[guest post by Dana]

I honestly don’t have lot to say about the chaos in the House as Republicans try to secure a new speaker. With the ongoing war in Ukraine, an Hamas terrorist attack in Israel, and the next funding bill due in November, GOP members are not covering themselves in glory with their inability to elect a new speaker. The country needs a working House, laser-focused on doing the hard work they were elected to do. Sadly, that isn’t happening.

This morning, we are learning that it’s very likely that Rep. Jim Jordan will not be calling for a third vote:

Rep. Jim Jordan won’t hold a third speaker vote today, sources tell CNN, as he struggles to flip GOP holdouts. The Ohio Republican failed Wednesday to win the gavel for a second time.

Jordan fared worse in the second round, with 22 Republicans voting against him, compared with 20 who did not support him on the first ballot.

Jordan is now leaning toward backing a resolution to expand interim Speaker Patrick McHenry’s powers, sources said, but he wants to see how today’s House GOP conference meeting goes.

With the speakership undecided, I wanted to point out that several Republicans who voted against Trump-backed Jordan received death threats and that another representative who voted for Rep. Lee Zeldin both times was also threatened.

Exit question: If no one can reach 217 (which no one can), it seems that the only play left is to go with an interim Speaker McHenry. Is there another option??

—Dana