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1:20 AM ET, October 14, 2023

Top Items:

Republicans ramp up search for an escape hatch from speaker chaos — A bipartisan solution to the GOP's leadership problems still sounds farfetched to most. But then, so does Jim Jordan's prospects of winning next week. — Centrists are signaling they're open to a deal. Democrats are outlining terms.

Scott Wong / NBC News:

GOP lawmaker plans to launch a bid for House speaker if Jim Jordan falls short — Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., is laying the groundwork to seek the speaker's gavel if Rep. Jim Jordan, the party's current nominee, is unable to get the votes needed on the House floor.

Discussion: CNBC, Missouri Independent, The Floridian, New York Magazine, The Hill, Political Wire, The Guardian and The Messenger

NBC News:

Democrats refuse to help GOP out of House speaker mess, trashing Jim Jordan as an ‘insurrectionist’ — Democratic leaders spoke on the steps of the Capitol and dialed up their rhetoric against Republicans for nominating a conservative firebrand to be the next House speaker.

Discussion: Axios, Semafor, Raw Story, The Messenger, American Greatness, Political Wire, PoliticusUSA and Daily Kos

Dana Milbank / Washington Post:

House Republicans collapse into anarchy — War in Israel. War in Ukraine. The federal government shutting down in 35 days. These are uncertain times. — But there is one eternal truth, one unwavering constant to steady us when all else is in flux: Every time the House Republican majority tries …

Discussion: Associated Press, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Messenger, Slate, CBS News, Rolling Stone, Breitbart, Bloomberg and Outside the Beltway

The Hill:

Jordan clinches Speaker nomination in GOP's second go at the gavel — House Republicans nominated Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for Speaker on Friday, the conference's second attempt to find a candidate who can win the gavel on the House floor. — Jordan, currently chair of the House Judiciary Committee …

Discussion: Politico, Roll Call, KSDK-TV, The Atlantic, Raw Story, Breitbart, Bloomberg, UPI, The Messenger, Vox, Insider, The Gateway Pundit, NPR, NBC News, Boing Boing, New Republic and The Daily Caller

Washington Post:

Live updates House GOP voting on speaker hopefuls Jim Jordan and Austin Scott — House Republicans on Friday afternoon are holding a closed-door vote between two nominees for speaker: Reps. Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Austin Scott (Ga.). The conference is scrambling to find a nominee …

Luke Broadwater / New York Times:
Jordan to Seek Speakership as Republican Infighting Rages

Discussion: The Daily Signal, Fox News, CNN, New York Magazine, Breitbart, The Daily Beast, The Daily Caller, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, KSNG-TV, abc7NY, Washington Times, Mediaite, RedState and The Hill

Brian Schwartz / CNBC:
House speaker race injects chaos into high-dollar Republican fundraising

Discussion: Raw Story, Mediaite and OpenSecrets.org

Amanda Marcotte / Salon:
House GOP in total chaos: So much for fascist order and discipline!

Discussion: No More Mister Nice Blog and Axios

Stephen Groves / Associated Press:
Some want to grant temporary House speaker more power as Republican gridlock stalls Congress

Discussion: New York Times, al.com, The Guardian, Florida Politics, The Hill, Wisconsin Examiner, Roll Call and The Messenger

Andrew Solender / Axios:
Bipartisan talk grows as GOP fails to find a speaker

Discussion: Semafor, PJ Media, The Dispatch, The Texas Tribune, National Review, New York Daily News, PoliticusUSA, Mediaite and Political Wire

Politico:
Fear and loathing grips the House GOP

Discussion: ABC News, The Daily Beast, New York Magazine, Breitbart, The American Independent, Raw Story, The Nation, Boing Boing, Democrats, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Kos, Roll Call, NBC News, Vox and The Messenger

Jose Pagliery / The Daily Beast:

Michael Cohen Set to Skip Trump Bank Fraud Trial Testimony — Cohen is poised to be a star witness in the New York AG's case against his former boss, but he is planning to skip his appearance next week. … Michael Cohen, the archenemy of Donald Trump, was set to be the star witness at the ex-president's ongoing bank fraud trial.

Discussion: NBC News, CBS News, Raw Story, The Messenger and The Hill

NBC News:

Trump falsely characterized Israel's role in his administration's hit on Iran's Soleimani, say former U.S. officials — “They were never on board with it,” said a former senior White House official, referring to the Israelis. “They always thought it was a dangerous and destabilizing idea.”

