Comment on Iowa GOP donors court New Jersey's Christie

This article is part of The D. C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox. In the end, the threat of a far-right revolt turned out to be more real than expected, as Republican Mike Johnson initially came up short Friday on the first ballot of his bid to stay Speaker.

“House Republicans’ chronic infighting is resurfacing in spectacular fashion in the run-up to Friday’s vote to elect a speaker of the House,” Axios reports. “Right-wing hardliners and allies of Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) are at each others’ throats in a likely preview of what is to come in the next two years.” “A number of House Republicans, mostly members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus, still refuse to commit to voting for Johnson.

“Lawyers for former New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez are urging a judge to be lenient at his sentencing later this month for his conviction on bribery charges, saying the ordeal has made him a “national punchline” despite a lifetime of good deeds that have saved lives,” the AP reports.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will head to New Orleans on Monday, the site of a New Year’s Day terror attack that killed 14 people and wounded dozens more, NBC News reports.

The official state funeral for former President Jimmy Carter will take place on Jan. 9 in Washington, D. C., following days of services and ceremonies to honor the 39th President. President Joe Biden declared Jan. 9 a National Day of Mourning, and ordered all executive departments and agencies of the federal government to close out of respect for the former President, who died on Dec.

Wall Street Journal: “Marketers have long been wary about running ads in the news media, concerned that their brands will land next to pieces about terrorism or plane crashes or polarizing political stories.” “That advertising no-go zone seems to keep widening. It is a headache that news publishers can hardly afford.