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. 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

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 …

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 …

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.

‘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

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 …

Woman charged with homicide of Mika Westwolf  —  In the early morning of March 31, 2023, Mika Westwolf, a 22-year-old Indigenous woman, was walking on the shoulder of U.S. Highway 93, which passes through the Flathead reservation in Montana.  Westwolf was struck by a Cadillac Escalade and declared dead at the scene.

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 …

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.

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 …