Those who tuned out news over the weekend and will wake up Monday surprised to find the government still running missed quite the weekend out of DC. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy bucked his party's hard-liners and got a spending deal passed with the help of Democrats. As a result, his position as speaker is now in jeopardy. Oh, and there was a fire literal alarm pulled amid all this that may or may not have been intentional. So what now? Coverage:
- Mercy of Democrats: McCarthy's arch-enemy, GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz, vows he will trigger the infamous "motion to vacate" (MTV) this week, meaning he will force a vote on whether McCarthy should remain speaker. Politico digs deep into the logistics: Gaetz will begin with five to 10 sure votes among Republicans and thus will need as many as 200 Democrats to vote with him. Will they go along? Much depends on House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, who has yet to tip his hand. "He suddenly has enormous leverage, but will have to weigh carefully how aggressively to use it," writes Ryan Lizza. Of course, it's possible, and perhaps likely, that much of this was already worked out behind closed doors as part of the weekend politicking.
- About that vote: The New York Times has a story seeking to explain McCarthy's about-face. Knowing he had exhausted all options of passing something with only GOP support and worried that Republicans would get blamed for a shutdown, he convened allies in the Capitol basement Saturday morning and surprised them by announcing he would try one last time—this time with a bill that ditched GOP imperatives including tough immigration restrictions and steep spending cuts. Democrats (after stalling to assess the proposal) backed it. In the end, the measure passed 335 to 91, with more Democrats than Republicans in favor. McCarthy is seeking to present himself as the "adult in the room," as he put it, and is defiantly welcoming the MTV.