House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), despite being in his role nearly a month, remains relatively unknown, per an NBC News poll released Wednesday.
Why it matters: Johnson won a contentious House speaker election last month, becoming the least experienced representative to obtain the gavel in 140 years.
The iconic rock duo Hall & Oates is in the thick of a mysterious litigation battle, online court records show.
The big picture: Daryl Hall filed a lawsuit last week and was granted a restraining order against John Oates, per court records, though further details are limited as the case is under seal.
Why it matters: Bowman agreed to plead guilty last month to one charge of a false fire alarm and pay a $1,000 fine to avoid prosecution by the D.C. attorney general.
A political action committee that wants Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to run as a third-party presidential ticket in 2024 is calling for more transparency from its skeptics.
Why it matters: The committee argues that voters should know "who is backing and bankrolling" efforts to block a third-party ticket from forming, per an adviser with direct knowledge of the group's plans.
The Federal Communications Commission announced a rule proposal this week that would forbid cable and satellite companies from charging customers for canceling their services mid-contract.
A forthcoming book about evangelicals by Tim Alberta — the acupuncturist-like reporter whose magazine profile doomed CNN's Chris Licht — includes detailed on-the-record allegations of drift and grift at Liberty University, founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell.
Why it matters: The university in Lynchburg, Virginia — founded in 1971 by Jerry Falwell Sr., and formerly called Liberty Baptist College — once was an icon of New Right political power. It remains a popular backdrop for Republican presidential candidates.
Many American cities have reached a breaking point this fall over the number of migrants they can shelter and support.
Why it matters: The deepening crisis has forced cities and states — even those known as sanctuaries — to make difficult choices about resource allocation as they continue pushing for billions in federal funding.
The Israeli government and Hamas announced separately on Tuesday they have agreed to a Qatar-mediated deal in which the militant group will free dozens of Israeli hostages in exchange for a four-day pause in fighting in Gaza and the release of dozens of Palestinians held in prisons in Israel.
Why it matters: The deal, once implemented, will be the biggest diplomatic breakthrough and the first major pause in fighting since the war began.
The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed a deputy to the special counsel investigating Hunter Biden as part of their impeachment inquiry into President Biden, per a letter sent to Lesley Wolf.
Why it matters: The panel's demand that Wolf, assistant U.S. attorney for Delaware, provide testimony by Dec. 7 signals the expansion of its inquiry into claims by two IRS whistleblowers that the Department of Justice slow-walked its investigation into Hunter Biden.
The University of Tampa and a Florida school district have joined a growing list of colleges and K-12 school districts being investigated by the Department of Education over alleged incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia.
The big picture: In light ofthe Israel-Hamas war and the resulting uptick in antisemitic and anti-Muslim threats on college campuses, the Education Department has reiterated schools' responsibility to comply with a federal civil rights law that addresses discrimination.
Driving the news: The NRCC ended October with $37.3 million in cash on hand after raising $75.1 million this year, compared to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's $47.3 million cash on hand after raising $101.3 million so far this year.
A surge of attacks on U.S. forces in the Middle East — at least 66 since Oct. 17 — is forcing President Biden to navigate a dangerous tightrope on two life-and-death priorities:
Protecting U.S. service members.
Preventing the war in Gaza from escalating into a calamitous regional conflict.
Why it matters: Hamas' Oct. 7 terrorist attack and Israel's operation to eradicate the Palestinian militant group have turned the region into a tinder box at a key moment in which Biden is politically vulnerable at home.
