But House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's job may be on the line

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Good morning,

Hope you had a nice weekend.

Let’s get down to business: The Supreme Court’s new term starts today, with a slate of potential blockbuster cases on the docket, including decisions on gun rights, the First Amendment, social media, and abortion medication.

Here are some major cases we’ll be watching.

Have a good one!

Jill & Courtney

🗞 SHUTDOWN SHOWDOWN

It was a chaotic weekend in Washington. The government nearly shut down, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy could lose his job. Here’s how it all played out.

IN THE NICK OF TIME
With 32 minutes to spare, Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown by passing a stopgap (temporary) funding bill before the clock struck midnight on Saturday. At 11:28pm, the White House posted a photo of President Biden signing the bill to keep the government open. And because it’s temporary, the measure will only fund the government for 45 days—so we get to do this all again right before Thanksgiving.

The House passed the bill at 2:45pm on Saturday in a 335-91 vote.
The Senate followed at 9:00pm with a final vote of 88 to 9.

The deal came after weeks of infighting among House Republicans to pass a stopgap bill in their chamber. The final bill includes natural disaster aid, but no additional funding for the Ukraine war or southern border security.

“We cannot under any circumstances allow American support for Ukraine to be interrupted,” Biden said in a statement.
But McCarthy said any lawmakers looking for more Ukraine funding will have to give in on border security funding too.

I WILL SURVIVE
Getting both parties in Congress to agree on anything is nearly impossible these days. So to get it done and keep the government open, Speaker McCarthy had to side with moderate Republicans and Democrats. That infuriated the far-right.

Hardline conservatives say that by working with Democrats, McCarthy broke concessions he made to them when vying for their vote during his lengthy Speaker vote in January.
Flashback: McCarthy made some pretty extreme promises to the far-right when he was desperately trying to win the Speakership in January; he went through 15 rounds of House votes before being elected speaker.

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is one of those far-right Republicans who believes McCarthy didn’t hold up his end of the bargain, and says he will bring a vote to the floor to oust him from the House’s top leadership position.

Gaetz did not say when he’ll introduce it, but if and when he does, the House will have 48 hours to vote on it.
And yes, he can do that by himself. The measure is called a “motion to vacate the chair,” and it only requires the backing of one person to force the House to consider removing the speaker. (Ironically, the rule-change that allowed for this was one of the concessions McCarthy made back in January.)
- Most Republicans are dealing some serious blowback to Gaetz over his move, fearing it will only hand more leverage to Democrats
McCarthy’s ousting might be the only thing on the planet that could get far-right Republicans and progressive Democrats — the two extreme wings of each party — to join forces.

In a response that makes us want to break out in song, McCarthy said, point blank, “I will survive.” He dared his detractors to try to remove him, arguing he did what was necessary to lead the country effectively.

❝

“If somebody wants to make a motion against me, bring it. There has to be an adult in the room.”

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)

WE DIDN’T START THE FIRE?
Amid all the chaos, New York Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman was caught on camera pulling the fire alarm in the Cannon House office building — just as Democrats were seeking to delay a vote on the Republican stopgap funding bill. He claims it was an accident, saying he thought pulling the fire alarm would help him open a locked door to an emergency exit. Critics aren’t buying it.

McCarthy called on the House ethics committee to look into it.
GOP Rep. Lisa McClain said she was drafting a measure to expel Bowman, which would only require a simple majority to pass.
U.S. Capitol Police told reporters they are investigating the incident. In DC, falsely pulling a fire alarm is a misdemeanor.

✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: It’s worth nothing, the same people who are okay with Donald Trump being President with 91 indictments want to kick Bowman out of Congress for pulling the fire alarm.

As for McCarthy, House Democrats see both pros and cons in siding with far-right Rep. Matt Gaetz:

Between McCarthy’s donor network and longstanding relationships in Congress, he is the Republicans’ best fundraiser, so getting him out would help Democrats win back control of the House. Giving him the boot would also be a political nightmare for the GOP.

But the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t know... and by preventing a government shutdown, McCarthy proved he can be responsible and work across the aisle when the country needs leadership.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Las Vegas police arrest man in connection with Tupac Shakur murder investigation (NBC NEWS)

📌 Student loan bills resume for 40 million Americans. How it could shake the economy (CNBC)

📌 Why it rained so hard Friday: Ophelia returned to hit NYC with an Ida-level storm (GOTHAMIST)

📌 Who will be Dianne Feinstein's replacement? Here are California's rules for replacing U.S. senators. (CBS NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Kyiv downplays lack of Ukraine aid in new U.S. spending bill. (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 Nightclub fire kills more than a dozen people in Spain (NY TIMES)

📌 Pro-Russia party wins elections in EU country of Slovakia (CNN)

📌 “No one is safe”; Paris is combating bedbug invasion ahead of next year’s Olympics (NPR)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Toys R Us making comeback with 24 new stores (CNBC)

📌 Apple acknowledges iPhone 15 Pros are overheating, prepares software fix (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 Why a recession may still happen, and soon (INSIDER)

📌 All Onewheel e-skateboards are recalled after reported deaths (NPR)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 'Welcome to New York': Taylor Swift cheers on Travis Kelce for second week in a row (USA TODAY)

📌 AI, residuals and minimums on table as SAG-AFTRA, AMPTP hold first contract talks since strike began (VARIETY)

📌 104 Year Old Chicago woman becomes world’s oldest skydiver (PEOPLE)

📌 Kim Kardashian, Tom Brady get into bidding war at charity auction (FOX NEWS)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: OCTOBER 2

1950: The first ‘Peanuts’ comic strip was published, bringing beloved characters Charlie Brown and Snoopy to life.
1967: American lawyer and civil rights activist Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming its first African American member.
1985: American actor Rock Hudson died, becoming one of the first Hollywood celebrities known to succumb to AIDS-related complications. The extensive publicity surrounding his death drew attention to the disease.
2001: The TV show Scrubs premiered.