GRIJALVA STANDOFF ENDING: The pending return of the House this week will bring an end to the weekslong standoff over the swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.).
Johnson reportedly plans to swear in Grijalva as the "first order of business" before the House holds a vote on the government funding bill, bringing an end to seven weeks of the congresswoman-elect being stuck in limbo as she waited to take office.
Grijalva won a special election to fill the seat previously held by her father, the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), on Sept. 23. But Johnson ended the House's session early, canceling votes for weeks amid the shutdown.
What followed was the longest time in modern history any elected member of Congress has waited to be sworn in.
Grijalva is set to become the 218th signature on a discharge petition that will force a vote on releasing the government's files related to Jeffrey Epstein. All House Democrats and four House Republicans have signed the petition so far, leaving them just one signature short of forcing a vote.
Critics alleged that Johnson was purposefully canceling votes during the shutdown to delay Grijalva's signature and a vote on the Epstein files. The Speaker rejected that claim, maintaining that he was following precedent in not swearing in new members when the House was out of session.
He vowed that he would swear in Grijalva once Democrats voted to reopen the government.
Grijalva said in a statement that she was traveling to Washington, D.C., to "hopefully" be sworn in, while saying the delay shouldn't have happened. She had for weeks repeatedly criticized Johnson for not giving her the oath of office, arguing it caused her to be "essentially a tourist" in D.C.
"For seven weeks, 813,000 Arizonans have been denied a voice and access to basic constituent services," she said Monday. "This is an abuse of power that no Speaker should have."
While Johnson has said the Epstein petition isn't the reason he delayed swearing in Grijalva, he and other members of House GOP leadership have opposed the petition, arguing it's unnecessary as a congressional investigation into the late sex offender is ongoing.
A tentative vote on releasing the files also may not be welcome news to Trump, who has seemed to want to move on from conversations surrounding Epstein. The president has sought to distance himself from his past ties to Epstein and brushed off the push for more disclosure as a distraction and a "Democrat hoax."
▪ ABC News: House Democrat probes reports of Maxwell clemency application.
SCOTUS DECISIONS: The Supreme Court on Monday rejected one case that could have overturned its ruling legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide while granting a hearing on another that could have major implications for how elections are conducted.
The attempt from Kim Davis, a former Kentucky county clerk, to get the court to reconsider its landmark 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision was considered a long shot, but it came as some conservatives had hoped the court might be open to it, particularly after its 2022 ruling overturning Roe v. Wade.
The bench still includes three members who dissented from the majority in the Obergefell ruling.
But the court declined to take up the case in a brief order without any noted dissents.
Davis gained national attention after the Obergefell ruling for her refusal to grant marriage licenses to same-sex couples on grounds of her religious beliefs.
Her main argument didn't directly ask the court to overturn its ruling. Instead, she was challenging a jury's decision to award damages to a couple she refused to grant a license.
She argued she had a private First Amendment religious defense and later tacked on an argument for the court to overturn Obergefell. But the court turned it away.
Justices will hear a challenge on whether states can accept mail-in ballots sent by Election Day but received after polls close, which could be a critical case ahead of next year's midterm elections.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) had gone after the practice, following Trump's repeated criticism of mail-in voting. Sixteen states, including Mississippi, have statutes allowing ballots to be counted after polls close if they are postmarked by Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The RNC convinced a lower court to strike down Mississippi's law, and now GOP officials in the state are asking the court to overrule that decision. Oral arguments are expected to take place next year, with a decision likely by the summer.
That would be in time to potentially change how elections are conducted in those 16 states next year, but it would continue to have implications for elections far beyond that.
▪ The Hill: Supreme Court doubtful on religious man's prison damages claim.
TRUMP'S AIR TRAFFIC THREAT: Trump went after air traffic controllers who have skipped work during the shutdown, calling for anyone who doesn't return to work to be "docked."
"You didn't step up to help the U.S.A. against the FAKE DEMOCRAT ATTACK that was only meant to hurt our Country," Trump posted on Truth Social. "You will have a negative mark, at least in my mind, against your record. If you want to leave service in the near future, please do not hesitate to do so, with NO payment or severance of any kind!"
He also called for those who worked during the shutdown to receive a $10,000 bonus.
