Politics

NewsNation reports: The Republican Party is introducing a fresh slate of candidates in its quest for a new House speaker. A candidate forum is scheduled on Capitol Hill on Monday at 6:30 p.m. EST. It represents Republicans’ most promising opportunity for unity, nearly three weeks after Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s removal as House speaker. “The space and time for a reset …

The Washington Examiner reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence appeared undeterred by his inability to qualify for the third GOP debate so far. “We’re working really hard to qualify for the debate,” Pence said. “Lots of people are going to mikepence2024.com and making a contribution to give us the numbers in contributions that we need to qualify. But I will …

Axios reports: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) shut down an inquiry into his health on Sunday when repeatedly asked about public instances when he appeared to freeze in front of reporters over the summer. The 81-year-old said in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan that he is “completely recovered.” “I’m in good shape — completely …

The Messenger reports: House Foreign Affairs Committee chair Michael McCaul joined Jonathan Karl on ABC’s This Week and called the chaotic battle to find a new speaker “probably one of the most embarrassing things” he’s seen during his 10 terms in Congress. “If we don’t have a speaker of the House, we can’t govern,” McCaul said, noting even a resolution …

Politico reports: The House GOP’s enormous speaker field is officially set, with nine Republicans seeking to somehow unify their splintered party after almost three weeks without a leader. It’s the most crowded field since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s fall 19 days ago. The latest round of candidates includes current GOP leaders — like Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Vice …

Meet The Press provides the transcript: WELKER: Let me just ask you quite simply, why haven’t you endorsed him [Trump] yet? MCCARTHY: Well, the campaign is still going. There’s a very good chance I would endorse President Trump… WELKER: He’s the clear frontrunner! What are you waiting for? MCCARTHY: Well, you know what? Because I’ve got a southern border wide …

“What we’ve seen is a result of the leadership decisions that Kevin McCarthy made back after the 2020 election and certainly after January 6. “Looking the other way in the face of the kind of assault on our democracy that we’ve seen from Donald Trump and his allies in the house, including Jim Jordan. elevating those members, frankly, some of …

The Hill reports: Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.) is urging his caucus to vote together as chaos over the House Speakership continues, launching a unity pledge for lawmakers to commit to a single candidate. Flood’s simple, two-paragraph pledge states that the signing member promises to vote for the eventual GOP-designated nominee, no matter who it is. Seven congressmen have launched Speaker …

From the Charleston Post & Courier editorial board: The result, if the field remains crowded, is that Mr. Trump will again win the nomination. From a Republican perspective, this scenario is disastrous, because Mr. Trump is the least likely candidate to defeat President Joe Biden. It’s also disastrous from the perspective of Democrats and independents — and many Republicans, and …

Oklahoma City’s ABC affiliate reports: An Oklahoma congressman has announced he will be running for House speaker. Rep. Kevin Hern, a Republican representing Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, announced his campaign for the position on social media. “I voted for my good friend Jim Jordan to stay as our Speaker Designate, but the Conference has determined that he will no longer …

“We’re talking about Americans now. Jake, we’re talking about Americans that have been captured and taken hostage, by the brutal Hamas terrorists. I said the better part of two weeks ago, Jake, that if I was president, I would have already been on the phone with the Joint Special Operations Command, I would have given orders for Delta Force and …

The Hill reports: House Republican Vice Chair Mike Johnson (R-La.) officially announced he is in the race for Speaker in a “Dear Colleague” letter to members on Saturday morning. “I have been humbled to have so many Members from across our Conference reach out to encourage me to seek the nomination for Speaker,” Johnson said in his letter. “Until yesterday, …

Tampa’s NBC affiliate reports: Florida has the highest property insurance premiums in the country, but the state’s insurance commissioner says he does not support capping rate increases. Over the last couple weeks, Commissioner Michael Yaworsky talked about the cost of insurance with lawmakers in Tallahassee. On average, Floridians pay $6,000 a year for property insurance, according to the Insurance Information …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Nearly two dozen Americans fleeing Israel with the help of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration were stranded for days in Cyprus before they finally got to Florida on Wednesday, according to the head of an international rescue organization who blamed contractors that state officials hired to run the operation. Their rush to help DeSantis score political points …

Florida Politics reports: After U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan lost three votes for Speaker, U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is running to be the Republican conference nominee. Aides for the Naples Republican confirmed to Florida Politics he will seek the support in a closed-door GOP conference vote. Notably, Donalds supported Jordan on all three ballots this week. In January, he had initially …

The Hill reports: Former Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.), the first Palestinian-American to serve in Congress, posted online that his family members were killed in Gaza amid the ongoing airstrikes between Israel and militant group Hamas. The explosion struck the Greek Orthodox church that was housing hundreds of displaced Palestinians late Thursday, resulting in a wall toppling down. Aby Selmia, the …

NBC News reports: Longshot GOP presidential candidate Perry Johnson dropped out of the race Friday. “With no opportunity to share my vision on the debate stage, I have decided at this time suspending my campaign is the right thing to do,” wrote Perry Johnson in a statement announcing his decision. The 75-year-old businessman failed to register in the majority of …

The Associated Press reports: Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally in Hialeah as counter-programming to the third Republican presidential primary debate, which he is once again choosing to skip. Trump’s campaign says he will hold a rally the evening of Nov. 8th at Ted Hendricks Stadium at Henry Milander Park, about a half-hour drive from the Adrienne Arsht …

NBC News reports: Rep. Jody Arrington, R-Texas, told reporters that he’s considering a bid for speaker. He was heard on the phone talking to his wife about his prospects. “What do you think, honey?” he asked his wife. Arrington said Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, is also contemplating running for speaker. Texas’s congressional delegation is the largest among Republicans and the …

Politico reports: Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry for the first time Friday publicly said he’s open to a vote that would formally expand his powers as the top House Republican. Such a vote, which centrist GOP lawmakers have been floating for more than a week, would allow legislative business to function in the lower chamber after 17 turbulent days without a …