9/12/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM  —  THE TOP … McCarthy and the House Republican leadership scheduled a closed-door session for Thursday morning so that members could get an update on the investigations led by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and House Oversight Committee Chair Jamie Comer (R-Ky.).

Va. Dem.  House candidate performed sex online with husband for tips  —  Susanna Gibson is running in a competitive district with control of the House at stake.  —  RICHMOND — A Democrat running for a crucial seat in Virginia's House of Delegates performed sex acts with her husband …

Trump lawyers seek recusal of judge in DC presiding over federal election subversion case  —  Lawyers for Donald Trump on Monday asked the federal judge presiding over his election subversion case in Washington to recuse herself, saying her past public statements about the former president …

The US moves to advance a prisoner swap deal with Iran and release $6 billion in frozen funds  —  The Biden administration has cleared the way for the release of five American citizens detained in Iran by issuing a blanket waiver for international banks to transfer $6 billion in frozen Iranian money …

Trump faces another 14th Amendment candidacy challenge, this time in Minnesota  —  A liberal group filed a lawsuit Tuesday to block former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot in Minnesota, the second major lawsuit in two weeks that hopes to invoke the 14th Amendment's arcane “insurrectionist ban.”

Poverty rate jumps in 2022 after end of enhanced child tax credit  —  The share of Americans, particularly children, in poverty rose significantly last year, in large part because Congress did not renew a Covid-19 pandemic enhancement to the child tax credit, according to Census Bureau data released Tuesday.

Iowa 2024: Biden and Trump Remain Frontrunners In Caucuses, But Both Losing Ground  —  Home Polls Iowa 2024: Biden and Trump Remain Frontrunners In Caucuses, But Both Losing Ground  —  Neither Party with Clear Alternatives to Frontrunners  —  A new Emerson College Polling survey …

‘I just had another one’: How McConnell scrambled to protect his job after two freeze-ups  —  The GOP leader emerged from a tumultuous 10 days with his internal strength intact, according to interviews with more than a dozen senators.  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's apparent health problems …

Mark Meadows lost big on Friday night.  And so did Donald Trump.  —  Back to Fulton County for you!  —  🚨 WE'RE OFFERING FREE TRIALS FOR ALL NEW PUBLIC NOTICE SIGNUPS 🚨 Click the button to support this work and unlock full access to everything we publish.

Wisconsin Republicans' nuclear option  —  In April, Janet Protasiewicz was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court with more than one million votes, defeating her conservative opponent by a wide margin.  Her victory tipped the balance of the court, and the new liberal majority will soon review a case …

Senile Joe Biden rambles about pony soldiers, Vietnam and lies about 9/11  —  In April 1968, after he had run through five draft deferments, a medical board determined Joe Biden was unfit to go to Vietnam.  —  Unfortunately, nobody stopped him this time.  —  The president …

Ross Douthat's Theories of Persuasion  —  At a time of distrust and polarization, the conservative Times columnist seeks to bridge the worlds of the Christian right and the secular left.  —  This summer, Ross Douthat, liberal America's favorite conservative commentator …

Andrew Yang says he's had ‘conversations’ with No Labels  —  The former Democratic candidate railed against a potential Trump-Biden rematch in an interview in POLITICO's office.  —  Andrew Yang, the former Democratic presidential candidate and one-time New York City mayoral hopeful …

‘Spying’ scandal shocks Westminster's China circle  —  Decoding transatlantic relations with Beijing.  —  with PHELIM KINE  —  WELCOME TO CHINA WATCHER.  This is Stuart Lau, reporting from Westminster, where a major China spy scandal has erupted over the past 48 hours or so …

Political ad spending for 2024 expected to shatter $10 billion, breaking record  —  The new projected high comes as ad spending in the GOP race has already hit a torrid pace.  —  Political ad spending is projected to reach new heights by the end of the 2024 election cycle …

Tim Scott's girlfriend … In June, as Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) began to get a little momentum in the presidential primary, a person working on behalf of one of Scott's Republican opponents messaged me, asking to chat.  —  “Have you seen the video,” he asked over the phone, conspiratorially, “where he says he has a girlfriend?”

Threads blocks searches related to covid and vaccines as cases rise  —  Public health experts denounced the platform's moderation policies, which they say restrict access to critical health information  —  LOS ANGELES — Instagram's text-based social platform Threads last week rolled …