The Latest: Polls Close In Iraq's National Elections

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told CNN on Friday that he is not making any side deals with GOP House members in order to win their votes to keep his job in the next Congress. Said Johnson: “My simple message to my colleagues is, make suggestions about process improvements, we’re open to that at all times.

New York Times: “It is not clear what role Mr. Gaetz would play if he materialized on the House floor on Friday, or whether he could in fact participate in the speaker election. A provocateur by nature, the Florida Republican has been more interested in sowing drama within his party than fostering unity…” “Because Mr.

“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.

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.