What we’re reading: House still without a speaker, Biden to travel to Israel and more

By Lillie Davidson, PolitiFrog Editor

Published Oct 17, 2023

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee followed by reporters walks to his office after a Republican caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

House speaker fight stretches into second week

The U.S. House of Representatives remains without a speaker Tuesday afternoon as Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio fell 17 votes short of the threshold required to control the gavel, the New York Times reports. There are 20 Republicans who opted to support other candidates. Among those other candidates were the recently ousted Rep. Kevin McCarthy and Rep. Steve Scalise, who briefly held the Republican Party’s nomination to fill the seat. The House adjourned without holding another vote, despite some Republicans urging another ballot. The second vote is scheduled for Wednesday at 11:00 a.m..

Biden to visit Israel on Wednesday

President Joe Biden boards Air Force One for a trip to Israel, Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) (AP)

President Joe Biden will make a rare wartime visit to Israel on Wednesday as he seeks to demonstrate the United States’ support after last week’s attacks by Hamas, CNN reports. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu extended the invitation to Biden last weekend. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the U.S. and Israel had agreed on ways to enable humanitarian aid efforts in Gaza. “It is critical that aid begin flowing into Gaza as soon as possible,” Blinken said, noting that Biden is “looking forward” to continuing the discussion when he arrives in Israel.

Amy Coney Barrett says she supports code of ethics

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has voiced her support for a code of ethics in the nation’s highest court, according to NPR. “I think it would be a good idea for us to do it, particularly so that we can communicate to the public exactly what it is that we are doing in a clearer way than perhaps we have been able to do so far,” Barrett said Monday in an event at the University of Minnesota. The justice’s comments come on the heels of recent investigations by the nonprofit news organization ProPublica that revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas had not disclosed trips and other expenditures paid for by the Republican megadonor Harlan Crowe.

Ukraine uses American-supplied missiles for the first time

Ukrainian forces used missiles supplied by the United States for the first time Tuesday, according to the New York Times.

Liudmila Melnik wipes tears as she looks at a photo of her husband Oleksandr, who was killed in a battle with the Russian troops, near the City Hall in Kyiv, Ukraine, Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. Over one thousand photos of Kyiv residents killed in the war have been displayed in front of the City Hall. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky) (AP)

The missiles, known as ATACMS, struck two air bases in territory occupied by Russia. Ukrainian defense forces said the missiles damaged runways and destroyed helicopters and an ammunition depot. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky expressed gratitude to the U.S. in his nightly address to Ukraine. “Our agreements with President Biden are being implemented. And they are being implemented very accurately — ATACMS have proven themselves,” Zelensky said.