The Hill’s 12:30 Report — House GOP tensions flare, Musk eyes X paywall

It’s Tuesday. The internet tells me that today is National Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day. So… ahoy, mateys! 🏴‍☠️ Here are some highlights today:

• Two groups of House Republicans unveiled a spending proposal to show unity within the caucus, but that backfired.

• Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) jokingly said she will “wear a bikini” on the Senate floor, following the controversial change to the Senate dress code.

• Parts of Disney World shut down yesterday when a black bear was spotted in Magic Kingdom.

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.  

The Hill’s Emily Brooks and Mychael Schnell report that “tensions in the House GOP over how to avoid — or not avoid — a potential government shutdown are coming to a boil, with frustrations spilling over into public jabs and airing of grievances without a clear path forward to fund the government past Sept. 30.”

Republicans’ opening bid for negotiations: As a show of GOP unity, leaders of the Main Street Caucus and House Freedom Caucus crafted a bill to keep the government open — including spending cuts and a few GOP priorities. But more than a dozen conservative Republicans quickly denounced the bill.

To give you a sense of just how tight the vote would be: “By the end of the day Monday, about 24 hours after the bill was unveiled, the list of Republicans saying they are definite or probable ‘no’ votes had grown to at least 16. In the narrow GOP majority, that opposition would be more than enough to sink the legislation.” (The Hill)

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on the floor: “Last night’s proposal in the House can be boiled down to two words: slapdash, reckless. Slapdash because it is not a serious proposal for avoiding a shutdown, and reckless because if passed it would cause immense harm to so many priorities that help the American people.”

Senate Republicans are debating whether to jam the House with a government funding proposal that includes funds for the war in Ukraine. (The Hill)

The gist: Senate Republicans are on board with Ukraine funding, but not all House Republicans agree. The House GOP proposal does not include additional aid, so Senate Republicans are debating whether it is a battle to choose.

“The House Oversight Committee will hold its first hearing on the impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Sept. 28, also announcing plans to subpoena the bank records of his son, Hunter Biden, as soon as this week.” 

Should we expect any new evidence?: Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) said this hearing will cover existing evidence.

In Comer’s words: “Well, I think that some of you need to have a refresher course on the existing evidence, so we’ll probably rehash some of that if for no other purpose to help educate the Washington, D.C., press corps.”

Keep in mind: A lack of new evidence will be a major talking point for Democrats, who argue there is no evidence to warrant impeachment. (The Hill)

“House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) made a sweeping request for more information about the Justice Department’s investigation of the president’s son, Hunter Biden, setting a date for an interview with David Weiss, the special counsel on the matter, while demanding a number of documents related to the ongoing investigation.” More from The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch

Find your beach, senator: Senate Republicans mocked the dress code change in the Senate. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) jokingly told reporters that she may “wear a bikini.” (AP)

Boebert broke it off with her ‘Beetlejuice’ date: Video surfaced last week of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) getting kicked out of a “Beetlejuice” performance with a date. Well, she broke it off, quipping about reports that the man is a Democrat. (The Hill)

The five Americans released in the U.S.-Iran prisoner swap landed in Fort Belvoir, Va., this morning. (The Hill)

Photo from the plane: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan posted a photo of the diplomats and the Americans returning home.

Video of the Americans reuniting with families: From C-SPAN’s Howard Mortman — Watch

Wow, this quote from one of the freed prisoners: “My other pressing ‘needs’ include visiting the Apple Store to replace all the devices my captors took as bounty. I am dying to find out what gadgets now exist — when I was taken hostage, the iPhone 6s had just come out. You cannot imagine what an eight-year itch feels like.” (Fox News)

“If you like it, then we’re gonna put a paywall on it.” 🎵 

During an event alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, tech billionaire Elon Musk said he is planning to implement a monthly fee for all users of X, formerly known as Twitter.  

From Musk: Musk said X is “moving to having a small monthly payment for use of the X system.”

Why?: To combat the “vast armies of bots.” (Nexstar) 

President Biden delivered his annual address to the U.N. General Assembly this morning in New York City.

Watch his remarks

Biden’s message: Biden urged the U.N. General Assembly to “continue to preserve peace, prevent conflict and alleviate human suffering.” More on Biden’s remarks, from CBS News’s Kathryn Watson

From The Washington Post’s Ishaan Tharoor — Read

From BBC’s James Landale — Read

🍨 Celebrate: Today is National Butterscotch Pudding Day.

🐻 A bear and a mouse walked into a bar: Parts of Magic Kingdom were closed Monday because a black bear made it onto Disney World grounds. The Washington Post noted reports that a bear was spotted in a tree near Big Thunder Railroad. The bear was captured and moved. (The Washington Post)

🧹Think of it as an immersive, stay-n-clean experience: The Atlantic’s Kate Lindsay has an interesting read of how Airbnb has changed over the years, with hosts sometimes giving guests a ~laundry list~ of cleaning duties before checking out. See what I did there? (The Atlantic)

🖍️ A WSJ correction 60 years later: The Washington Post’s Matt Viser posted a photo of the “corrections & amplifications” page of the Wall Street Journal, featuring a correction to a story from Aug. 29, 1963. Photo

🍼 Happening today — artificial wombs may be a thing: A Food and Drug Administration panel is reviewing an artificial womb that has been created to help babies born preterm. Aside from the effectiveness, there are obviously lots of ethical questions surrounding this device. (STAT News)

👎 JFK’s grandson stands by his criticism of RFK: Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former President John F. Kennedy, called his older cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s 2024 presidential bid “an embarrassment.” (The Hill)

The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in New York City and Vice President Harris is in Reading, Pa. (all times Eastern)

• Noon: Senators meet for weekly caucus luncheons. They will then hold a confirmation vote at 2:15 p.m. 🗓️ Today’s agenda

• 12:45 p.m.: Harris visits Reading Area Community College in Pennsylvania. She will then receive a briefing and participate in a roundtable discussion at IBEW Local 743. 📺 Livestream

• 1:15 p.m.: Biden hosts a meeting at the “Central Asia 5 + 1” in New York.

• 2:30 p.m.: First House votes. Last votes are expected around 4:25 p.m. 🗓️ Today’s agenda

• 7:15 p.m.: Biden and first lady Jill Biden host a reception at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.