The quest for a speaker may never end  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  Sneakers are not allowed in the Speaker's Lobby — but surely the House could make an exception for a reporter as fashionable as our colleague Jackie Alemany, especially when there is no speaker?  —  Tips: earlytips@washpost.com.

Congressman's Wife Receives Anonymous Texts Warning Husband to Vote For Jim Jordan: ‘Will Not Hold Any Political Office Ever Again’  —  The wife of Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) reportedly received anonymous text messages and emails warning her husband to back Rep. Jim Jordan's (R-OH) House speakership campaign ahead of Tuesday's vote.

10/18/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM … If it wasn't obvious to you Tuesday morning when we laid out 10-plus members who were likely to vote no, it should be obvious now.  —  Jordan lost 20 Republicans on the House floor Tuesday during the speaker tally, netting just 200 votes.

Jordan says House must choose between Republican speaker or coalition with Democrats  —  Jordan told reporters that there will be a vote for speaker today with his name on the ballot, followed by a resolution for McHenry to be empowered as speaker pro tempore.  He said empowering McHenry would be done with Democrats.

The resurrection of Jim Jordan  —  Tesnim Zekeria, Rebecca Crosby, and Judd Legum  —  On Tuesday, Republicans came close to making Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH), a key player in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, the next Speaker of the House.  Jordan received 200 votes — 17 fewer than he needed.

Biden Backs Israel's Denials About Horrific Gaza Hospital Bombing  —  The president said his conclusion was based on U.S. Defense Department data.  —  President Joe Biden on Wednesday expressed agreement with Israel in denying that the Israeli military was responsible for a catastrophic explosion …