12:30 Report is The Hill’s midday newsletter. Subscribe here or in the box below:
It’s Thursday. Has anyone seen any shooting stars this week from the Draconid meteor shower? If not, it’s expected to last for another day!
In today’s issue:
• Trump lauds Gaza peace plan
• Johnson takes live C-SPAN viewer calls
• Dems bullish on shutdown messaging
• Marjorie Taylor Greene bucks GOP again
• Tensions fly on Capitol Hill
Programming note: The Hill’s 12:30 Report will be off tomorrow and early next week. It will return Oct. 15. Enjoy your weekends, friends!
🎤 IN THE WHITE HOUSE
What an incredible development:
President Trump says Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the “first phase” of a peace plan that could end fighting in Gaza after two years of war.
The president touted the deal during a Cabinet meeting at the White House today, saying hostages will be released “Monday or Tuesday.”
“Getting them is a complicated process,” Trump told reporters. “I’d rather not tell you what they have to do to get them.”
The president said he is hoping to make a trip to the Middle East to celebrate and sign the peace deal.
What’s in the deal?: Trump says all of the hostages will be released. And in return, Israeli troops will leave Gaza. 🔎 Read Trump’s announcement
There’s a key piece to this happening today: The Israeli government will meet Thursday to approve the agreement.
How many hostages will be released?: The deal would see the release of all 20 living hostages. Bodies of 28 other hostages would also be released.
How the announcement went down: Trump made the announcement shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday, though we had a heads-up an announcement might be coming.
Trump remarked during a White House event that he had received an update about the negotiations that he needed to attend to.
AP photographer Evan Vucci snapped a photo of Secretary of State Marco Rubio handing Trump a handwritten note that read, “Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first.” 📸 The handwritten note passed to Trump
➤ OTHER HIGHLIGHTS FROM TRUMP’S CABINET MEETING:
As we all know by now, these Cabinet meetings are quite newsy. The president sits in a room flanked by his top administration officials, chatting about the day’s news.
Trump signed a Columbus Day proclamation: “Good. Columbus Day. We’re back,” Trump said Thursday. “Columbus Day, we’re back, Italians. We love the Italians. OK?”
On the government shutdown: “I think we’ve become the party of good health care … We’re the ones saving health care,” he said, pointing to his push to lower drug prices.
On former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.): “Nancy’s not looking too good. I don’t know what happened to Nancy, but she’s not looking great.”
📺 SHUTDOWN: DAY 9
Taking live C-SPAN calls is not for the faint of heart:
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) threw himself into the deep end this morning in an attempt to win the government shutdown messaging war: He went on C-SPAN and took live viewer calls on air.
As C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman pointed out, he’s the first sitting House Speaker in more than 20 years to do this — and the fourth ever. 📸 Screenshots of the other 3 times
Johnson listened as a woman who identified herself as a Republican begged him to reopen the government, saying she has “two medically fragile children” who “could die” without medication that her family can only afford if her military husband receives his paycheck.
“As a Republican, I’m very disappointed in my party, and I’m very disappointed in you,” the caller from Virginia told the Speaker. “You do have the power to call the House back. You refused to do that just for a show. I am begging you to pass this legislation.”📹 Watch the clip
The Speaker fielded questions for roughly 30 minutes on all sorts of political issues, including Trump deploying National Guard troops to American cities.
At the end of his appearance, Johnson said he’d sit down opposite House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) on C-SPAN’s “Ceasefire” program. “Hakeem, let’s sit down together,” Johnson said. (Jeffries had earlier challenged Johnson to a prime-time debate.)
💻 Watch Johnson take calls from C-SPAN viewers
💡 Why this matters: Republicans and Democrats have battled fiercely to win the messaging war over the government shutdown.
Earlier this week, Trump threw a curveball in the GOP’s efforts when he indicated he’d be open to negotiating with Democrats on health care, before walking back his comments.
Republicans have faced other challenges this week in providing a unified front, leaving Democrats feeling bullish about their handling of the shutdown.
The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Brett Samuels report:
“Early polls say voters are more likely to blame President Trump and the Republicans for the lengthy impasse. The president and his congressional allies are publicly at odds over compensation for furloughed workers. [Johnson] is sending mixed messages on whether to protect military pay. And prominent cracks are emerging in the GOP’s resistance to extending ObamaCare subsidies.”
Read more: ‘Democrats win momentum over GOP in shutdown fight’
➤ MEANWHILE — REPUBLICANS FOUND A NEW LINE OF ATTACK:
The White House and congressional Republicans are hammering Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) over his comments to Punchbowl News on Wednesday in which, when asked about his shutdown strategy, he said, “Every day gets better for us.”
