in San Francisco. Harris is expected to speak. 📺 Livestream
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Monday, Oct. 16: The Senate meets next. The Senate’s pro forma session schedule
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To leave you feeling like a professional talent scouter, here’s a cat who would be a great match for AFC Richmond.
Coach Lasso would be honored. |
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