Politics

NBC News reports: Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who became a national figure after he survived a brutal assassination attempt during a congressional baseball practice, announced Wednesday he will seek to be the next House speaker. On Wednesday morning, he was making calls seeking to shore up support for a bid to succeed ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, according to two lawmakers …

The Daily Beast reports: A die-hard MAGA sheriff in Virginia charged with accepting bribes for deputy badges allegedly sold one to a controversial Iraqi fixer linked to Kurdistan prime minister and accused kleptocrat Masrour Barzani. That’s according to an FBI search warrant affidavit obtained by The Daily Beast, which reveals Virginia-based businessman Haval Dosky was swept up in a federal …

The New York Post reports: Following the vote to remove McCarthy, McHenry recessed the chamber “subject to the call of the chair,” which means lawmakers can reconvene at any time. During a Tuesday night meeting of the Republican conference, McHenry announced he planned to keep the House out until next week, with a candidate forum to be held Oct. 10 …

The Hill reports: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he will “look” at remaining in Congress after a group of Republicans voted with House Democrats Tuesday to remove him as Speaker. ‘I’ll look at that,” McCarthy said when asked at a press conference if he will remain in Congress. McCarthy did rule out considering another position with leadership. “There’s a lot …

The Washington Post reports: Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), after being removed as House speaker Tuesday, told fellow Republican lawmakers that he won’t seek the position again, according to two sources familiar with his plans who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The vote to remove him was the first such removal in congressional history. McCarthy’s removal …

“It was just the fact that I publicly stated on your station, I think, this morning that I was praying about it and I had two paths to go, either go with my friend or go with my conscience, and I was praying that God would tell me what to do, which he does. “I pray for my wife, I …

Roll Call reports: As the House devolved into chaos Tuesday over the future of the speakership, the mood in the Senate was decidedly more buoyant as California Democrat Laphonza Butler was sworn in to replace the late Dianne Feinstein, who died last week. Butler entered the chamber to cheers from her family in the gallery, surrounded by Senate Majority Leader …

The Washington Post reports: The Republican-led House on Tuesday voted down a motion to table a resolution that would remove the California Republican from the speakership. As a result, the chamber will move forward with a vote on whether McCarthy should lose his position. His removal is being sought by hard-right members of his party and Democrats have signaled they …

Mediaite reports: Kevin McCarthy claimed he does not need to make an alliance with Congressional Democrats in order to weather Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) attempt to oust him as Speaker of the House. As McCarthy took questions, a reporter asked, “Are you ruling out any sort of power-sharing agreement with Democrats?” in light of the current situation. McCarthy shook his …

Politico reports: Later today, Laphonza Bulter will travel to the Capitol, stand across from her old boss and longtime ally, Vice President Kamala Harris, and be sworn in as the first Black LGBTQ person in the United States Senate, succeeding the late California icon Dianne Feinstein. Then the hard part begins. It’s not the votes or the committee work. It’s …

The Hill reports: Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will bring up Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) move to oust him on Tuesday, moving quickly to consider the motion to vacate the chair. McCarthy could have brought up Gaetz’s motion any time within two legislative days after Gaetz made the move on Monday evening. But the Speaker told House Republicans in a conference …

Axios reports: House Democrats sound like they’re willing to save Speaker Kevin McCarthy from his right-wing revolt — but he’ll have to pay a price. If Gaetz can get just half a dozen Republicans to vote to take down McCarthy, it means the speaker would need some Democratic votes to survive. “I’m not a cheap date,” House Rules Committee ranking …

The Pensacola News-Journal reports: Nearly two decades after he stepped up for the first time to run for the Florida Senate, Don Gaetz, who served as that body’s president from 2012-14, has announced his intention to seek office once again. Gaetz, a Niceville Republican who is now 75, said Monday morning that he would be pre-filing the paperwork to formalize …

Reuters reports: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a bid by anti-abortion activists to throw out more than $2 million in damages they were ordered to pay Planned Parenthood after secretly recording video of abortion providers in a scheme to try to show the illicit sale of aborted fetal tissue for profit. The justices turned away the …

The Michigan Advance reports: A lawsuit filed by nearly a dozen Michigan Republican lawmakers seeks to roll back voting rights measures passed by voters in 2018 and 2022. The suit, filed Thursday in the United States District Court for the Western District of Michigan, was brought by 11 Republican lawmakers. Proposal 3 of 2018 and Proposal 2 of 2022 both …

The Hill reports: GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign is asking the RNC to cut the number of candidates for the third debate down to the top four. Vivek 2024 CEO Ben Yoho urged the RNC to limit the next debate to the top four candidates in national polling besides former President Trump . Besides raising the threshold, the Ramaswamy …

Axios reports: Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) is stepping down from his role in House Democratic leadership after floating a primary challenge to President Biden. “My convictions relative to the 2024 presidential race are incongruent with the majority of my caucus, and I felt it appropriate to step aside from elected leadership,” Phillips, the co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications …

ABC News reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Sunday plans to appoint Laphonza Butler, the president of EMILY’S List, to fill the Senate seat left vacant following Dianne Feinstein’s death late last week. Butler was previously an adviser to Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign in 2020, and before that a labor leader. Newsom issued a statement after news …

“Well, my vote at the beginning of this term for Speaker of the House was for Hakeem Jeffries, and I do not intend on voting for a Republican Speaker of the House. But I believe that it’s up to the Republican conference to determine their own leadership and deal with their own problems. But it’s not up to Democrats to …

The Messenger reports: Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. has once again teased a potential 2024 presidential run. “Why not have options? People are unsatisfied right now,” Manchin told Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” The senator would not commit to saying whether he will run or not, but he said a decision will be made before the end of the year …