The Hill's Evening Report: McCarthy wins Speaker nod, Scott challenges McConnell

View Online    EVENING REPORT EVENING REPORT   © Greg Nash, The Hill McCarthy wins Speaker nod, Scott tests McConnell House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) has secured his caucus' nomination to be the next Speaker if Republicans claim control of the chamber, as expected.   McCarthy won easily, 188 to 31, in the internal conference meeting Tuesday. He'll need at least 218 votes when the new term begins next year to officially get the post. House Republicans also tapped current GOP Whip Steve Scalise (La.) to move up the ranks to majority leader and Rep. Tom Emmer (Minn.), the chairman of the House GOP campaign arm, as their pick to move to whip.   Across the Capitol, Republicans are facing leadership decisions of their own, though they didn't manage to take control of the chamber in the midterm elections.   National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott (Fla.) announced during a closed-door Senate Republican Conference meeting Tuesday afternoon that he will challenge Mitch McConnell (Ky.) for his job as Senate GOP leader.   "I believe it's time for the Senate Republican Conference to be far more bold and resolute that we have been in the past. We must start saying what we are for, not just what we are against," Scott wrote in a three-page letter to colleagues. Welcome to The Hill's Evening Report, catching you up on news from the afternoon and looking at the big stories likely to impact tomorrow.   📨 Encourage your friends to sign up here: thehill.com/evening. 💣  Zelensky: Russian missiles hitting Poland 'really significant escalation' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says the deaths of two people in Poland from Russian missiles is a "significant escalation" of Moscow's ongoing attack. 🐊  DeSantis brushes off Trump attacks: 'All that's just noise' Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) brushed off attacks from former President Trump while taking questions at a high school, saying the former president's jabs are "just noise." 🎓  Biden pushed to keep student loan pause until forgiveness plan addressed President Biden is under pressure to extend the pandemic-era student loan payment pause into next year while the administration faces legal challenges to its forgiveness plan, which is currently no longer accepting applications. 🦠  White House to seek more than $9B in COVID funding in lame-duck session The White House is seeking more than $9 billion in emergency public health funding for coronavirus response during the lame-duck Congress, including new vaccines and therapeutics, administration officials said Tuesday, even as Republicans remain skeptical about the need for more money. 🇺🇦  White House asks Congress for $37.7B in new Ukraine aid The White House has asked Congress to approve $37.7 billion in additional aid for Ukraine amid Russia's invasion, a request that comes ahead of both a government funding deadline and the expected flipping of the House to Republican control. 🗳️  GOP lawmaker announces 2024 challenge to Manchin West Virginia Rep. Alex Mooney (R) will challenge Sen. Joe Manchin's (D) in 2024, declaring himself "all in" and bashing Manchin as a "liberal Democrat."   🔵  Cuellar describes GOP pressure to flip parties: 'Name your price' Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas) has revealed details about the GOP effort to have him jump parties, saying a handful of Republicans — including a sitting member of Congress — were part of the pressure campaign after his easy reelection victory. 🧑‍⚖️  Judge overturns Georgia's 6-week abortion ban A Georgia judge has blocked a six-week abortion ban from taking effect. 🛑  Texas governor declares 'invasion' at border, moves to boost security Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has declared an invasion is happening on the southern border and plans  to invoke invasion clauses of the U.S. and Texas constitutions to boost security at the border.  🎫  Bill Pascrell: Taylor Swift ticket mess speaks to Ticketmaster problems Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) says he has some "Bad Blood" with Ticketmaster, saying he tried and failed to get Taylor Swift concert tickets as part of an oversight mission. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also took Ticketmasker to task. 🤠  Kevin Costner says it's 'OK' if he loses fans over political views Actor Kevin Costner says he was "OK" with losing fans over his political views, when he backed Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) earlier this year. PROGRAMMING NOTE Former President Trump is expected to unveil his 2024 plans at 9 p.m. ET during an event at Mar-a-Lago. The Hill's Niall Stanage dives into five questions hanging over Trump's big Tuesday announcement. OPINION "The best you can do is reduce your risk of disruptions and maintain flexibility to move with the flow as the unexpected invariably occurs," writes Sheldon Jacobson, computer science professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.  You're all caught up! 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