WTF Just Happened Today

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

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1/ Republicans nominated Steve Scalise to be the next speaker, but then the House recessed without voting. Although a majority of the 221 Republicans nominated Scalise for speaker, too many Republicans still plan to vote for Kevin McCarthy, which makes it unlikely that Scalise can win the 217 votes he needs on the House floor to win the speakership. If the House does elect Scalise, the chamber will then be able to restart legislative work – which stalled after McCarthy’s removal – including aid for Israel and funding measures to keep the government open after Nov. 17. (New York Times / Washington Post / The Hill / ABC News / NBC News / CNN / CNBC / Axios / Bloomberg)

2/ Federal prosecutors charged George Santos with 10 additional counts in a superseding indictment, accusing him of stealing the identities of donors and then fraudulently charging their credit cards to spend thousands of dollars. The new charges also include allegations that Santos embezzled money and conspired to falsify donation totals in order to hit fundraising targets set by national Republicans. Santos now faces 23 charges in the case, including the 13 filed against him earlier this year for wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and lying to Congress. Santos vowed not to resign or pursue a plea bargain. A group of House Republicans from New York, meanwhile, plan to introduce a resolution to expel Santos from Congress. (ABC News / Axios / CBS News / NBC News / Washington Post / NPR / Politico / NPR / CNN / Associated Press)

3/ The Biden administration plans to ask Congress to approve a funding package for Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan, and U.S. border security. Lawmakers in both parties have pledged to send funding to Israel, but additional help for Ukraine will likely c...

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