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12:30 REPORT

It’s Monday. Washington is collectively a little hungover and tired from a weekend of festivities.

  • The House is back after pushing through the must-pass bills. Now, we’re all watching to see what happens with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) threat to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
  • Colin Jost, Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm and Bill Nye were a few of the celebrities at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association weekend. Keep scrolling for photos.
  • Pro-Palestine protests have broken out on college campuses across the country. Be prepared for it to be a big topic of discussion on Capitol Hill this week.

 

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.  

 

 

PROGRAMMING NOTE: The Hill’s 12:30 Report will not publish tomorrow, but I’ll be back Wednesday to catch you up on everything!

🥊In Congress

 

Soo, what happens now?: 

©  GIPHY/SpongeBob SquarePants

The House is back in Washington, D.C., this week, and all eyes are on Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s (R-Ga.) threat to oust Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

 

Johnson’s had a pretty good month: He passed the hotly debated Ukraine bill and an extension to Washington’s warrantless spy powers.

 

Yes, but: Johnson worked with Democrats to get these proposals over the finish line. That angered hard-line Republicans, who are now threatening to oust him.

 

Who is on board for ousting Johnson?: Greene is leading the charge. She introduced the motion-to-vacate resolution last month, but it’s been on the back burner. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) have said they back Greene’s effort.

 

Does Greene have enough support to oust him?: Probably not. “[Even] if Greene’s army grows, it is unlikely to swell to a size that would overtake the chorus of Democrats who have said they are willing to protect Johnson from a conservative coup after he successfully ushered Ukraine aid through the House.”

 

She doubled down over the weekend: In a post Sunday on social platform X, Greene said Johnson’s “days as Speaker are numbered.”

 

Read more from The Hill’s Mychael Schnell and Mike Lillis: ‘All eyes on Greene threat to oust Speaker Johnson’

A big issue for Congress to return to:

Explosive pro-Palestine protests have broken out on college campuses across the country. Lawmakers will likely weigh in on the protests, which could pit some members against each other.

 

How so?: “Republicans and pro-Israel Democrats look to condemn the demonstrations while some liberals stand with the protesters amid concerns about the mounting humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”

 

What’s on tap this week?: “The House this week is slated to vote on a bill — titled the Antisemitism Awareness Act — that would require the Education Department to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism when applying antidiscrimination laws.”

 

Read more: ‘GOP clashes, campus protests to take center stage as Congress returns’

👗WHCA Weekend Highlights

 

Nerd prom weekend!: 

©  AP

“Saturday Night Live” ("SNL") comedian Colin Jost hosted the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner over the weekend.

 

Jost’s reviews: On one hand, Variety wrote that “Colin Jost Wins Over Tough White House Correspondents Dinner Crowd With Praise for ‘Decent’ Biden.” But on the other hand, The New York Times wrote that “On This Saturday Night, Colin Jost’s Jokes Fell Flat.”

 

Watch the full dinner, via CSPAN

 

➤  DINNER HIGHLIGHTS:

📝 Colin Jost’s 13 best jokes from the dinner: Yahoo

 

This behind-the-scenes video of White House reporting is great: “I’m a White House correspondent. Of course I don’t mind if the National Park Service cuts the lawn during my liveshot!” 📹 Watch the video

 

Jost explained why his grandfather voted for President Biden: He noted that his grandfather was a Staten Island firefighter, which is “not normally your demographic.” 📹 Watch the clip

 

👀A list of celebrities who attended

 

The dinner entree: Photo from The Daily Mail’s Nikki Schwab

 

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) wore a tuxedo sweatshirt and shorts: Here’s a photo to prove it.

 

Jost and Scarlett Johansson, were spotted at Café Milano: Photo from Reuter's Nandita Bose

 

📝 Jost’s five best lines: Vogue

 

For what it’s worth: Former President Trump thinks Jost “BOMBED.” Read Trump’s full post

 

➤  READ ABOUT THE PARTIES:

United Talent Agency (UTA) hosted a party at Fiola Mare: “Bill Nye ‘the Science Guy,’ could be eyed just a few feet away from CNN’s Jake Tapper, as ‘Ted Lasso’ star Brendan Hunt passed by.” Details from The Hill’s Judy Kurtz

 

Creative Coalition held a Right to Bear Arts Gala: TV and film actors hit the red carpet to push for public arts funding, reports The Hill’s Zack Budryk.

 

A toast to Jost!: The Creative Artists Agency (CAA) held a “Toast to Colin Jost” party Friday to kick off the weekend. Jost attended with his wife, actress Scarlett Johansson. Details from The Hill’s Elizabeth Crisp

 

Comcast Universal and NBC held an after party at the residence of the French ambassador: John Hamm, Rosario Dawson, Chris Pine, James Austin Johnson and Karine Jean-Pierre were spotted, according to The Hill’s Dominick Mastrangelo

 

Showing off some AI: Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, hosted the Washington AI Network’s inaugural White House correspondents’ weekend TGAIFriday Lunch. Photo of Spotty, Meta’s robot dog

📊 On The Campaign Trail

 

What exactly needs to happen for Biden or Trump to win:

November will be a close battle in a rematch between President Biden and former President Trump. The Hill’s Jared Gans breaks down their most likely paths to victory. Some of the possible scenarios:

  • “Biden sweeps all 2020 states.”
  • “Biden wins ‘blue wall’ states.”
  • “Trump wins all major battlegrounds.”
  • “Trump wins mix of Sun Belt, industrial states.”

Breakdown of each scenario

 

➤  BIDEN HAS A DIFFICULT TASK:

And that’s winning over moderate Republicans who supported former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R). The Hill’s Alex Gangitano and Al Weaver report how Biden has a prime opportunity to pick of some of those voters. (The Hill)

 

➤  ‘HOW TRUMP’S SECOND TERM COULD BE DIFFERENT FROM HIS FIRST’:

From The Hill’s Brett Samuels and Rebecca Beitsch

🐝 Internet Buzz

 

🦐 Celebrate: Today is National Shrimp Scampi Day! The fruit of the sea, as Bubba would say in “Forrest Gump.”

©  CBS

📱 Another effect of the TikTok ban: The Washington Post’s Taylor Lorenz reports that “a TikTok ban could also end short-form video as we’ve come to know it.” How so: “ByteDance’s CapCut editing app made it easy to edit short-form video. The legislation that could ban TikTok also applies to CapCut, congressional aides say.” (The Washington Post)

🗓 On The Agenda

 

The House is in. The Senate is out. President Biden is in Washington, D.C. Vice President Harris is in Atlanta. (all times Eastern)

 
  • 1:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream
  • 2:45 p.m.: Harris kicks off her nationwide Economic Opportunity Tour with a moderated conversation in Atlanta. 💻 Livestream
  • 5:20 p.m.: Harris returns to Washington, D.C.
  • 6:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today’s agenda
  • Tuesday: The Senate returns. 📆 Tuesday’s agenda

👋 And Finally…

 

To leave you with something beautiful, watch this example of true love. 😉

Stay Engaged

 

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

 

View past issues of 12:30 Report here and check out other newsletters from The Hill here. See you next time!

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