Staffing shortages among air traffic controllers, already an issue for years, have gotten worse as the shutdown has continued, with many federal employees required to work without pay. An increased number of workers have been recorded calling out sick, as happened during previous shutdowns.
That has led to mounting delays and cancellations as the government has remained shuttered. The Federal Aviation Administration has begun reducing flight capacity by up to 10 percent at 40 major hubs throughout the country to ensure safety amid the staffing shortages.
The drop started at a 4 percent decline on Friday, but it's set to rise to 6 percent on Tuesday.
More than 2,200 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were canceled on Monday, while more than 7,500 were delayed, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Even after the government reopens, days are expected to pass before the aviation industry can fully return to normal operations.
▪ The Associated Press: Airport pain worsens.
▪ The New York Times: Where flights have been canceled.
SYRIAN PRESIDENT VISIT: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa made history Monday as the first leader of his country to visit the White House, holding closed-door discussions with Trump.
Much anticipation had built up for the visit, as Trump has sought to improve relations with Syria and accelerate its reemergence in the international community after the fall of Bashar Assad's regime last year.
But Trump kept the meeting private, an unusual move for the president, who often opens up the White House to reporters and photographers when meeting with a foreign leader, The Hill's Laura Kelly reports.
The president later expressed confidence in al-Sharaa and the future of Syria.
"He's a very strong leader. He comes from a very tough place, tough guy. I like him. I get along with him," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "We're going to do everything we can to make Syria successful."
TRUMP-MTG CONTROVERSY: Trump and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) traded barbs on Monday after the president hosted Syria's leader.
Greene criticized Trump in a post on X for hosting al-Sharaa at the White House, saying he should be more focused on domestic issues like health care.
"I would really like to see nonstop meetings at the WH on domestic policy not foreign policy and foreign country's leaders," Greene said in her post.
The Georgia Republican has broken with much of the rest of her party on several occasions in recent weeks, including on the release of the Epstein files and extending the health care subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. Yet she has remained a strong supporter of Trump and has previously avoided criticizing him directly.
Trump responded to the criticism from Greene later Monday, saying she "lost her way."
"I don't know what happened to Marjorie. Nice woman, but she's lost her way," he told reporters.
"When somebody like Marjorie goes over and starts making statements like that, it shows she doesn't know," Trump said, adding he's "surprised at her."
BBC LAWSUIT? Trump is threatening to sue the BBC for $1 billion for the documentary the outlet released last year that included an edited video of him speaking ahead of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The threat came after two top officials for the outlet stepped down amid backlash over the edit, which didn't include Trump telling his supporters at the Ellipse to demonstrate peacefully at the Capitol before the riot ensued.
Trump's attorneys demanded the broadcaster retract the documentary by Nov. 14.
"Failure to comply will leave President Trump with no choice but to pursue any and all legal rights and remedies available to recover damages for the overwhelming financial and reputational harm that the BBC has caused him to suffer, with all rights and remedies being expressly reserved by President Trump," a letter sent to the BBC and shared with Fox News digital said.
A BBC spokesperson told The Hill that the organization will review the letter and respond.
If Trump goes through with legal action, it'll be just the latest in a string of lawsuits he's filed against various media outlets, alleging defamation against him. He has settled with some outlets like ABC News and CBS News, while a judge has dismissed a lawsuit against The New York Times.
BLACK BOX REMOVED: The black box warning on women's estrogen-based products for hormone-replacement therapy will be removed, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday.
"For more than two decades, the American medical establishment turn[ed] its back on women. Millions of women were told to fear the very therapy that could have given them strength, peace and dignity through one of life's most difficult transitions, menopause," Kennedy said at a briefing.
Kennedy and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin Makary argued that a study from more than 20 years ago that suggested hormone replacement therapy could potentially accelerate preexisting breast cancers in a woman's body has been "misrepresented."
"The Women's Health Initiative study was the largest study ever done in U.S. history, a $1 billion study at the time, and you just heard how that study was misrepresented and created a fear machine that lingers to this day," Makary said. "There's no statistical significance in the increase in breast cancer. If we don't have statistics, then we don't have science."
A few top women's health groups have declared their support for the move, including the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists and The Menopause Society.
But the latter still said some potential risks exist for women, particularly those older and further away from menopause onset. The group said women should review the risks in detail when starting therapy.
Makary said the decision would apply to bioidentical and synthetic hormones, and the decision would be left to individuals and their doctors.
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