Liam Donovan, a principal at Bracewell and longtime insider and observer of the Hill GOP, returns to weigh in on a chaotic couple of weeks in the House - including the surprise sidestepping of a government shutdown, the toppling of Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and the budding race to fill his shoes. In this conversation, Liam talks the factors that led to McCarthy's ouster, how House Democrats could've "saved" him (and why they didn't), how he's thinking about the nascent race to be the next Speaker, a check-in on the '24 GOP presidential primary & more. IN THIS EPISODE Liam’s take on the 9-month tenure of Speaker McCarthy… Liam’s biggest surprises in the saga of the toppling of Kevin McCarthy… Why the CR to keep the government open both antagonized GOP rebels while alienating House Democrats… Why Democrats might have chosen to “save" McCarthy…and why they didn’t… How Liam is looking at the Jordan vs. Scalise battle for Speaker… Liam on the possibility of a McCarthy Restoration… Why acting-Speaker Patrick McHenry could be a default longer-term option… A couple members of the GOP conference who Liam thinks will be predictive of who emerges from the fight for Speaker… Liam on a possible shutdown after the 45-day CR elapses… The path forward for additional funding of Ukraine… Liam’s latest take on Trump’s strength in the GOP presidential primary and the campaigns of Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley… AND big bargaining chips, catching the fly, Wile E. Coyote, the debt limit crisis, Diet Trump, discharge petitions, evil-genius super villains, Brian Fitzpatrick, the Freedom Caucus, the Gaetz 8, the Full Ginsberg, Lindsay Graham, gratuitous shutdowns, Garret Graves, Ben Jacobs, Hakeem Jeffries, jousting with totems, Mitch McConnell, nihilism, AOC, Nancy Pelosi, Politico, procedural blockades, Punchbowl, The Republican Study Committee, revocable non-support, tipping points, Glenn Youngkin…& more!