12:30 Report

The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Santos ouster causes headache for Speaker Johnson

by Cate Martel 12/01/23 12:31 PM ET

{beacon}

12:30 REPORT

It’s Friday — Happy December!! ?☃️? What a wildly busy Friday on Capitol Hill today. Here’s what’s on deck today:

The House just voted to boot Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress. This is a big, big deal.
The Gavin Newsom-Ron DeSantis debate is the talk of the political world. If you didn’t watch, I included a few key moments and takeaways to catch you up.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor died at the age of 93.
McDonald’s spent seven years to develop an improved burger recipe — and is now unveiling the updated burger. It includes more than 50 small tweaks to the original recipe.

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@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. 

? Breaking

George Santoast:

The House just voted to oust Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) from Congress, making him the sixth lawmaker to ever be ousted.

The vote: 311-114-2, easily clearing the two-thirds threshold to kick him out.

Santos walked out of the Capitol and into a car: He did not say anything. Photo of the cameras following him out of the chamber

The feeling in the House chamber: “House is deadly silent. Then a smattering of applause. ‘That’s it?’ one Democrat asked. After months of drama, the Santos soap opera is over for the House. His office will be taken over by the Clerk’s office.” (From Punchbowl’s John Bresnahan)

Santos dressed for the occasion: “Santos is standing in the middle of the chamber, wearing a black overcoat over his shoulders. He is shaking peoples’ hands and walking out of the chamber. (From Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman)

?There are flowers outside Santos’s office: Photo from C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman

Live blog of the ouster vote

Watch the House vote

?Why this matters: This is a big, big deal. This is only the sixth time in U.S. history that a House member has been expelled. Politically, this means that Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) already razor-thin margins to pass government funding bills just became even tighter. And while Santos was considered a liability after last month’s damning House Ethics Committee report and 23 pending federal charges, some lawmakers worry it sets a dangerous precedent to target political enemies. Given these considerations, it shows just how toxic Santos had become in the eyes of his colleagues.

The small club Santos just joined: NBC News’s Steve Kornacki posted a list of the five other House members who have been ousted. Three of the five were expelled in 1861, another in 1980 and another in 2002. Photos of the five other ousted lawmakers

? What happens now?: This leaves an empty House seat. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has 10 days to call for a special election. The special election will then happen in 70 to 80 days. In the meantime, this will leave House Republicans with an even tighter margin for votes. Speaker Johnson has to be worried about this for the January government funding deadlines. And for Santos: He will stand trial for the 23 federal charges in September 2024.

Lighter tidbit: We will always have this Santos meme

?️ News this morning

Twas a duel for the ages:

Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) and Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) faced off in a one-on-one, “Great Red vs. Blue State Debate,” moderated by Fox News’s Sean Hannity.

➤ CATCH-UP:

Live blog of the newsiest moments: The Hill

The debate shortened into a 3-minute clip: Politico

➤ TAKEAWAYS AND REACTIONS:

“Newsom shows his strengths.”
“DeSantis does a decent job — with help from Hannity.”
“The debate was raucous.”
“Biden is GOP boogeyman.”
“Needle is unlikely to move much for either man.”

Short explainers for each of the five takeaways, from The Hill’s Caroline Vakil and Dominick Mastrangelo

‘DeSantis-Newsom Debate Shows the 2024 Campaign That Could Have Been’: The Wall Street Journal

‘A Spirited Discussion, Different Sets of Facts’: The New York Times fact-checked of the debate.

➤ HIGHLIGHTS:

Newsom’s swipe at DeSantis’s presidential campaign: “It’s a question some people are probably asking — I know Nikki Haley’s campaign is asking: When are you going to drop out and at least give Nikki Haley a shot to take down Donald Trump in this nomination? She laid you out.” DeSantis’s response: “You wish.” (The Hill)

DeSantis’s personal swipe: DeSantis said Newsom’s father-in-law told him that he moved from California to Florida because of the high taxes and cost of living.

Lol, Newsom announced the commercial break: “More to come on this topic,” Newsom said right before a commercial break. Who needs a moderator? Watch the clip

You know, I forgot about this: Newsom’s ex-wife is Kimberly Guilfoyle, a former Fox News host who is engaged to Donald Trump Jr.

RIP Justice O’Connor:

Retired Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to ever serve on the Supreme Court, has died at the age of 93.