Discussion: Raw Story, The Atlantic, Washington Examiner and Jerusalem Post

Dennis Aftergut / The Bulwark:

Will Narcissist Trump's Bizarre Praise for Hezbollah Hurt Him? — DONALD TRUMP HAS DEMONSTRATED YET AGAIN that he is a man without a single ounce of human decency. At an event in West Palm Beach on Wednesday night, just four days after Hamas's brutal attack on Israeli civilians, Trump did the unthinkable.

Wall Street Journal:
Donald Trump's Israeli War Insight

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Another element of Trump's ‘rigged election’ narrative collapses

Discussion: Raw Story

Anna Schecter / NBC News:

‘Top secret’ Hamas documents show that terrorists intentionally targeted elementary schools and a youth center — Maps and documents recovered from the bodies of Hamas attackers reveal a coordinated plan to target children and take hostages inside an Israeli village near Gaza.

Discussion: HotAir, Breitbart, The Times of Israel, RedState, New York Post, The Messenger and The Daily Signal

Paul Blumenthal / HuffPost:

Israeli President Says There Are No Innocent Civilians In Gaza — “It is an entire nation out there that is responsible,” Isaac Herzog said as Israel ordered 1.1 million Palestinians to evacuate their homes. — LOADING — As Israel engages in a massive air campaign ahead …

Discussion: Bloomberg.com, Reuters, The Daily Caller, Al Jazeera, New York Times, VINnews, Raw Story, NewsNation, New York Daily News, The Hill, CBS News, a continuous cutting motion, Washington Post, Associated Press, Middle East Monitor and RedState

Ed Morrissey / HotAir:
Israel: Get out of Gaza City — now

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Foreign Affairs, Digby's Hullabaloo, The Hill, Jacobin, Associated Press, New Republic, Power Line, National Review, The Daily Caller, New York Post, Sputnik India, Politico, Al Jazeera, acecomments.mu.nu, Sun-Sentinel and New York Times

Alexander Ward / Politico:
Ground invasion of Gaza ‘imminent,’ Israeli officials say

Discussion: NPR, Financial Times, The Dispatch, Associated Press, Semafor, The Daily Beast, Bloomberg, Political Wire, NBC News, Reuters and CBS News

Associated Press:
Israel orders unprecedented evacuation of 1 million in Gaza as possible ground offensive looms

Politico:

4 Democratic centrists to McHenry: Let's make a deal — In a letter to McHenry that was obtained by POLITICO, the Democrats floated giving him “temporary, expanded authorities” — in exchange for concessions.

Discussion: Fox News and The Mahablog

Hussein Ibish / The Atlantic:

Israel Is Walking Into a Trap — Storming into Gaza will fulfill Hamas's wish. — It's a trap. Hamas's ruthless and spectacular attack on southern Israel last Saturday was many things: an atrocity, a display of militant ingenuity, and a demonstration of the weakness of Israeli intelligence and defenses.

Discussion: RedState

Nanette Asimov / San Francisco Chronicle:

Stanford students say lecturer called Jews in class ‘colonizers,’ minimized Holocaust — As Stanford University investigates reports that a lecturer discussing the war between Hamas and Israel “called out individual students in class based on their backgrounds and identities,” …

Discussion: CNN, New York Times, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Caller, Reason and New York Post

Beth Harpaz / The Forward:
Stanford instructor removed for targeting Jewish students as ‘colonizers’ after Hamas attack on Israel

Discussion: Daily Mail, PJ Media, Fox News, Breitbart, Washington Free Beacon, J., acecomments.mu.nu, HotAir, Instapundit, The Free Press, The Messenger, Reason and New York Post

New York Times:

Dennis Kucinich Leaves Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Presidential Campaign — The former Democratic congressman, who served as Mr. Kennedy's campaign manager, departed just days after he introduced Mr. Kennedy as an independent candidate. — Dennis J. Kucinich has left his post …

Discussion: The Messenger, Politico, Political Wire and Washington Times

Adam Klasfeld / The Messenger:

Ex-Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg's Testimony Abruptly Ended After Forbes Story Accused Him of Perjury — A source close to New York Attorney General Letitia James confirmed that her office is looking into the latest report about the former Trump CFO's testimony

Discussion: Raw Story

Dan Alexander / Forbes:
Trump's Longtime CFO Lied, Under Oath, About Trump Tower Penthouse

Discussion: CBS News, CNN, Associated Press, The Messenger, Insider, Boing Boing, Raw Story and New York Daily News

Akbar Shahid Ahmed / HuffPost:

Stunning State Department Memo Warns Diplomats: No Gaza ‘De-Escalation’ Talk — As Israel escalates its offensive, U.S. diplomats are being discouraged from publicly using three phrases that would urge calm. — As Israel escalates its attacks on Gaza, the State Department …