It’s Tuesday. Happy Election Day! Not subscribed to 12:30 Report? Sign up here.
In today’s issue:
• Internal Dem discussions on shutdown
• Election Day preview
• Mike Pence’s The Hill interview
• Remembering Dick Cheney
💸 GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
We may have a way out of this:
There are rumblings on Capitol Hill about a potential deal to end the government shutdown. A group of moderate Democrats has been considering voting to reopen the government, folding to Republicans.
Senators just wrapped their 14th failed attempt to fund the government. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are meeting Tuesday for their weekly luncheon. Keep an eye out for reporting from that meeting.
The Hill’s Al Weaver reported today the chamber is more upbeat about a potential deal coming sooner than later, with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) saying Monday he was “optimistic” for a deal.
Multiple GOP senators in cable interviews on Tuesday morning expressed optimism that the shutdown could end in a matter of days.
Who’s involved in the talks on reopening the government?: Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), per Punchbowl News.
The potential plan: Moderate Democrats would reportedly vote to reopen the government on a condition that a vote to extend ObamaCare subsidies would be guaranteed on an agreed-to date, according to the outlet.
Democrats had been demanding ObamaCare subsidies be tied to the government funding bill, while Republicans want to reopen the government and then handle health care subsidies separately.
The reported deal would not guarantee that the health care subsidies pass — just that a vote would happen.
Lawmakers have also been discussing extending government funding until December — right around the holidays — or until January to avoid a holiday logjam. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) says he’s not in favor of the December plan. Johnson and Thune are more in favor of a January end date for a “longer runway,” as Thune put it.
Keep in mind: Talks are very early and extremely fragile. Progressive Democrats would be furious if moderate Democrats fold.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that Senate Democrats are internally divided over whether to cut a deal to end the shutdown.
Read Bolton’s reporting: ‘Democrats divided over cutting deal to end shutdown’
Timing: Food stamp benefits froze this week, flight delays are getting worse and federal employees are feeling the pain of missed paychecks. But what may be fueling both parties’ calculi is to get through today, which is Election Day. Democrats are expected to score some wins today, but results tipped in either direction could trigger a turning point in the shutdown.
Read Sudiksha Kochi’s reporting: ‘Lawmakers hopeful Election Day will be turning point in the shutdown fight’
➤ MEANWHILE — TRUMP IS MAKING HIS PREFERENCE KNOWN:
President Trump again called for Republicans to nix the filibuster, so they can reopen the government without Democrats’ help.
But GOP leaders have repeatedly pushed back on that idea. Speaker Johnson defended the filibuster again Monday. And The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board published a piece today against nuking the filibuster.
From the Journal editorial: “The filibuster rule is often frustrating, but its virtue is that it serves as a check on passing extreme laws with narrow majorities. It also gives the minority party a voice when it controls neither house of Congress nor the White House. It forces compromise. It also reduces the chances of a ping-pong effect of passage, repeal, and passage again that leads to economic and legal uncertainty.”
➤ TIDBIT — IS NANCY PELOSI RETIRING?:
New reporting suggests that multiple California and House Democrats think Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will retire at the end of her term. She says she won’t make a decision until after the 2025 election, but she told CNN she has “no doubt” she’d win if he decides to run.
🗳️ ELECTION DAY
Four states’ elections really pack a punch this year:
Voters in New York, Virginia, New Jersey and California (among other places) will cast their ballots today in critical contests. It’s also the first major election since President Trump returned to office.
The race getting the most attention: Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old self-described democratic socialist has a comfortable lead in polling to become New York City’s next mayor. Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo lost the primary against Mamdani, so he’s running as an independent. Even Trump, who publicly despises Mamdani, urged his supporters to vote for Cuomo over the Republican candidate. 📊Live results tonight
Race to watch in New Jersey: Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D) and former state Rep. Jack Ciattarelli (R) are in a tight race to become New Jersey’s next governor. 📊 Live results tonight
Race to watch in Virginia: Former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger is competing with Republican state Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to become Virginia’s next governor. Spanberger has the polling advantage. 📊 Live results tonight
Another race to watch in Virginia: Democrat Jay Jones is hoping to unseat state Attorney General Jason Miyares (R). Jones’s campaign has been rocked by uncovered text messages he sent in 2022 in which he suggested the state’s then-House Speaker should be shot. He’s apologized profusely but his campaign has been damaged. 📊 Live results tonight
Read more: ‘5 things to watch’
🕊️ NEWS THIS MORNING
Dick Cheney has died:
Former Vice President Dick Cheney died Monday night at the age of 84.
From the Cheney family: “His beloved wife of 61 years, Lynne, his daughters, Liz and Mary, and other family members were with him as he passed. The former Vice President died due to complications of pneumonia and cardiac and vascular disease.”
📸 The White House’s flag at half-staff
Pelosi: “Dick Cheney was a patriotic American who loved his country. While we strongly disagreed on most policy issues, his patriotism was clear when he returned to the House Floor to commemorate the first anniversary of January 6th,” the former Speaker posted.
Wow: The New York Times pointed out that Cheney had five heart attacks between 1978 and 2010. He had a heart transplant in 2012. His decades-long doctor described him as his “easiest patient” despite his situation being one of the “most complicated.”
Cheney’s life: He is viewed as one of the most influential vice presidents in American history. He helped lead the U.S.’s “war on terror” and faced fierce criticism following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
📰Read his New York Times obituary
➤ QUICK HITS:
— Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, says she wants cameras in the courtroom for her late husband’s murder trial.
— Former Vice President Mike Pence spoke exclusively with The Hill’s Emily Brooks for The Movement newsletter. He told her he has concerns about the direction of the Republican Party.
➤ MORE READS:
The Washington Post: The secretive donor circle that lifted JD Vance is now re-writing MAGA’s future
The Wall Street Journal: This Famous Method of Valuing Stocks Is Pointing Toward Some Rough Years Ahead
The Atlantic: War Is Coming Back to Gaza
COMING UP
The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is at the White House.. (All times EST)
1 p.m. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream
2:15 p.m. A Senate confirmation vote. 📆Today’s agenda
8 p.m. Wednesday: Fox News’s Jesse Watters’s interview with Charlie Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, airs.
Dec. 2: Public tours of the White House resume, including seeing the Christmas decorations.
INTERNET BUZZ
🍭 Celebrate: Today is National Candy Day!
🦁 Wow: A new documentary from Sir David Attenborough captured a rare moment when a lion saved a pregnant hyena from wild dogs. More rare moments in nature captured, via BBC.
👖 Remember the American Eagle ad controversy?: Actor Sydney Sweeney has weighed in on the jean ad campaign she was a part of that sparked controversy. She says it didn’t affect her, but seeing Trump weigh in was “surreal.” Read more in Variety
AND FINALLY…
To brighten your Tuesday afternoon, here’s a dog that *insists* on walking himself.
