How Trump was talked into — and out of — a run for speaker  —  A behind-the-scenes campaign coaxed the former president out of a quixotic campaign.  —  Just hours after Kevin McCarthy was deposed as House speaker, the “draft Trump” movement began.  —  “I called him and I said, 'Sir …

Kevin McCarthy considers resigning from the House before the end of his term  —  The deposed former speaker has made clear he plans to stay at least through the speakership election before ending his House career, two people familiar with the matter tell POLITICO.

Donald Trump's lawyers seek to halt civil fraud trial and block ruling disrupting real estate empire  —  Former President Donald Trump's civil fraud trial will roll ahead next week after he lost a bid Friday to postpone it.  Trump wanted to halt the trial while he fights a pretrial ruling …

America needs to talk about the right's ‘Red Caesar’ plan for U.S. dictatorship  —  The incredible scenes this week on Capitol Hill — leaving the U.S. House without a speaker and promising an autumn of sheer chaos in Congress — marked a rapid escalation of the downward spiral of American democracy.

Iowa police dispute Ramaswamy campaign's claim that protesters rammed their car  —  “Our investigation has revealed no evidence to substantiate” the claim that protesters hit Ramaswamy's car on purpose and fled, police said.  —  Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's campaign claimed Thursday …

Moms for Liberty Is Taking Over Banned Books Week  —  It's the American Library Association's annual Banned Books Week, a tradition that started in 1982.  This year, the theme is “Let Freedom Read!” in honor of record-breaking efforts to censor books now sweeping the nation's libraries and schools.

During an online fundraiser, Matt Gaetz denounced the Biden impeachment effort as unserious  —  As the House tries to replace Kevin McCarthy, the future of the impeachment inquiry could become a bargaining chip in the wrangling to win the speakership.  —  WASHINGTON — Days before Rep. Matt Gaetz led …

Massive Changes Could Be Coming From the Vatican.  Conservative US Catholics Are Mad as Hell.  —  This week, hundreds of delegates from around the world began a monthlong meeting as part of Pope Francis' “Synod on Synodality”—a gathering to discuss the future of the Catholic church.

Pharmacies begin dispensing abortion pills  —  A handful of pharmacies are offering the pills 10 months after the Biden administration allowed them to do so.  —  A handful of independent pharmacies across the country have quietly begun dispensing the abortion pill mifepristone under …

Payrolls soared by 336,000 in September, defying expectations for a hiring slowdown  — Nonfarm payrolls increased by 336,000 for the month, better than the Dow Jones consensus estimate for 170,000.  — Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% for the month and 4.2% from a year ago, compared to respective estimates for 0.3% and 4.3%.

A bipartisan coalition is the way forward for the House  —  Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) is the Democratic leader of the House of Representatives.  —  In recent days, Democrats have tried to show our colleagues in the Republican majority a way out of the dysfunction and rancor they have allowed to engulf the House.

Iowa surrenders, falls back to Super Tuesday for Democrats in 2024  —  Iowa Democrats say they will compete for an earlier nominating contest in future years.  —  ST. LOUIS — Iowa Democrats will surrender their first-in-the-nation caucuses next year, party officials said Friday …

Running Spoiler Campaigns Does Not Protect ‘Democracy’ … Most Americans who oppose Donald Trump agree the threat to democracy is the major issue of the 2024 election.  But what, precisely, constitutes the threat?  To most Democrats, the danger is that the election will install into power …

N.J. Attorney General Opens Inquiry Into Nadine Menendez's Fatal Crash  —  The scrutiny could create fresh legal and political peril for Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat, who has been charged with accepting bribes.  —  The New Jersey attorney general's office seized records on Thursday …

33 Lawmakers Urge Biden To Release Leonard Peltier — Including 1 Republican  —  We must “hold our government accountable when we see a case of injustice,” they said of the Indigenous activist who has been in prison for nearly 50 years.  —  LOADING  —  Nearly three dozen members of Congress …

Is the speaker pro tempore acting up?  —  Presented by With assists from POLITICO's Congress team  —  PARSING PATRICK'S POWERS  —  The word “unprecedented” often gets bandied about in politics for things that are actually just uncommon.  What's happening now in the House, however, is truly unprecedented.

Televised Fox News Speaker forum called off after candidates pull out  —  Plans for a televised Fox News forum with three contenders for House Speaker fell apart soon after they were announced.  —  Host Bret Baier was slated to have House Majority Leader Scalise (R-La.) …

Michigan judge rules defendants accused in false elector scheme will not have charges dropped  —  LANSING, Mich. — Michigan defendants accused of participating in a fake elector scheme will not have their charges dropped after the state attorney general said the group was “brainwashed” …