It’s Tuesday. “What day is it?” Aaron Samuels asked. “It’s October 3rd.” Happy Mean Girls Day, 12:30 Report readers! Here’s what is buzzing today:

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is scrambling to keep his Speaker’s gavel, while a group of House Republicans move to oust him. Democrats just decided not to bail him out, so it could get messy this afternoon.

Former President Trump is back in court today in the civil case on his business finances. He was seen glaring at yesterday’s hearing.

A Texas lawmaker was carjacked in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C., last night. He was not injured.

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

^ How I imagine internal GOP phone calls going today.

The House is feeling a bit like a Bravo reality show today. Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is quickly bringing up Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) motion this afternoon to oust him from leadership.

Timing today: “The earliest the motion could come up is when the House starts considering legislative business at noon. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) said the vote will come up during the chamber’s first vote series of the day, which starts at 1:30 p.m.” What to expect

If you enjoy any type of dramatic reality TV — Bravo, the “Bachelor,” “Love Island,” etc. — I suggest you turn this on: Watch the House proceedings live

Why now?: Gaetz has been a thorn in McCarthy’s side for a while, but the tipping point happened over the weekend when the Speaker worked with Democrats to pass a short-term funding bill to keep the government open. Gaetz wanted to push for more red meat GOP priorities and to use the funding deadline as a negotiation tactic.

Omg, this is right out of an early 2000s Disney Channel movie: McCarthy posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Bring it on.” Gates responded: “Just did.” See the posts

How this could shake out: McCarthy is skating on very thin ice. He can only afford a few GOP defections to keep the gavel — and at least four Republicans have already said they support his ouster. For McCarthy to keep his leadership role, he would likely need Democratic support. More on where Dems stand

^ BREAKING — Dems aren’t bailing him out: After emerging from a two-hour meeting in the Capitol, House Democrats decided they will *not* help save McCarthy’s Speakership. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told reporters, “We are following our leader and we are not saving Kevin McCarthy.” I.e.: McCarthy must be sweating right now. What we know

Would McCarthy negotiate with Democrats to help keep him in power?: No. “They haven’t asked for anything. I’m not going to provide anything,” McCarthy told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

How bad is it for McCarthy? — the whip count: Here’s a list of where Republicans stand on ousting McCarthy. And if you want to view it from a lighter standpoint, CNN’s Haley Talbot posted a list differentiating “yes” on the motion to vacate from “undecided but big mad.” Lol.

If McCarthy is ousted, who would replace him?: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) has been floated, according to The Washington Post. And so has Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), though he is facing some health struggles.

The shutdown threats and infighting on Capitol Hill may backfire for Republicans. There is some evidence that voters view the recent drama as simply dysfunction. How this could backfire on Republicans, via The Hill’s Niall Stanage

Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman posted that Rep. Mark Alford (R-Mo.) “just said on the House floor to a colleague that Taylor Swift was a big distraction. The House wasn’t gaveled in, but we heard his convo from the gallery. Alford represents east of Kansas City.”

Alford responded: “Look, all I’m saying is that Travis Kelce was catching A LOT more touchdowns before Taylor Swift showed up.”

“Donald Trump’s fury was on full display Monday during the first day of his civil fraud trial, where he lambasted the judge overseeing the case outside of the courtroom and stared daggers into the attorney general investigating business practices involving some of his most famed properties.”

The Hill’s Ella Lee reports from the Empire State that Trump glared at New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), the state’s top prosecutor, “for several seconds, looking back twice in an apparent attempt to get her attention.”

Trump also isn’t a fan of the judge: “Let’s go to trial because this is a judge that should be disbarred. This is a judge that should be out of office. This is a judge that some people say should be charged criminally for what he’s doing,” Trump told reporters. “He’s interfering with an election, and it’s a disgrace.”

^ Keep in mind: The judge ruled last week that Trump is liable for fraud. (The Hill)

Trump is back in court today: “Good day at trial today as the judge will be honoring the Appellate Court’s unanimous decision on the Statute of Limitations!” Trump posted. “This reduces the case by approximately 80%. See you in Court on Tuesday morning!”

Live blog for today’s trial updates

‘Trump: Law being used in New York fraud trial may not be constitutional’: (The Hill)

‘What to know about Trump’s fraud trial’: (CNN)

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) was carjacked Monday night while parking his car in the Navy Yard neighborhood of Washington, D.C. He was not harmed, according to his chief of staff.

What happened?: Three armed individuals approached him and stole his car. (The Hill)

“Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty Tuesday on charges relating to concealing drug use when buying a weapon, kicking off a battle to beat an indictment from the Justice Department as House Republicans zero in on an impeachment of his father, seeking to tie both Bidens to wrongdoing.”

How serious is this?: “The most serious charges carry up to 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.” (The Hill)

The House and Senate are in. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. (all times Eastern)

1 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby also joins. 📺 Livestream

1:30 p.m.: First House votes. Last votes are expected at 5 p.m. 🗓️ Today’s agenda

3 p.m.: Harris swears in Laphonza Butler to the U.S. Senate.

5:30 p.m.: A Senate cloture vote. 🗓️ Today’s agenda

🌮 Celebrate: Today is National Soft Taco Day!

🏈 Because this is a Taylor Swift newsletter now: Taylor Swift brought a crew of celebrities to the Kansas City Chiefs-New York Jets game last weekend to watch Travis Kelce play. Think: Sophie Turner, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Hugh Jackman and Shawn Levy.

Photos from ESPN, because they are a celebrity news outlet now 😉

Watch the celebs enter the stadium through security: Video

Lol: Rob McElhenney, who co-owns the Wrexham Football Club with Reynolds, posted: “[The moment when] you realize she meant ‘American’ football.” The photo is pretty funny

I’m seeing this clip everywhere: See if you can lip read what Swift and Lively are saying to each other. Watch

@KellyKeegs pointed out: “I’m so obsessed with the fact that Taylor just fully adopted her ex boyfriend’s ex-wife.” Photo of Swift and Sophie Turner

🌌 Ah, this could be your chance to see northern lights!: Scientists are predicting that northern lights could be intense over the next 18 months. (Nexstar)

📱Helpful read: “A new iPhone and Android app called Permission Slip makes it super simple to order companies to delete your personal information and secrets. Trying it saved me about 76 hours of work telling Ticketmaster, United, AT&T, CVS and 35 other companies to knock it off.” (The Washington Post)

Because this made me do a double-take, here are monkeys riding dogs like they’re in a circus show.  

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