©  AP

🎶 Oh, back to school, back to school, to prove to dad that I’m not a fool. I’ve got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight. I hope I don’t get in a fight. Ohh back to school. 🎶 

With August recess and Labor Day behind us, today feels like the first day of school for much of Washington, D.C. The Senate returns today, while the House extended its summer break for another week.  

What is top of mind on Capitol Hill: How to fund the government by Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown. Congress will most likely pass a short-term funding bill to buy more time. What to expect 

What is worrying the Senate: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) health after he froze last week while taking questions. McConnell’s return 

It’s Tuesday — welcome back from the long weekend! We’ve reached the “depths of hell” portion of the summer in D.C. 🥵 What a bad day to start wearing business attire again on the Senate side.  

Back from my weekend of successfully recreating the Honey Deuce cocktail from the U.S. Open, I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

A court struck down Alabama’s new congressional map this morning, arguing it didn’t comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling. 

Instead: A court-appointed official will draw Alabama’s congressional map for 2024. 

Read the opinion 

Back story from The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld: Alabama had submitted the new map after the Supreme Court in June blocked the state’s previous iteration in a 5-4 decision for likely violating the Voting Rights Act. Alabama’s map included one majority-Black district out of the state’s seven total districts, despite 27 percent of the state’s population being Black.

“The Supreme Court’s decision affirmed a lower ruling that mandated the state draw new lines that ‘will need to include two districts in which Black voters either comprise a voting-age majority or something quite close to it.’” (The Hill) 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) office released a letter today on his health. 

From Capitol attending physician Brian Monahan: “My examination of you following your August 30, 2023 brief episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment. There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.” 

Read the letter

Former President Trump and Republican voters are pressuring Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to launch an impeachment inquiry into President Biden over his son’s business dealings, putting McCarthy in an awkward spot. 

Why moderates are hesitant about an impeachment inquiry: They worry there isn’t enough evidence and could backfire politically. While Republicans say they see plenty of smoke around Hunter Biden, moderates argue the fire is lacking. 
 

Read: The political pressures at play for McCarthy, via The Hill’s Emily Brooks

Politico’s Natalie Allison calculated that “mentions of ‘Hunter Biden’ on Fox News and Newsmax shot up this summer, compared to earlier in the year. To date this year, ‘Hunter Biden’ has been mentioned on air on the two conservative channels more than 16,400 times, including over 2,300 times per network in July.” (Politico) 

The Hill’s Mychael Schnell reports that “House Republicans are set to face two major — and politically polarizing — issues when they return to Washington next week.” 

How so?: The Sept. 30 government funding deadline is looming, but that was expected. “But Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) announcement the House could open an impeachment inquiry into President Biden as soon as September has kicked that hectic outlook into overdrive.”   

For McCarthy: “Logistically speaking … addressing both matters over the few legislative days in September will be tough, requiring political maneuvering by McCarthy with conservatives pushing for steeper spending cuts and moderates wary of opening an impeachment inquiry.” How this could shake out 

Columnist Greg Sargent wrote an interesting piece in The Washington Post about how former President Trump’s legal cases could play out and whether he could be disqualified from running for president in 2024. 

Basically: “Tossing a legal grenade into our politics, two conservative scholars recently argued that the 14th Amendment disqualifies Donald Trump for the presidency, as it bars anyone who has ‘engaged in insurrection or rebellion’ against the United States from seeking federal office.”  

What could happen: Sargent’s explanation is worth reading 

‘Why Trump’s court dates may not impact his primary success’: From The Hill’s Brett Samuels 

First lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday night. 

How is she feeling?: She has mild symptoms. Her communications director said she will recover at their home in Rehoboth Beach, Del. 

How is President Biden feeling?: He tested negative after the first lady received a positive test. 

Thousands of Burning Man attendees were left stranded in thick mud this weekend after an intense rainstorm and massive flooding temporarily shut down roads to and from the festival.  At one point, festivalgoers were even told to conserve food and water. 

The New York Times has an interesting read on the festival and the exodus that began on Monday once the mud started to dry. It’s worth reading if you don’t know much about Burning Man. (The New York Times) 

Yikes, here a video of flooding in Las Vegas: From AccuWeather 

This made me laugh: President Biden was briefed over the weekend on the flooding. CNN’s DJ Judd pointed out, “Would love to have been a fly on the wall when there was a staffer tasked with explaining ‘Burning Man’ to President Joseph R. Biden.”  

One person’s 6-mile journey: @neal_katyal posted, “It was an incredibly harrowing 6 mile hike at midnight through heavy and slippery mud, but I got safely out of Burning Man. Never been before and it was fantastic (with brilliant art and fabulous music)…except the ending.” Photos and full post 

This headline sounds like a Mad Lib in any other context: “Diplo hitchhiked ride out of rain-drenched Burning Man after walking miles ‘through the mud’ and actually made it to his DC concert” (CNN) 

^ Watch Diplo, a famous DJ and music producer, describe his journey: It involves Chris Rock and Cindy Crawford. Watch Diplo explain 

Capital Weather Gang posted, “Here’s a great shot of the fireball (large meteor) that streaked across the Mid-Atlantic skies around 9:25p, captured by Leigh Fitzgerald — who shared it with us on Facebook! It was taken in Woodbridge, Va.” Video of the large, fireball-like meteor cross the sky 

The Senate is back from August recess. The House is out for another week. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Harris is in Indonesia. 

• Today: Harris landed in Indonesia. 

• 11 a.m.: Biden received his daily briefing. 

• 1 p.m. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and national security adviser Jake Sullivan give a press briefing. 📺 Livestream

• 1:15 p.m.: State Department principal deputy press secretary Vedant Patel hold a press briefing. 📺 Livestream

• 2 p.m.: Defense Department spokesman Brigadier General Pat Ryder briefs reporters. 📺 Livestream

• 3 p.m.: The Senate returns (!) 

• 3:30 p.m.: Biden awards the Medal of Honor to a former U.S. Army captain. 📺 Livestream

• 5:30 p.m.: A Senate cloture vote on a nomination. Today’s Senate agenda 

• Sept. 12: The House returns. House calendar  

All times Eastern.

📝 Hey PR folks, know of any events with livestreams?: If you know of an event coming up that will be livestreamed, please feel free to email me cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com to be included in this section.  

🍕 Celebrate: Today is National Cheese Pizza Day! 

🍁 Fall foliage: Here’s a list of expected peak dates for fall foliage, according to the Farmers’ Almanac. Peak dates 

🧀 Opening today: A massive food hall is opening in the Farragut Square area of Washington, D.C., today, featuring locally famous chefs. Photos and deets 

🍗 The secret to easy weeknight dinners: Rotisserie chicken! The Washington Post’s Becky Krystal wrote an advice column on how to select the best rotisserie chicken at the grocery store — and ideas for how to use them as a dinner shortcut. Read  

And to leave you with a video that made me laugh out loud, here’s an entrepreneurial girl with a brilliant idea. 

^ I would 100 percent pay for this.    

Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com. A friend forward this to you? Subscribe here.

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