Trump's lawyers argue DC fed'l charges unconstitutional, should be tossed  —  The lawyers argue the indictment violates the First Amendment, due process, and double jeopardy protections in one of four late-night filings Monday.  —  In a late-night filing Monday, Donald Trump's lawyers argued …

Playbook: The House's ‘Purge’ moment  —  Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  DEBATE UPDATE — CHRIS CHRISTIE now says he has enough donors to qualify for the third GOP presidential debate, Natalie Allison scoops this morning.

U.S. State Senator Arrested in Hong Kong After Carrying Gun Onto Flight  —  Jeff Wilson, who was released on bail, says he didn't realize it was in his bag and that baggage screeners in the U.S. hadn't detected it  —  A Washington state senator was on a flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong …

U.S. readies plans for mass evacuations if Gaza war escalates  —  Officials said that the more than 600,000 Americans living in Israel and Lebanon are of particular concern, but they stressed that an operation of such magnitude is a worst-case scenario  —  CORRECTION

10/24/23 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM  —  THE TOP … So you think this is bad, the interminable House Republican race for speaker?  —  Just wait until we get to the other side of this crisis. … None of the eight candidates for the House's top job has extensive time in a senior leadership role …

Off-duty pilot charged with 83 counts of attempted murder for allegedly trying to shut off engines on Alaska Airlines flight  —  Joseph David Emerson was taken into custody, the Port of Portland confirmed.  —  An off-duty pilot is charged with 83 counts of attempted murder after he allegedly tried …

Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu removed from position following disappearance  —  Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu was fired on Tuesday, becoming the second high-profile minister to lose his job without official reasons.  —  His removal marks two months after he disappeared from public view.

Spain's Sanchez Agrees to Cut Workweek to 37.5 Hours in Deal With Far Left  — Acting Premier Sanchez has until Nov. 27 to form a government  — It's unlikely that cut to workweek will get final approval  —  Spain's Socialist Party and the far-left group Sumar agreed to cut weekly working hours …

‘I Mean, Is This My Party?’  —  A new book asks if even anti-Trumpers like Mitt Romney bear some blame for the rise of a man who has destroyed the GOP.  —  “I have learned through my life experience,” Mitt Romney said, “that it's human to rationalize what's in our best interest.”  J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Ramaswamy: U.S. pulling out of NATO is ‘reasonable,’ as is ‘reevaluating’ UN membership  —  His stance means at least two of the top four Republicans vying for the presidency are skeptical of America's involvement in post-World War II institutions.  —  One of the better-polling Republican …

Santos says he isn't leaving.  Candidates are still lining up for his seat.  —  The indicted House Republican is due in court again Friday.  His Democratic and Republican rivals are preparing for a potential special election.  —  NEW YORK — The wait to replace indicted Rep. George Santos has lasted longer than his rivals expected.

Republicans can't govern.  Just ask them.  —  As the party flails in its search for a speaker, the GOP is increasingly acknowledging publicly that its discord is embarrassing — and even dangerous.  —  It's not clear yet that House Republicans' inability to elect a new speaker …

Congress officially avoided a shutdown — but GOP hardliners still caused one  —  It's not just political chaos in the Republican Party.  The speakership crisis has lopped off half the legislative branch while two wars rage overseas.

Tom Emmer scrambles to fix his Trump problem  —  The majority whip is battling a whisper campaign questioning his past support for the ex-president.  —  As House Republicans sort through a field of short-timers and back-benchers to pick their next speaker, Majority Whip Tom Emmer stands out.