The Catch-up: 5 major political stories this week, from RFK Jr. to the war in Israel
A weekly guide from Yahoo News' Jon Ward to help you navigate the biggest stories in politics
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Jon Ward is a Yahoo News senior correspondent who has covered national politics for over 15 years.
You’re shifting gears to head into the weekend, so here are the top five political stories worth remembering this week.
The week of Oct. 9 began two days after a horrific, historic terrorist attack on Israeli border towns by Palestinian group Hamas. The scope of tragedy unfurled all week, as did the Israeli response. Next week will continue to be dominated by this geopolitical crisis.
Here’s what I think stood out this past week, from the war in Israel to the Republican Party’s ongoing chaos in Congress to the 2024 presidential race, and to the latest economic news.
Tragedy and horror in the Middle East
It has been called the darkest day in the 75-year history of the state of Israel. Early in the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7, Palestinians launched thousands of rockets into Israel, overwhelming the Iron Dome anti-missile system. Soon after that, hundreds of Hamas terrorists in Gaza — sometimes called the Gaza Strip — crossed the heavily fortified Israeli border and began to slaughter Israeli civilians, including women, children and the elderly.
Israel currently estimates that the attack took the lives of some 1,300 people. The U.S. government has said among this group were at least 27 U.S. citizens.
Hamas assailants also took an unknown number of hostages from Israel back into Gaza. Their fate remains unknown.
Israel declared war on Sunday and has bombarded the Gaza Strip with airstrikes. The Palestinian Health Ministry has reported that 1,400 people have been killed so far in Gaza. Israel has also called up at least 350,000 reservists as it prepares for a large-scale ground invasion of Gaza, a small strip of land between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea that is one of the most densely packed areas on earth.
Why it matters
President Biden was unequivocal in his condemnation of the attacks by Hamas, calling it “an act of sheer evil.”
The role of Iran in the attack by Hamas will be examined in the days ahead. Early reports suggest the Iranian government was caught off guard by the attack, but the Islamist regime in Tehran has long supported Hamas.
Gaza has a population of roughly 2.3 million. That’s similar to the city of Houston, but Gaza is less than a quarter of the size of Houston, at about 140 square miles.
Expressions of support for the Hamas attack by some at a rally in New York City organized by the Democratic Socialists of America drew condemnation from many Democratic politicians who have supported the DSA in the past, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.
Recommended reading
Yahoo News: Israel-Hamas war live updates
New York Times: Hamas leaves trail of terror in Israel
Politico: 'Unacceptably devoid of empathy': DSA is facing an internal reckoning on Israel
The Atlantic: ‘We’re going to die here’: A firsthand account of tragedy and heroism
House Republicans leaderless and directionless for a second straight week
On Oct. 4, a group of eight House Republicans and all Democrats voted to get rid of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican.
House Republicans attempted to choose a new leader this past week, but failed. They remain divided and rudderless, unable to overcome their disagreements.
Meanwhile, a government shutdown is once again looming in November. The House cannot function until Republicans choose a new speaker.
Current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, won a preliminary vote in a meeting of House Republicans on Wednesday. But the 113 votes he received to beat out Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, who had 99 votes, was far short of the 217 votes needed to win the speakership in a public vote on the House floor. By Thursday, Scalise’s momentum was flagging, and he withdrew from the race that evening.
On Friday, House Republicans nominated Jordan the right-wing Judiciary Committee chair, for speaker, after he defeated Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia, a McCarthy ally, in a vote among the GOP caucus. But it remains unclear if Jordan will be able to win the near-unanimous support of Republicans he needs to become speaker.
Why it matters
Congress’s ability to respond to the war in Israel is severely limited while Republicans fight among themselves. So, too, Congress can’t do much to avoid a government shutdown in November.
“I don’t think the Lord Jesus himself could get 217 votes,” said one anonymous House Republican, according to Rep. Troy Nehls, a Texas Republican.
Recommended reading
The Associated Press: GOP’s Scalise ends his bid to become House speaker after failing to secure the votes to win gavel
The New York Times: What we can do to make American politics less dysfunctional
Non-Trump contenders for GOP presidential nomination remain muddled
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is being heralded by pundits as the new top rival to former President Trump.
But in Iowa, which votes first in the primary process, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is still in second place. Haley has pulled into second place in New Hampshire, which goes second in the primary voting. In national polling, DeSantis is both at a low point of just under 13% but also still in second place, ahead of Haley’s 7%.
No one is close to Trump, who polls close to 60% in national surveys and is in the high 40s in Iowa, New Hampshire and Haley’s home state of South Carolina, where she is just under 20%.
Why it matters
Republican donors met in Salt Lake City at a meeting organized by Sen. Mitt Romney, Utah Republican. Romney urged megadonors on the right to push candidates to choose an alternative to Trump and get behind that one person.
Anti-Trump Republicans have long dreamed of finding a consensus candidate to take on the former president, but that possibility is looking increasingly remote.
Recommended reading
The Des Moines Register: Will Hurd drops out of Republican presidential race, throws support to Nikki Haley
Deseret News: Sen. Mitt Romney urged Democratic senators to challenge Biden — and he named names
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now running for president as an independent
The son of former U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy changed his candidacy for president from Democrat to independent last Sunday.
The Kennedy name has been revered in the Democratic Party for decades. But RFK Jr.’s candidacy has appealed much more to conspiracy-minded voters who lean to the right.
Why it matters
Republicans had been happy that Kennedy was running in the spring when he announced and polled at 20% among Democratic primary voters. But Kennedy’s approval has been cut in half since then among Democrats, while rising among Republicans and independents.
The Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign both began attacking Kennedy as a liberal Democrat last weekend, seeking to limit his ability to win over voters who might lean toward voting Republican.
Kennedy will face a big organizational challenge in getting his name on the ballot in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Recommended reading
Yahoo News: Could RFK Jr.'s independent run sink Trump's White House hopes?
Deseret News: What RFK Jr. can learn from Evan McMullin
Inflation is down but is proving tough to knock out
The U.S. economy seems like it will be able to avoid a recession while the Federal Reserve brings down inflation. That’s the good news.
But a series of recent economic developments have tempered overall optimism: Long-term interest rates are up, the U.S. government’s deficit and debt are sky-high, and consumer prices continue to rise, even though the pace of inflation has slowed dramatically.
Why it matters
Inflation was at 9% at its peak in the summer of 2022. It has come down below 3% this year. The Federal Reserve wants the inflation number down to a 2% rate of increase. But getting from 3% down to 2% is proving to be the hardest part of taming inflation, as analysts have predicted it would be.
Gas prices crept up in September before easing, but the war in Israel may renew a price spike.
Recommended reading
The Associated Press: U.S. inflation has steadily cooled. Getting it down to the Fed's target rate will be the toughest mile
USA Today: Inflation stays high in September as rent climbs again, CPI shows. What's next for rates?
Reason: Inflation won't go away until Congress gets the deficit under control