Vice President Vance called the comment a “vile statement from an alleged leader in our country.” Johnson brought it up during his C-SPAN interview, labeling it “tone-deaf.” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt also posted a screenshot of the quote, calling it a “disgusting and revealing statement.”
And Trump mentioned this Schumer line in his Cabinet meeting today, arguing “every day it’s actually getting worse for them.”
➤ MTG HAS BEEN AN INTERESTING ONE TO WATCH:
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), an ally of Trump who has drawn attention for repeatedly breaking with the GOP on key issues, has been bashing Republicans over the shutdown.
She appeared on CNN (!) this morning, blaming Johnson and Senate GOP Leader John Thune (S.D.) for the impasse. “This should not be happening,” she said. “We control the House, we control the Senate, we have the White House.”
She described the expiring health care subsidies as a “crisis.” “I’m getting phone calls from people that are saying if the ACA tax credits expire, they aren’t going to be able to have health insurance. They’re going to have to drop it.”
Don’t attack the messenger, but:
Flight delays are ramping up because unpaid air traffic controllers are calling out sick. Service to more than 170 airports in small communities could stop entirely by the end of the week.
Why?: There’s a program to subsidize airline service to small communities around the country — it’s expected to run out of money soon. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says the money will run out on Sunday.
How bad have the delays been?: There were significant delays Monday and Tuesday, with roughly 10,000 flights being affected. It wasn’t quite as bad Wednesday — more than 3,000 flights were delayed — though some of those delays were due to weather.
🗺️ Live flight tracker of today’s delays
The situation could get more dire around Tuesday: That’s the day that air traffic controllers will miss their first paychecks.
The worries are trickling to Capitol Hill: The Hill’s Al Weaver reports that senators are growing increasingly concerned about the shutdown effects on airline travel. During the last major shutdown, air traffic controller shortages were a key pressure point for lawmakers. Read more on what senators are saying
➤ WHAT’S THE MOOD AT THE CAPITOL, YOU ASK? *NERVOUS LAUGH*
I’ll let you decide the answer to that.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) got into a public argument Wednesday about the ObamaCare subsidies. It quickly turned personal, with Jeffries telling Lawler he was “embarrassing himself.” 📹 Watch Jeffries and Lawler’s public fight
^ Jeffries later called Lawler a “random Republican” and a “malignant clown” during a podcast appearance.
Plus, Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) confronted Johnson outside his office on Wednesday over Johnson’s refusal to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.). Democrats argue Johnson is avoiding swearing her in because she is the key signature to forcing a vote to release the Epstein files. Johnson insists that’s not the case. 📹 Watch Kelly and Gallego confront Johnson
^ Gallego later referred to Johnson as a “Pedo Protector.”
😬 OTHER NEWS
Katie Porter and the no good, very bad week:
We’ve all seen the video of California gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter (D) 📹 making a scene during an interview with CBS News, threatening to walk out when asked about California voters who voted for Trump.
Well, a video of Porter berating a staffer has surfaced. Politico obtained the 2021 video of Porter erupting at a staffer while filming a video with the Biden administration.
Porter yells at a staffer who appears in the frame: “Get out of my f—ing shot.”
The staffer, whom Politico does not name, responded: “I wanted to tell you that that’s actually incorrect. It’s not that it’s electric vehicles. It’s that, if we don’t meet the commitments under the Paris Climate Accord.”
Porter then responds: “OK, it doesn’t — OK. You also were in my shot before that. Stay out of my shot,” Porter told her staffer, before pivoting back to Granholm. “OK, I’m going to start again with electric vehicles saving us money.”
Keep in mind: Politico notes the staffer in the video is not the source of the video.
What was Porter’s reaction after this video surfaced?: “It’s no secret I hold myself and my staff to a high standard, and that was especially true as a member of Congress. I have sought to be more intentional in showing gratitude to my staff for their important work.”
➤ MORE READS:
The Wall Street Journal: Republicans Caution White House on Inflicting Shutdown Pain
Politico: Hegseth’s firing of Navy official compounds ‘culture of fear’ inside Pentagon
The Atlantic: Retribution Is Here: The president’s threats of revenge are no longer bluster.
The Hill: More than 200 international students ‘trapped’ in US are suing Trump administration (This is written by Surina Venkat, an intern for The Hill!)
COMING UP
The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is at the White House. (All times EST)
3 p.m. Trump greets the president of Finland. 💻 Livestream
3:15 p.m. Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with the president of Finland.
7 p.m. The Virginia gubernatorial debate between former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R), hosted by WAVY 📝Five things to watch
🐝 INTERNET BUZZ
🧀 Celebrate: Today is National Moldy Cheese Day.
👋 AND FINALLY…
And before I leave you, let’s end this on a happy note. I swear this kangaroo is playing the air guitar
