Will the math add up for Rep Jim Jordan (R-OH)?

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Hi everyone,

Is this the combination we never knew we needed? Or a hard pass?

Coca-Cola and Pernod are teaming up to launch a new ready-to-drink premixed cocktail: Absolut Vodka & Sprite.

Cheers to that! (We think.)

Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney

🗞 HIGH-STAKES HOUSE SPEAKER VOTE

It’s been two weeks since Kevin McCarthy was removed as House Speaker, and today, the chamber is finally aiming to vote on his replacement.

The voting process is expected to start around 12pm ET. But the current GOP nominee, House Judiciary Committee Chair Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), is still working to lock in enough votes.

HOUSE FLOOR VOTE
The House has been without a speaker, the job second in line for the presidency, since October 3. It has been unable to conduct any business in that time — including holding votes to send additional aid to Israel or condemn Hamas after last week's horrifying attack.

The hold up: Republicans can’t agree on who should take the reins.

To win the Speakership, a candidate needs a majority of the House to vote in their favor. In this case, the magic number is 217 votes. Since Republicans have a slim majority in the House, they can only afford to lose 4 votes to reach that 217 majority—near unanimity.

Jim Jordan promised to hold the Speaker vote today — with or without 217 votes locked down. “It’s not about pressuring anybody. It’s just about, we’ve got to have a Speaker. You can’t open the House and do the work of the American people and help our dearest and closest friend Israel if you don't have a Speaker.”

217 LOADING…
It's unclear if Jordan has enough support to win. He clinched the nomination for Speaker on the second try, in a 124-81 vote held Friday. But, when the same group was asked if they’d support Jordan for Speaker when the formal vote is conducted, the tally was 152-55 — leaving Jordan significantly short of the 217 votes needed to win the Speakership.

The major issue: moderate Republicans are concerned that the Trump-endorsed, hard core conservative firebrand who has supported multiple government shutdowns and was a “significant player” in the effort to overturn the 2020 election, according to the Jan 6 committee. In short, critics believe Jordan will take House Republicans too far to the right.

Yesterday, Jordan sent a letter to GOP lawmakers urging unity in the Speaker saga: “The country and our conference cannot afford us attacking each other right now,” he wrote. “It is time we unite to get back to work on behalf of the American people.”

THE MATH
We’re getting deja vu.

The House GOP’s inability to agree on a Speaker is setting the stage for a repeat of the grueling chaos we went through in January, when it took 15 rounds and four days of voting to elect Kevin McCarthy as Speaker — the longest Speaker election since the Civil War.

Some think bringing Jordan’s nomination to the floor amid all the uncertainty will force his dissenters to support him just to avoid another public display of division.

Yesterday, a series of skeptics flipped their stance after Jordan spoke to them one-on-one. He picked up critical last minute support from the influential and powerful House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL), as well as Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) who just days ago said "hell no" when asked if she would support Jordan

Analysts believe Jordan is now within reach of the gavel. But there are still some key hold outs:

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) says he told Jordan on Sunday that he would not support him. Among the reasons he listed: Jordan’s vote against a short-term spending bill, and his distaste for a handful of Republicans who he feels has been controlling the chamber.

As for House Democrats, they say they are not getting involved in this GOP civil war. All 212 of them vow to support their leader in the Speaker vote, Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY).

WHO IS JIM JORDAN?
The firebrand Congressman who represents Ohio’s 4th district has gained a reputation as a flamethrower and outspoken critic of Democrats.

Founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of the most far-right members of the party
- Ironically, in 2015 the caucus pushed for a motion to "vacate the chair" against then-Speaker John Boehner — the same move that ultimately ousted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Boehner resigned before any vote took place.
Current Chairman of both the House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government
He’s been the face of the GOP investigations into the Biden Administration: Jordan has lead hearings to uncover information about the Biden family's business dealings, with a specific focus on first son Hunter Biden and his foreign business deals.
Jordan is one of Trump's most ardent supporters in the House and was a staunch supporter of challenges to Trump's loss
- Why Trump endorsed Jordan for House Speaker

✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: If Jordan is able to secure 217 votes today, it will end the unprecedented two weeks of a Speaker-less House. If Jordan can’t corral the support, Republicans are back at square one, and the House will remain in a standstill without a Speaker. For whatever it’s worth, Kevin McCarthy firmly responded “yes” when asked yesterday if he believes Jordan can pull it off.

Until someone has their grip on the gavel, the House cannot pass legislation, even as international crises escalate and another government shutdown hangs in the balance (which, by the way, is still on track to happen one month from today, on November 17th).

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Waiting for news, families of Israeli hostages in Gaza tell stories of their loved ones as Hamas claims it has more than 200 held against their will (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

📌 Biden administration reaches deal with migrants separated from their families under Trump (NBC NEWS)

📌 Federal judge imposes limited gag order on Trump in 2020 election interference case (CBS NEWS)

📌 FBI report: Violent crime decreases to pre-pandemic levels, but property crime is on the rise (AP)

📌 U.S. Evacuates Americans From Israel by Sea Working With Royal Caribbean (WSJ)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 U.S. to ease sanctions on Venezuelan oil for freer presidential election (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 Daniel Noboa, heir to banana fortune, wins Ecuador's presidential runoff election (NPR)

📌 Brussels shooting: Two Swedes killed in gun attack being treated as terrorism (BBC)

📌 Putin, Israel's Netanyahu to hold call over Hamas war ahead of Russian president's trip to China (FOX NEWS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 21 species removed from endangered list due to extinction, U.S. wildlife officials say (CBS NEWS)

📌 Pfizer slashes full-year earnings and revenue guidance as Covid treatment, vaccine sales slump (CNBC)

📌 LinkedIn lays off 668 employees in second cut this year (REUTERS)

📌 Top FTX Executive Says Sam Bankman-Fried Used Customer Money for ‘Excess’ Spending (NY TIMES)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Robin Williams' voice returns as Genie from 'Aladdin' in new Disney short — without AI (NBC NEWS)

📌 Soccer match between Belgium and Sweden suspended after deadly shooting in Brussels (AP)

📌 Miniature ‘Star Wars’ X-wing gets over $3 million at auction of Hollywood model-maker’s collection (AP)

📌 Suzanne Somers’ husband recalls her final days (NBC NEWS)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: OCTOBER 17

1931: Gangster Al Capone is sentenced to prison for tax evasion, after avoiding previous jail time by bribing and threatening officials.
1972: American rapper and actor Eminem was born. He turns 51 today. Fellow rapper, Snoop Dog, turns 52 later this week.
1989: The Loma Prieta earthquake strikes the Bay Area, killing 67 and injuring more than 3,700. The magnitude 6.9 earthquake interrupted the World Series being played between the San Francisco Giants and Oakland A’s.
2018: Recreational marijuana became legal in Canada.