Trump compares himself to Mandela and rails against Biden after filing for New Hampshire primary  —  Former President Donald Trump compared himself to anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela on Monday as he cast himself as the victim of federal and state prosecutors he alleges are targeting him and his businesses for political reasons.

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. 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

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

‘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

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.

Thoughts on Israel and Gaza  —  It's been 17 days since Hamas launched its horrific attack against Israel, killing over 1,400 Israeli citizens, including defenseless women, children and the elderly.  In the aftermath of such unspeakable brutality, the U.S. government and the American people …

Ted Cruz to be at Game 7 despite Astros fan opposition  —  Some Houston Astros fans are begging Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas.) to not attend the Game 7 of their American League Championship Series (ALCS) against state rival the Texas Rangers due to bad luck.  —  Fans of the defending World Series …