The Slatest for Oct. 25: We Have a Speaker of the House!

It’s been a wild three speaker-less weeks in the House of Representatives, as its Republican caucus cycled through three nominees who couldn’t get the votes to secure the job.

Ben Mathis-Lilley summed it up thus: “Very roughly speaking, what’s happened is that McCarthy was unseated for not being extreme enough, Scalise was rejected for being part of the ‘establishment’ despite his extremity, Jordan was rejected for being too extreme and insufficiently supportive of Scalise, and Emmer was rejected for being too moderate and insufficiently supportive of Jordan.”

But apparently the fourth time was the charm! Republicans unanimously got behind Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson on Wednesday—who was “not exactly the spear tip of the attempt to overturn the 2020 election results, but definitely part of the pointy end,” Alexander Sammon writes. He explains how the House GOP finally coalesced around a new speaker.

If the recent violence in the Middle East has left you feeling a bit out of your depth, you’re hardly alone. We’ve pooled recommendations from all corners of Slate and pulled together a list of the best books, films, magazine articles, and podcasts to help you understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Plus: Sen. John Fetterman has expressed some surprising views about Israel in recent weeks, disappointing his most ardent fans—and even some of his staffers. Luke Winkie explains what’s going on with the senator’s stance.

Wait a minute—how is a Democratic governor on track to win reelection in a state Trump took by 26 points? David Faris explains why Andy Beshear is likely to get elected—for a second time!—to lead a very red state, and what the national party could stand to learn from his example.

Sam Bankman-Fried is going to testify at his trial. Really! Nitish Pahwa explains what his defense might be thinking, and how we can potentially expect things to go.

It’s the most important tech trial in years—and all the juicy stuff is happening in secret. Scott Nover examines how we got here, and why it’s such a problem that the public is being shut out.

The right-wing Disney+ comes complete with its own takes on Bluey and Mister Rogers. And, uh … trigger warnings? Dan Kois watched all of the Daily Wire’s new children’s shows so you don’t have to.

A major robotaxi company was all over San Francisco—and poised to go national. But California just banned it. David Zipper lays out how the move could affect the whole industry.

… much like Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee has managed to innovate in her (alleged) colorful diatribes to her staff.

Thanks so much for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow.