The House isn’t shutting down the government after all.

Get Your House in Order

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The House isn’t shutting down the government after all.

Oh no?

Not this week. Yesterday, most Democrats joined House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to pass a bill keeping the government lights on until early next year. It marked the first test of Johnson’s leadership — and he, like former speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) last month, went the bipartisan route. The bill apparently funds the government at rates Democrats had set under Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), so they’re fine with it. The House Freedom Caucus, which includes Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), isn’t. As they put it, there are not enough budget cuts, money for border security or “a single meaningful win for the American people.”

So does that mean Johnson will go the way of McCarthy?

He could — but so far the conservative flank is holding back. That might be because they didn’t like McCarthy on a personal level. And it showed: yesterday, Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) — part of the House Freedom Caucus — accused McCarthy of intentionally elbowing him in a hallway. McCarthy reportedly said, “If I’d kidney punched him, he’d be on the ground.” Gaetz is calling for an ethics investigation. But that’s not the only place things got tense: a fistfight almost broke out in the Senate.

Excuse me?

During a Senate hearing about unions, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) — an actual former MMA fighter — was ready to enter the ring with the president of the Teamsters union, Sean O’Brien. Mullin confronted O’Brien over past tweets calling the senator a “greedy CEO” who should “quit the tough guy act,” adding “#LittleManSyndrome.” Mullin told O’Brien, “you wanna run your mouth, we can be two consenting adults, we can finish it here.” Mullin then told him “stand your butt up” before 82-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) broke it up. Mittens off.

theSkimm

Congress seemed to take all that pent-up shutdown tension and channel it into whatever yesterday was. Now, it’s up to the Senate to pass the shutdown bill by Friday and for everyone to get their tempers in check.

The Latest:

• Shifa hospital: Israel has released video of what it describes as a tunnel entrance and security cam footage of Hamas militants taking hostages into Shifa hospital on October 7th. Hamas says it brought the hostages in for medical treatment and that Israel’s allegations are a “pure lie.” It comes as almost 300 patients remain in Shifa hospital while dozens of babies were evacuated for treatment. 

• Red Sea: Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels reportedly took over two dozen crew members hostage on a ship they say is Israeli owned. It comes amid reports that Israel and Hamas are close to reaching a deal that would see Hamas release dozens of hostages in exchange for a five-day pause in fighting.

Who’s having a 1:1…

President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jingping. Today, the two leaders are meeting for the first time in a year amid concerns over everything from spy balloons to military tensions on water and in the sky. Expectations for the California meeting — taking place during the annual APEC summit — are low. Though, the two have apparently signed off on a climate agreement ahead of today's meeting. Biden and Xi could also find consensus on a few other things: that it’s time to reopen military-to-military communications and to take AI software out of nuclear command systems. They may also agree to crack down on fentanyl, which is created with chemicals primarily sourced from China and part of an uptick of overdose-related deaths in the US. Ahead of the meeting, Biden said the goal is “to get back on a normal course” with China.

What’s cooling off…

Inflation. Yesterday, the Labor Department released new data that paints a not-so-scary picture of the economy last month. Overall, the consumer price index (CPI) didn’t change much month to month — which is the lowest it’s been since July. That’s thanks to stuff getting a little cheaper, including gas. Still, it rose from the same time last year by 3.2%. Wall Street was happy about the news, with the Dow jumping almost 500 points — the best day it’s had since April. Economists think inflation will continue to drop — and that the latest report could sway the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates this year.

…Oh and if inflation has your wallet or credit card hurting, we have tips to bring your debt down.

What could turn that frown upside down…

Micro-acts of joy. Yesterday, scientists found that doing even one small act of joy each day can boost your mood by over 25% each week. It's based on an analysis of surveys involving at least 11,000 people. According to the study, anything from a gratitude list to doing something kind for others had a sizable impact on mood each week. As one researcher put it, it could lead to “greater well-being, better coping, less stress, more satisfaction with relationships.” It’s the little things.

...Oh and speaking of joy: let’s discuss the pleasure gap.

Who’s putting their foot down…

The UK’s Supreme Court. Today, Britain’s highest court decided that the government’s polarizing plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda was unconstitutional because they would be "at real risk of ill-treatment.” The decision is a severe setback to some conservative government plans that drew international attention.

Who's saying ‘so what’...

Pink, who's giving away banned books.

Who's making their solo debut...

André 3000.