What we know about her heath: O’Connor retired from the court in 2006. In 2018, she announced that she would be withdrawing from public life after being diagnosed with dementia. The court said she died of “complications related to advanced dementia, probably Alzheimer’s, and a respiratory illness.” (The Hill)

Read her Washington Post obituary

Read her New York Times obituary

You know how they say deaths happen in threes?: In just the past two weeks, former first lady Rosalynn Carter, former diplomat and presidential adviser Henry Kissinger and Justice O’Connor have died.

Time capsule: Presidential historian Michael Beschloss posted a photo of the front page of The New York Times when O’Connor was nominated to serve on the Supreme Court.

? On Capitol Hill

I’m so glad she’s OK!:

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) choked on part of her meal during the Senate GOP lunch Thursday. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) then performed the Heimlich on her. (The Hill)

Ernst made a joke about the incident: “Can’t help but choke on the woke policies Dems are forcing down our throats. Thanks, Dr. @RandPaul!” Ernst posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

➤ SPOTTED AT THE CAPITOL:

Comedian Dave Chappelle was on Capitol Hill for a tour and a meeting with Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands).

Why Chappelle was in town: He performed at Capitol One Arena on Thursday night.

Photo of Chappelle walking through the Capitol

Video of Chappelle chatting with Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.)

Photo of Chappelle with Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.): And Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.). “Just three people who understand that there’s only two genders ? ,” Boebert posted.

➤ ELSEWHERE ON CAPITOL HILL:

‘Looming deadline to extend warrantless surveillance powers sparks congressional scramble’: The Hill
‘Schumer bedeviled by Democratic divisions over Israel, immigration’: The Hill
‘Greene yanks second vote on Mayorkas impeachment resolution’: The Hill
‘House passes bill to permanently freeze $6B in Iranian funds’: The Hill

? In the Middle East

The temporary truce is over:

Israel resumed its fighting against the Hamas militant group Friday just minutes after the weeklong truce expired.

What happened?: Israeli fighter jets hit Gaza. Israel also dropped leaflets over southern Gaza warning residents to leave as the fighting resumes, The Associated Press reports.

How many hostages have been released?: More than 100 hostages have been released. Israel estimates that approximately 137 hostages remain in Gaza, according to The Washington Post.

New reporting — Israel knew Hamas was planning an attack:

The New York Times’s Ronen Bergman and Adam Goldman report that “Israeli officials obtained Hamas’s battle plan for the Oct. 7 terrorist attack more than a year before it happened, documents, emails and interviews show. But Israeli military and intelligence officials dismissed the plan as aspirational, considering it too difficult for Hamas to carry out.”

What we know about the document: “The approximately 40-page document, which the Israeli authorities code-named ‘Jericho Wall,’ outlined, point by point, exactly the kind of devastating invasion that led to the deaths of about 1,200 people.”

Keep in mind: The document did not include a date.

Read the full New York Times report

➤ HEADLINES ON THE CONFLICT:

‘Scores reported killed in Gaza after Israel-Hamas truce collapses’: Reuters
‘Why Israel and Ukraine are forcing a 2024 reckoning in both parties’: The Hill

? Internet Buzz

? A reason to celebrate: Today is National Fried Pie Day! Saturday is National Fritters Day and Sunday is National Peppermint Latte Day.

? McDonald’s just updated its burgers: McDonalds has spent seven years trying to improve its burgers — and it is finally unveiling the results. It includes more than 50 recipe tweaks, according to The Wall Street Journal. For the new Big Mac specifically: “The two all-beef patties are cooked in smaller batches for a more uniform sear. There’s more special sauce. The lettuce, cheese and pickles have been rethought to be fresher and meltier, and the bun is now a buttery brioche, with the sesame seeds more randomly scattered for a homemade look.” (The Wall Street Journal)

? The Capitol was a bit braggy this morning: Fox 5’s Steve Chenevey posted a photo of the gorgeous sunrise over the U.S. Capitol this morning.

? Have you seen Netflix’s ‘Squid Game: The Challenge?’: It’s a spinoff of the popular dystopian show about class struggles. Well, The Atlantic’s Shirley Li wrote a pretty scathing review. Excerpt: “It’s the epitome of why television has been reduced to ‘content’ lately; it’s opportunistic programming capitalizing on recognizable IP and delivering something thoughtless and lazy. I felt guilty watching so much of it.” (The Atlantic)

? On The Agenda

The House met this morning. The Senate is out until Monday. President Biden is in Washington, D.C., and Vice President Harris is en route to Dubai for the COP28 climate conference. (all times Eastern)

? And Finally…

To leave you on a happy note for the weekend, here’s a dog with a serious case of the wiggles.

If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.